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Millau (Municipality, Aveyron, France)

Flag of Millau - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 28 September 2025

Presentation of Millau
Flag of Millau
- Vertical variant
Flag on Millau belfry

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Presentation of Millau

Millau (21,859 inhabitants, 16,823 ha) is a commune and subprefecture of the Aveyron department, located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers.

The town dates back nearly 3000 years when it was situated on the Granède hills which dominate the town. In the second or first century B.C, it would move to the alluvial plain on the left bank of the Tarn. The city became an important manufacturing center for luxury sigilated ceramics known as Graufesenque, which was exported throughout the Roman Empire
Towards the middle of the 2nd century, trade collapsed. With the barbarian invasions of the 4th and 5th centuries, the city settled permanently on the other bank of the Tarn, within a bend in the river. In the 9th century, the city was a large market town, the seat of a viguerie (viguerie) and a center for the manufacture of lambskin gloves. It was surrounded by ramparts. In 1187, King Alfonso II of Aragon, granted Millau the seal and municipal freedom by consular charter. The consulate thus created was responsible for administering the city, levying taxes, and administering justice.

In 1361, during the Hundred Years' War, the city came under English rule. In the 15th century, peace returned and a new impetus was felt. In 1476, King Louis XI of France annexed Millau to the crown by letters patent. In the 16th century, Millau, a town of fairs, grew, growing from 3,500 inhabitants in 1515 to 5,500 in 1547.
During the Wars of Religion, Protestants attacked the church and priory three times, in 1561, 1568, and 1582, destroying the buildings. The beginnings of the Reformation reached Millau in the middle of the century, quickly making the town a Protestant stronghold. The town hosted several Huguenot political assemblies, notably in 1573 and 1574, which marked the creation of the Provinces of the Union. For a century, Protestants dominated Millau politically and economically. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Protestants were defeated by the troops of the King of France, Louis XIII. The Peace of Al s, signed in 1629, confirmed the religious tolerance established by the Edict of Nantes of 1598. In the 18th century, the drapery industry gave way to the leather and hide industry, which developed after 1750
In November 1818, Millau suffered a flood.

The 19th century saw the modernization and expansion of the city. Between 1835 and 1837, numerous beautification projects were undertaken: construction of a fountain, a corn exchange, a courthouse, the Place du Mar chal Foch, and the Boulevard de l'Ayrolle. The Republican movement grew among the tanners, tawers, and glove makers. Major urban planning projects were carried out during the Second Empire, under the leadership of the mayor, banker Hilarion Achille Villa.

In the 20th century, nearly 12,000 of the city's 18,000 people made their living from the leather and hide industry. Prosperity was sometimes marked by social conflict: the economic crisis of 1929 led to the bankruptcy of the Villa bank in 1934. The city was paralyzed by a six-month general strike during the winter of 1934-1935, following the glove bosses' decision to cut workers' wages by 25 to 30%. The workers eventually gave in as famine gradually spread through the city.
The glove industry began to decline in the 1960s, and Millau became a service-oriented city. Today, Millau maintains a leather and skin business, specializing in luxury, and the companies manufacture more than 800,000 gloves per year, a third of French production. The Millau Viaduct opened in 2004, eliminating traffic jams from the town centre.

Olivier Touzeau, 28 September 2025

Flag of Millau

The arms of Millau are blazoned: Or four pales gules, on a chief azure three fleur-de-lis or. It recalls its past belonging to the kingdom of Aragon and its attachment to the crown of France in 1271. The chief of France (azure with three fleurs-de-lis) is characteristic in theory of the so-called "good towns".
However Millau is one of the many towns who have the chief of France in their arms without having been officially listed as such.

On its former logo, Millau showed a banner of these arms, but with fleur-de-lis in white (Argent): picture.

The city flag is this modified banner of arms, rotated with the chief and the upper points of the fleurs-de-lis at the hoist. See pictures inside the city hall: photo (2024), photo (2025), photo (2025).

Olivier Touzeau, 28 September 2025

Vertical variant

Vertical flag of Millau - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 28 September 2025

It is sometimes hanged vertically, with the chief in this case in the right position: photo (2025).

Olivier Touzeau, 28 September 2025

Flag on Millau belfry

Flag on Millau belfry - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 28 September 2025

A bicolore flag of red over yellow is flown on the belfry: photo, photo (2016), photo (2018).

The Millau belfry is composed of two parts corresponding to two different eras. The Square Tower was built in the 12th century on the site of the original castle of the Counts of Millau. It ensured the security of the fortified enclosure in its southwest corner. At the beginning of the 17th century, the consuls of Millau had the octagonal tower built above it. The Square Tower served as a prison from the 17th to the 19th century, particularly during the revolutionary period. The building is now without its spire, which was set on fire by lightning on July 29, 1811. After climbing the 210 steps, you have a beautiful 360 view.

Olivier Touzeau, 28 September 2025