Millau

Millau (mēyō') [key], town (1990 pop. 22,458), Aveyron dept., S France, on the Tarn River. The center of the French glove industry, the town also has tanning and dyeing industries. Near Millau the Tarn is crossed by the world's highest road bridge (1,125 ft/343 m high, 8,071 ft/2,460 m long), the cable-stayed, multispan, steel Millau Viaduct, designed by Lord Norman Foster and completed in 2004. At the nearby village of Roquefort, the famous cheese is manufactured from sheep's milk. Millau was a Huguenot stronghold in the 16th cent. Points of interest include Gallo-Roman ruins, a 16th-century church, and a belfry (partly from the 11th cent.).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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