Hérault
Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in southern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety.
Geography
Frontignan is located in the
Languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
coastal plain between the towns of
Sète
Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...
and
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
.
The town is surrounded by the Gardiole hills to the north, the Ingril lagoon in the east, the Étang de Thau to the west and the Mediterranean shore (including the beach resort Frontignan-Plage) to the south.
The Rhône-Sète canal separates the inland town centre and Frontignan-Plage.
Frontignan station
Frontignan is a railway station in Frontignan, Occitanie, southern France. Within TER Occitanie
TER Occitanie or liO TER Occitanie is the regional rail network serving the region of Occitanie, southern France. It is operated by the French nat ...
has rail connections ( TER Occitanie) to Narbonne, Montpellier and Avignon.
History
* 1362 foundation of the fortress
* 1560 ransacked by the Protestants
* 16 June 1642: King
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
and
Cardinal Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...
meet in Frontignan.
* 1787:
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...
, future president of the United States, stays in Frontignan and reportedly enjoys the local Muscat de Frontignan wine.
* 28 June 1940: The car driven by Paul Reynaud hits a tree at La Peyrade, killing his mistress
Helene de Portes
Helene or Hélène may refer to: People
* Helene (given name), a Greek feminine given name
*Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda
*Helene, a figure in Greek mythology who was a friend of Aphrodite and helped her seduce Adonis
*Helene (Am ...
. Reynaud is hospitalized, arrested on discharge, and imprisoned for the duration of the war.
* 25 June 1944: The Frontignan oil refineries and parts of the city (including the rail station) are bombed by the 15th USAAF causing some 40 civilian deaths.
* 12 August 1944:Battery Frontignan is attacked by the 465th BG in preparation of the invasion of Southern France on 15 August 1944.
* 31 December 2002: Frontignan together with the neighboring towns of
Sète
Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...
,
Balaruc-les-Bains
Balaruc-les-Bains (; oc, Los Banhs de Balaruc) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Hérault department
* Balaruc
*Étang de Thau
The Étang de Thau (; ...
,
Balaruc-le-Vieux
Balaruc-le-Vieux (; oc, Balaruc Vièlh) is a Communes of France, commune in the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region in southern France.
Population
See als ...
,
Vic-la-Gardiole
Vic-la-Gardiole (; oc, Vic la Gardiòla) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Population
Gallery
File:Vic-la-Gardiole, Hérault 14.jpg, "Bois des Aresquiers"
File:Vic-la-Gardiole, Hérault from ...
,
Mireval
Mireval (; oc, Miravau) is a commune in the Hérault department in Occitanie in southern France. Vic-Mireval station has rail connections to Narbonne, Montpellier and Avignon.
It is famous for its muscat wine, the ''Muscat de Mireval'', about ...
In 1800, Frontignan was home to around 1400 individuals. Until the 20th century, Frontignan had a population of less than 4000. In 2007, there were over 23,000.
Sights
* Old town centre with remains of the fortress dating back to the 14th century
* Saint Paul's Church (in parts 12th century)
* The Penitents' chapel (including the city's museum)
* Maison Population (early 20th century)
* Château Stony
* Château de la Peyrade
* La Peyrade bridge (17th century)
* Yacht port
* Natural reserve beaches
* Aresquiers natural reserve
* Argeliès caves
Economy
Until the early 20th century the local economy was based on the production of marine salt and wine. Later petro-chemical and chemical industries predominate with a steady decline in the 1980s. The oil refinery that opened in 1900 was converted to a simple depot in 1986.
Since the end of the 20th century, modern fisheries and high-tech plastics take over. Seasonal tourism is a dominant part of the local economy.
Important businesses in Frontignan include:
* Distrisud S.A.
* Indubois S.A.S.
*
Hexis S.A.
Hexis S.A.S is a manufacturer of self-adhesive vinyl ( PVC) films used for commercial signage and as digital printing media for large format inkjet printers. The company headquarters are in Frontignan, France. The company was founded in 1989 by i ...
Maurice Clavel
Maurice Clavel () (1920-1979) was a French writer, journalist, and philosophy, philosopher.
Youth
Maurice Clavel was born on 10 November 1920 in Frontignan, Hérault to a family headed by a father who was a pharmacist. This conservative milieu o ...
.
*Every year since 1998 Frontignan organises the annual ''Festival International du Roman Noir'' (for noir fiction).
*
Bullfighting
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
and
river jousting
Water jousting is a form of jousting where the adversaries, carrying a lance and protected only by a shield, stand on a platform on the stern of a boat. The aim of the sport is to send the adversary into the water whilst maintaining one's own ba ...
are the traditional sports.
International relations
Frontignan is twinned with:
*
Gaeta
Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples.
The town has played a consp ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
*
Vizela
Vizela () is a municipality in the Braga District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,736, in an area of 24.70 km².
The present mayor is Vitor Hugo Salgado, elected as an independent. The municipal holiday is March 19.
History
In Au ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
*
Pineda de Mar
Pineda de Mar is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Calella and Santa Susanna. The main N-II road and a RENFE railway line run through the town.
The town centre has several ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
*
M'Diq
Rincón, M'Diq or Mediek, in , meaning 'the''''Strait'') is a Mediterranean town in northern Morocco located between Fnideq and Tétouan. It borders Mellaliyine in the south and Allyene in the west. It is the seat of M'diq-Fnideq Prefecture.
...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
See also
*
Communes of the Hérault department
The following is a list of the 342 communes of the Hérault department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):Official website