Frontignan (; ) is a commune in the

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. Map commune FR insee code 34108

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

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 ...

, Gigean and Marseillan joins the ''Communauté d'agglomération du Bassin de Thau'' (since 2017: Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée).

Population

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 ...

* Barba S.A.S. * Frontignan Coopérative S.C.A. * Mobil Concepts s.à.r.l.

Culture

*Frontignan is the hometown of the writer

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 ...

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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 ...

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