Lodève

commune in Hérault, Occitania, France

Lodève (Occitan: Lodeva) is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a subprefecture of the department and also the capital of the arrondissement of the same name.

Lodève
View of Lodève
View of Lodève
Coat of arms of Lodève
Location of Lodève
Map
Lodève is located in France
Lodève
Lodève
Lodève is located in Occitanie
Lodève
Lodève
Coordinates: 43°20′51″N 3°19′02″E / 43.3476°N 3.317308°E / 43.3476; 3.317308
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentHérault
ArrondissementLodève
CantonLodève
IntercommunalityLodévois et Larzac
Government
 • Mayor (2014-2020) Marie-Christine Bousquet [1]
Area
1
23.17 km2 (8.95 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
7,381
 • Density320/km2 (830/sq mi)
DemonymLodévois
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
34142 /34700
Elevation117–700 m (384–2,297 ft)
(avg. 165 m or 541 ft)
Websitewww.lodeve.com
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

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Lodève started as the capital of a Celtic tribe before becoming the Roman city Luteva (also known as Forum Neronis). It was a centre for textile production under Louis XV and was home to one of only two royal factories for tapestry, the other being the one in Paris.[2]

Geography

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Lodève is in the north of the Hérault department, where the plains rise up to the Larzac plateau. It is a narrow valley of the Lergue river, a tributary of the Hérault river.

The commune has an area of 23.17 km2 (8.95 sq mi) and is at an altitude of about 117–700 m (384–2,297 ft) above sea level. The city of Montpellier is to the east of Lodève at 45 km (28 mi) and Béziers is to the west at 50 km (31 mi). Lodève is at 80 km (50 mi) from the Mediterranean Sea.

The commune of Lodève is surrounded by the communes Soumont, Olmet-et-Villecun, Poujols, Fozières, Les Plans, Le Puech, Soubès, Lauroux, Lavalette, Saint-Étienne-de-Gourgas, Le Bosc and Usclas-du-Bosc.

Lodève and its neighboring communes
 

Climate

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The climate of Lodève, in the Köppen climate classification, is Csb - Mediterranean climate with template summers.

Population

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The inhabitants of Lodève are known, in French, as Lodévois (women: Lodévoises).[3]

With a population of 7,381,[4] Lodève has a population density of 319 inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Lodève

Lodève forms with other seven communes the urban area of Lodève with a population of 9,780 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 102 km2 (39 sq mi).[5] This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Lodève, formed by nine communes with a population of 9,977 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 128.4 km2 (49.6 sq mi).[6]

Administration

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Lodève is a subprefecture of the Hérault department, the capital of the arrondissement of Lodève and the administrative centre (French: chef-lieu) of the canton of Lodève.

It is part of the intercommunality Lodévois et Larzac (French: Communauté de communes Lodévois et Larzac).

Sister cities

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Lodève is twinned with:

Sites of interest

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  • Lodève Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Fulcran de Lodève), parts of which date from the sixth century.
  • Museum Fleury (temporary art exhibitions and archeology permanent collection).
  • L'Atelier national du tapis de Lodève, the French state carpet-making workshop.
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References

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  1. "Vie municipale - Le Maire" (in French). Ville de Lodève. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  2. "L'histoire de la Ville" (in French). Ville de Lodève. Archived from the original on 20 March 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  3. "Hérault" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  4. "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  5. "Unité urbaine de Lodève (34214)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  6. "Aire urbaine de Lodève (385)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 1 March 2017.

Other websites

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