Clermont-l'Hérault (; oc, Clarmont d'Erau) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

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 in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Chief town of the Canton, Clermont-l'Hérault is located about 40 km west of Montpellier, halfway between the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

to the south and the Cévennes National Park to the north.

Hydrography

La Lergue, Le Salagou, Ruisseau des Servières are the main rivers that cross the town.

Climate

The city enjoys a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. The winter is mild, despite occasional frosts. Summer is hot. In autumn, Mediterranean episodes occur bringing intense and heavy rainfall.

History

The site of Clermont-l'Hérault has been inhabited since

Protohistory Protohistory is a period between prehistory and history during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in their own writings. For example, in ...

: during the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

(6th century BC), Clermont constitutes one of the main

Oppida An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretch ...

of the Celtic Mediterranean. Recent archaeological excavations have demonstrated its importance during antiquity (INRAP, 2000s). There was then a main agglomeration of five to six hectares and a peripheral inhabited area of 12 hectares. The remains of a thermal establishment have been uncovered. The town was several times taken and retaken in the religious wars of the 16th century. The city was formerly known as Clermont-Lodève. The manufacture of sheets was established at nearby

Villeneuvette Villeneuvette (; oc, La Fatura) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is close to the town of Clermont l'Hérault. Villeneuvette is a small village made up of a group of buildings built in the 1 ...

, or rather relaunched in 1667 by Colbert to develop the cloth industry in France, taking advantage of the waters of the

Dourbie The Dourbie (; oc, Dorbia) is a long river in southern France. It is a left tributary of the Tarn. Its source is north of Le Vigan, in the Cévennes. It flows generally west through the following departments and towns: * Gard: Dourbies * Av ...

Clermont-l'Herault, Collégiale de Saint-Paul 01

Politics and administration

Population

Sights

The town is built on the slope of a hill ("Pioch Castel") which is crowned by an ancient castle ( Château des Guilhem) and skirted by the Rhonel, a tributary of the Lergue. It has a southern Gothic style chapel "Les Pénitents" (The Penitents) that has been recently restored. It is now a cultural centre. Also of interest is Saint Paul's church, begun in the 12th century, and finished in the 14th century. Close by is the large man-made Lac du Salagou.

International relations

Clermont-l'Hérault is twinned with: * San Gimignano *

Patchway Patchway is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated north-north west of central Bristol. The town has become an overflow settlement for Bristol and is contiguous with Bristol's urban area, along with the nearby towns of Filton and Bra ...

* Gauting

References

External links

General Information on the town in English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clermontlherault Communes of Hérault