Lodève

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
Subprefecture and commune
View of Lodève
Coat of arms
Location of Lodève
Lodève Show map of France Lodève Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°20′51″N 3°19′02″E
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Department	Hérault
Arrondissement	Lodève
Canton	Lodève
Intercommunality	Lodévois et Larzac
Government
• Mayor (2014-2020)	Marie-Christine Bousquet [1]
Area 1	23.17 km2 (8.95 sq mi)
Population  (2014)	7,381
• Density	320/km2 (830/sq mi)
Demonym	Lodévois
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	34142 /34700
Elevation	117–700 m (384–2,297 ft) (avg. 165 m or 541 ft)
Website	www.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

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

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

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

Population

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

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

Lodève is twinned with:

• South Kirkby and Moorthorpe, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Sites of interest

• 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.

Gallery

• 
  The Pont de Fer ('Iron Bridge', 19th century), Lodève.
• 
  Saint-Fulcran de Lodève cathedral.
• 
  Lodève cathedral.
• 
  Town hall of Lodève.

Related pages

• Arrondissement of Lodève
• Communes of the Hérault department