Sommières
Sommières | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 43°47′07″N 4°05′27″E / 43.7853°N 4.0908°E | |
Country | France |
Region | Occitania |
Department | Gard |
Arrondissement | Nîmes |
Canton | Calvisson |
Intercommunality | Pays de Sommières |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Pierre Martinez[1] |
Area 1 | 10.36 km2 (4.00 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 5,040 |
• Density | 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 30321 /30250 |
Elevation | 19–106 m (62–348 ft) (avg. 34 m or 112 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Sommières (French pronunciation: [sɔmjɛʁ]; Occitan: Someire) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France, located at the border with the Hérault department.
It lies 22 km (14 mi) from Nîmes, 28 km (17 mi) from Montpellier.
Geography
Sommières is to the south of the garrigues and on the edge of the Vaunage, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle.
History
The village first settled on the arcades of the Roman bridge on the Vidourle river, built by Roman Emperor Tiberius during the first century.
The village grew in the protection of the castle. It was annexed into the French kingdom by King
Siege of Sommières 1573
The
Siege of Sommières 1622
This time the Catholic king himself led the army. The siege was short. The town was back in Protestant hands in 1625 when the Protestant Duke of Rohan entered the city. He was to leave in haste and the Catholics were back. In 1703,
Recent history
The town has always been prone to flooding, and as recently as 2002 the River Vidourle flooded, causing major damage to the town and properties along the bank. This time it washed out the Champion supermarket, which reopened at Villevieille in July 2008. In October 2008 this supermarket was rebranded Carrefour. The floods are called 'vidourlades'.[5]
Population
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: EHESS[6] and INSEE (1968-2017)[7] |
Sights
The village has a Roman bridge, a medieval centre, a fortified gate and the ruins of a castle.
The Roman bridge is 190m long, it was built on the instructions of Emperor Tiberius at the start of the 1st century. It was restored in the 18th century.[8] At the town end of the bridge is the gothic town gate known as the 'Tour de l'Horloge'.[5] Only 7 of the 19 arches can be seen, the others lie beneath the town where they act as cellars.
The ancient
Economy
Sommières used to be a centre for leather and linen.[5]
Personalities
The writer Lawrence Durrell lived in Sommières from 1966 to 1990, and was buried in the churchyard of the Chapelle St-Julien de Montredon.
The writer Alan Furst lived in Sommières in 1969 while teaching at the University of Montpellier on a Fulbright Fellowship.
Radio Sommières 102.9 FM
Radio Sommières 102.9 FM (also called Radio-S) is one of the biggest non commercial radio exclusively made by youngsters from 9 to 18 years. It is possible to listen to Radio-S in Sommières on 102.9 MHz. But the sending power is limited to 10 W PAR, so it is almost impossible to listen to it outside Sommières. It is possible to listen Radio-S over all the world via the radio's internet site.
The participants are free to create their own programmes and broadcast them.
Gallery
-
The medieval centre of Sommières
-
The 2002 floods at Sommières
See also
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Rickard, J (9 February 2011), Siege of Sommières, 11 February-9 April 1573, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/siege_sommieres.html
- ^ Sommières 2000 ans d'histoire... in French
- ^ ISBN 2-06-033702-X
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Sommières, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ Structurae:The Bridge