Lodève
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The iron bridge in Lodève
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 Lodève
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Location within Occitanie region
Lodève
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| Coordinates: 43°43′57″N 3°19′13″E / 43.7325°N 3.3203°ECoordinates: 43°43′57″N 3°19′13″E / 43.7325°N 3.3203°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Occitanie | |
| Department | Hérault | |
| Arrondissement | Lodève | |
| Canton | Lodève | |
| Intercommunality | Lodévois | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Marie-Christine Bousquet (PS) | |
| Area1 | 23.17 km2 (8.95 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 7,345 | |
| • Density | 320/km2 (820/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 34142 / 34700 | |
| Elevation | 117–700 m (384–2,297 ft) (avg. 165 m or 541 ft) |
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| Website | http://www.lodeve.com | |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Lodève (French pronunciation: [lɔdɛv]; Occitan: Lodeva pronounced [luˈðevɔ]) is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. The derivation of the city's name is from Gaulish Luteva, composed of lut-, swamp, mud + suffix -eva. It might therefore translate as the muddy place or the swamp city.
Lodève lies where the plains rise up to the Larzac plateau, 54 km (34 mi) from Montpellier, in the valley of the where that river is joined by the smaller . It is surrounded by green hills and vineyards and lies only 8 km (5.0 mi) from the large man-made Lac du Salagou.
Lodève enjoys a mostly mediterranean climate, with the hot summers that allow plentiful viticulture. Violent storms and torrential rain are frequently seen in late summer, leading to flooding and the muds and swamps that gave the city its name.
Lodève started as the capital of a Volque tribe (the Lutevani) before becoming the Roman city Luteva (also known as Forum Neronis). The town was a stopping point on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela via the Arles road. An episcopal city until the French Revolution, it was also a centre for textile production under Louis XV and was home to one of only two royal manufactories for tapestry, the other being the one of the Gobelins in Paris.
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