Lunel

Town hall

Coat of arms

Lunel

Location within Occitanie region

Lunel

Coordinates: 43°40′40″N 4°08′10″E / 43.6778°N 4.1361°ECoordinates: 43°40′40″N 4°08′10″E / 43.6778°N 4.1361°E

Country

Lunel

Pays de Lunel

Government

• Mayor (2014–2020)

Claude Arnaud

Area¹

23.90 km² (9.23 sq mi)

Population (2014)²

24,873

• Density

1,000/km² (2,700/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

34145 /34400

Elevation

2–53 m (6.6–173.9 ft)

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.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Lunel is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. According to legend, Lunel was founded by Jews from Jericho in the first century. It had a Jewish population by the first millennium, and an ancient synagogue is located there.

Lunel is located 21 km (13 mi) east of Montpellier and 28 km (17 mi) southwest of Nîmes (Gard).

The ancient Roman site of Ambrussum is located nearby. The troubadour Folquet de Lunel was from Lunel.

Lunel was a centre of Jewish learning. It is thought that the family of Rashi (1040–1105), the great Rabbi and commentator, originated in Lunel. Other scholars include Jonathan of Lunel, Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel, his son Aaron ben Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel, Abraham ben David who taught in Lunel before moving to Posquières, and Asher ben Meshullam of Lunel.

Lunel was the birthplace of Louis Feuillade (1873–1925), film director from the silent era. The artist Jean Hugo (1894-1984) lived in the Lunel area for most of his life and painted scenes from the surrounding countryside. The Parc Jean Hugo in the centre of the town was named after him.

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Wikipedia