Cazouls-lès-Béziers
Encyclopedia
Cazouls-lès-Béziers is a commune
in the Hérault
department in southern France
.
The town of Cazouls lès Béziers is situated 15 kilometres north of the city of Béziers and is midway between the Mediterranean coast and the Languedoc Park Natural. This is a rapidly growing town with new housing developments (lotissements), industrial zones and supermarkets. The town has good schools for students to the age of 16 years and a new Maison de Retraite. The local industry is substantially based on wine with many fine independent vintners and a large cooperative. The community is very active with many clubs and associations for sports and the arts, well supported by the Mairie. However, these activities are focussed on the local community and offer little for the tourist.
The old town
Centred on the town square with the Mairie, a fine church, an ancient clock tower and 2 bars, the buildings are mostly stone-built medieval houses that reflect their agrarian history. A walk through the old town will reveal narrow streets and interesting alleys interspersed with grand Maisons de Maître although occasionally marred by unsympathetic renovations. A substantial proportion of the older houses are now holiday homes and the village centre is far livelier in summer than in winter. Whilst interesting, the old town lacks the attractions enjoyed by the nearby circulade
s (Murviel, Thezan etc.) and the picturesque Roquebrun. Little has been done to make the town attractive to tourists and it retains its “working town” atmosphere.
Tourism
There is a well-stocked and informative Tourist Office and the Museum of Vignerons (Le Musee des Emiles) at Domaine Castan is well worth a visit. Other places of interest include the Roman Baths at Montmajou and the Chapelle de Notre Dame D’Ayde. Of greater importance to the tourist is the location of the town with ease of access to places such as Béziers, Narbonne and Carcassone, the beaches and fishing villages of the Mediterranean coast and the rivers, gorges and mountains of the Park Natural.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
See also
- Communes of the Hérault department
The town of Cazouls lès Béziers is situated 15 kilometres north of the city of Béziers and is midway between the Mediterranean coast and the Languedoc Park Natural. This is a rapidly growing town with new housing developments (lotissements), industrial zones and supermarkets. The town has good schools for students to the age of 16 years and a new Maison de Retraite. The local industry is substantially based on wine with many fine independent vintners and a large cooperative. The community is very active with many clubs and associations for sports and the arts, well supported by the Mairie. However, these activities are focussed on the local community and offer little for the tourist.
The old town
Centred on the town square with the Mairie, a fine church, an ancient clock tower and 2 bars, the buildings are mostly stone-built medieval houses that reflect their agrarian history. A walk through the old town will reveal narrow streets and interesting alleys interspersed with grand Maisons de Maître although occasionally marred by unsympathetic renovations. A substantial proportion of the older houses are now holiday homes and the village centre is far livelier in summer than in winter. Whilst interesting, the old town lacks the attractions enjoyed by the nearby circulade
Circulade
In the Languedoc-Roussillon region of the south of France, a circulade is a traditional village that has been built in concentric circles. The center, which one might expect to be the site of a château-fort or a parish church, is as often as not, empty, as air photography demonstrates...
s (Murviel, Thezan etc.) and the picturesque Roquebrun. Little has been done to make the town attractive to tourists and it retains its “working town” atmosphere.
Tourism
There is a well-stocked and informative Tourist Office and the Museum of Vignerons (Le Musee des Emiles) at Domaine Castan is well worth a visit. Other places of interest include the Roman Baths at Montmajou and the Chapelle de Notre Dame D’Ayde. Of greater importance to the tourist is the location of the town with ease of access to places such as Béziers, Narbonne and Carcassone, the beaches and fishing villages of the Mediterranean coast and the rivers, gorges and mountains of the Park Natural.