Frontignan
Encyclopedia
Frontignan la Peyrade is a commune
in the Hérault
department in southern France
.
Frontignan is renowned for its AOC
wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat
grape variety.
coastal plain between the towns of Sète and Montpellier
.
The town is surrounded by the Gardiole mountain range in the north, the Ingril lagoon in the east, the Étang de Thau
in the west and the Mediterranean shore (including the beach resort Frontignan-Plage) in the south.
The Rhône-Sète canal
separates the inland town centre and Frontignan-Plage.
Since the end of the 20th century modern fisheries and high tech plastics take over. Seasonal tourism is a dominant part of the local economy.
Important businesses in Frontignan include:
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...
.
Frontignan is renowned for its AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat
Muscat (grape and wine)
The Muscat variety of grapes of the species Vitis vinifera is widely grown for wine, raisins and table grapes. Their color ranges from white to near black. Muscat almost always has a pronounced sweet floral aroma. Muscat grapes are grown around the world...
grape variety.
Sights
- Old town centre with remains of the fortress dating back to the 14th century
- Saint-Paul's Church (in parts 12th century)
- The Penitents' chapel (including the city's museum)
- Maison Poulation (early 20th century)
- Château Stony
- Château de la Peyrade
- La Peyrade bridge (17th century)
- Yacht port
- Natural reserve beaches
- Aresquiers naturtal reserve
- Argeliès caves
Geography
Frontignan is located in the LanguedocLanguedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
coastal plain between the towns of Sète and Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
.
The town is surrounded by the Gardiole mountain range in the north, the Ingril lagoon in the east, the Étang de Thau
Étang de Thau
Étang de Thau or Bassin de Thau is the largest of a string of étangs that stretch along the Languedoc-Roussillon, French coast from the Rhône River to the foothills of the Pyrenees which form the border to Spain. It is the second largest lake in France.-Description:It is about 21 km long...
in the west and the Mediterranean shore (including the beach resort Frontignan-Plage) in the south.
The Rhône-Sète canal
Canal du Rhône à Sète
The Canal du Rhône à Sète is a canal in southern France, which connects the Étang de Thau in Sète to the Rhône River in Beaucaire, Gard. At the entrance to the Étang de Thau, the canal connects with the Canal du Midi....
separates the inland town centre and Frontignan-Plage.
Economy
Until the early 20th century the local economy was based on the production of marine salt and wine. Later petro-chemical and chemical industries predominate with a steady decline in the 1980s. The oil refinery that opened in 1900 was converted to a simple depot in 1986.Since the end of the 20th century modern fisheries and high tech plastics take over. Seasonal tourism is a dominant part of the local economy.
Important businesses in Frontignan include:
- Distrisud S.A.
- Indubois S.A.S.
- Hexis S.A.Hexis S.A.Hexis S.A. is a manufacturer of self-adhesive vinyl films used for commercial signage and as digital printing media for large format inkjet printers. The company headquarters are in Frontignan, France...
- Barba S.A.S.
- Frontignan Coopérative S.C.A.
- Mobil Concepts s.à.r.l.
History
- 1362 foundation of the fortress
- 1560 ransacked by the Protestants
- 16 June 1642: King Louis XIII of FranceLouis XIII of FranceLouis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
and Cardinal Richelieu meet in Frontignan. - 1787: Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, future president of the United States, stays in Frontignan and reportedly enjoys the local Muscat de Frontignan wine. - 25 June 1944: The Frontignan oil refineries and parts of the city (including the rail station) are bombed by the 15th USAAFFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
causing some 40 civilian deaths. - 31 December 2002: Frontignan together with the neighbouring towns of SèteSèteSète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
, Balaruc-les-BainsBalaruc-les-BainsBalaruc-les-Bains is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.-Population:-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department* Balaruc* Étang de Thau* Communauté d'agglomération du Bassin de Thau-References:...
, Balaruc-le-VieuxBalaruc-le-VieuxBalaruc-le-Vieux is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Vic-la-GardioleVic-la-GardioleVic-la-Gardiole is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon southern France.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department...
, MirevalMirevalMireval is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.It is famous for its muscat wine, the , from which François Rabelais wrote about in the beginning of the 16th century.-See also:*Communes of the Hérault department...
, GigeanGigeanGigean is a commune in the Hérault département in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.Its inhabitants are called Gigeannais.-Geography:...
and MarseillanMarseillan, HéraultMarseillan is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.It lies some west of Montpellier.Marseillan sits on a large salt-water lake, the Étang de Thau and is the southern Entreport for the Canal du Midi....
joins the district of Thau (Communauté d'agglomération du Bassin de ThauCommunauté d'agglomération du Bassin de ThauThe Communauté d'agglomération du Bassin de Thau is an intercommunal government structure, in the Hérault département of the Languedoc-Roussillon région, in France.-Composition:The CABT includes primary members from these eight communes....
).
Culture
- Frontignan is the home town of the writer Maurice ClavelMaurice ClavelMaurice Clavel is a French writer, journalist and philosopher born on November 10, 1920 in Frontignan and who died on April 23, 1979 in Asquins .-Youth:...
. - Every year since 1998 Frontignan organises the annual Festival International du Roman Noir.
- Bull fighting and river jousting are the traditional sports.
External links
- Official website
- Frontignan Tourist Office
- FIRN website of the Festival International du Roman NoirHardboiledHardboiled crime fiction is a literary style, most commonly associated with detective stories, distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of violence and sex. The style was pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s, popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the decade, and refined...
- Website for Association des Plaisanciers du Port de Frontignan
- http://www.thauenimages.fr/CARTE_FRONTIGNAN.html Website of panoramic photos of Frontignan and its region