Lodève
LODEVE , Hérault – Point of interest
About
Halfway between the Causses and the valley, nestling near the Lac du Salagou, Lodève is an ancient and industrious city, built in amphitheatre form around two rivers.
In the shadow of the Saint-Fulcran cathedral, this ancient episcopal seat on the banks of the Lergue and the Soulondre held a strategic position between the Vallée de l’Hérault and the Causses du Larzac.
Lodève’s inhabitants depended on their flocks, which became the basis for a wool industry as early as the 13th century. Sheet manufacturing occupied many houses, and Lodève even had a monopoly on making military uniforms. The decline of this industry began at the turn of the 20th century, and the last factories shut fifty years ago. Lodève, nevertheless, still has a branch of the Gobelins factory – La Savonnerie -, the only branch of the famous national factory of tapestries and carpets. Today the city is listed as a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire due to its architectural heritage and its Musée Fleury, very active in organising exhibitions, often historically significant.
But Lodève is also rich in the natural heritage of the region, including the Lac du Salagou, an artificial lake 7.5 kilometres long, magnified by the ochre colour of its banks, a tint due to their red clay and the iron of the soil. While beyond the Cirque de Mourèze displays its ring of spectacular dolomitic limestone crags, all around the authentic villages of Clermont-l’Hérault, Liausson, Octon, Salasc, Celles, and Puech invite you to discover this 100% natural paradise.
Villeneuvette, a model city
This historic manufacturing town near Clermont-l’Hérault is a living model of pre-Revolutionary industry. Created by Colbert during the reign of Louis XIV, Villeneuvette, whose city gate bears the inscription ‘Honneur au travail’ (Honour to Work) is a rationally organised community of 800 workers living in part in their workplaces. Forty-seven houses allowed a weaver and his family to live and work at home.
Made a royal factory in 1677, Villeneuvette developed over a century before beginning to decline after the French Revolution. But the factory did not close until 1954. Today its architectural unity, its well-ordered buildings, and its fountain diffuse a particularly peaceful atmosphere. www.clermontais-tourisme.fr
Spoken languages : French
Get there by liO Car or city bus
A moins de 10 mn à pieds de l’arrêt LODEVE – LYCEE J. VALLOT !
Cet arrêt est situé sur les lignes : Lignes Réseau Draille (698)
Lodève – Clermont L’Hérault (Marché) (697)
Lodève – Clermont L’Hérault – Pézenas (680)
Montpellier – Gignac – Lodève (661)
Montpellier – Millau (681)
Environ 6 min (515 m).
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