Frontignan

Frontignan (French pronunciation: [fʁɔ̃tiɲɑ̃]; Occitan: Frontinhan) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.

For the French wine grape also known as Frontignan, see Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. For the California wine grape also known as Frontignan, see Burger (grape).
Frontignan
Frontignan la Peyrade
Commune
Town hall
Town hall
Coat of arms of Frontignan
Coat of arms
Location of Frontignan
Frontignan is located in France
Frontignan
Frontignan
Frontignan is located in Occitanie
Frontignan
Frontignan
Coordinates: 43°26′54″N 3°45′22″E
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentHérault
ArrondissementMontpellier
CantonFrontignan
IntercommunalityCA Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Michel Arrouy[1] (PS)
Area
1
31.72 km2 (12.25 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
23,485
 • Density740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
34108 /34110
Elevation0–223 m (0–732 ft)
(avg. 2 m or 6.6 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety.

Map

Geography
View from La Gardiole Mountain.

Frontignan is located in the Languedoc coastal plain between the towns of Sète and Montpellier.

The town is surrounded by the Gardiole hills to the north, the Ingril lagoon in the east, the Étang de Thau to the west and the Mediterranean shore (including the beach resort Frontignan-Plage) to the south.

The Rhône-Sète canal separates the inland town centre and Frontignan-Plage. Frontignan station has rail connections (TER Occitanie) to Narbonne, Montpellier and Avignon.

History
  • 1362 foundation of the fortress
  • 1560 ransacked by the Protestants
  • 16 June 1642: King Louis XIII of France and Cardinal Richelieu meet in Frontignan.
  • 1787: Thomas Jefferson, future president of the United States, stays in Frontignan and reportedly enjoys the local Muscat de Frontignan wine.
  • 28 June 1940: The car driven by Paul Reynaud hits a tree at La Peyrade, killing his mistress Helene de Portes. Reynaud is hospitalized, arrested on discharge, and imprisoned for the duration of the war.[3]
  • 25 June 1944: The Frontignan oil refineries and parts of the city (including the rail station) are bombed by the 15th USAAF causing some 40 civilian deaths.
  • 12 August 1944:Battery Frontignan is attacked by the 465th BG in preparation of the invasion of Southern France on 15 August 1944.
  • 31 December 2002: Frontignan together with the neighboring towns of Sète, Balaruc-les-Bains, Balaruc-le-Vieux, Vic-la-Gardiole, Mireval, Gigean and Marseillan joins the Communauté d'agglomération du Bassin de Thau (since 2017: Sète Agglopôle Méditerranée).

Population

In 1800, Frontignan was home to around 1400 individuals. Until the 20th century, Frontignan had a population of less than 4000. In 2007, there were over 23,000.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,100—    
1800 1,416+3.67%
1806 1,398−0.21%
1821 1,491+0.43%
1831 1,877+2.33%
1836 1,844−0.35%
1841 1,966+1.29%
1846 1,926−0.41%
1851 2,129+2.02%
1856 2,077−0.49%
1861 2,574+4.38%
1866 3,000+3.11%
1872 3,225+1.21%
1876 3,537+2.34%
1881 3,164−2.20%
1886 3,326+1.00%
1891 3,603+1.61%
1896 3,902+1.61%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 4,470+2.76%
1906 4,668+0.87%
1911 5,174+2.08%
1921 5,283+0.21%
1926 5,483+0.75%
1931 5,859+1.34%
1936 6,243+1.28%
1946 6,096−0.24%
1954 6,998+1.74%
1962 8,309+2.17%
1968 11,141+5.01%
1975 12,238+1.35%
1982 14,951+2.90%
1990 16,245+1.04%
1999 19,145+1.84%
2007 23,068+2.36%
2012 22,728−0.30%
2017 22,762+0.03%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Sights
The beach at Frontignan-Plage.
  • 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 Population (early 20th century)
  • Château Stony
  • Château de la Peyrade
  • La Peyrade bridge (17th century)
  • Yacht port
  • Natural reserve beaches
  • Aresquiers natural reserve
  • Argeliès caves

Economy
Les Crozets neighbourhood, seen from Les Salins

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.
  • Barba S.A.S.
  • Frontignan Coopérative S.C.A.
  • Mobil Concepts s.à.r.l.

Culture

International relations

Frontignan is twinned with:

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. "L'accident de Paul Reynaud (2)". www.lagglorieuse.info. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  4. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Frontignan, EHESS (in French).
  5. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
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