Villeneuve-sur-Lot

Villeneuve-sur-Lot (French pronunciation: [vilnœv syʁ lɔt]; in the Languedocien dialect of Occitan language: Vilanuèva d'Òlt [bilaˈnwɛβɔ ˈðult]) is a town and commune in the southwestern French department of Lot-et-Garonne. The commune was formerly named Villeneuve-d'Agen.

Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Subprefecture and commune
Bridge over the river Lot
Bridge over the river Lot
Coat of arms of Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Coat of arms
Location of Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Villeneuve-sur-Lot is located in France
Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Villeneuve-sur-Lot is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Villeneuve-sur-Lot
Coordinates: 44°24′29″N 0°42′18″E
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentLot-et-Garonne
ArrondissementVilleneuve-sur-Lot
CantonVilleneuve-sur-Lot-1 and 2
IntercommunalityCA Grand Villeneuvois
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Guillaume Lepers[1]
Area
1
81.32 km2 (31.40 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
21,690
 • Density270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
47323 /47300
Elevation42–209 m (138–686 ft)
(avg. 55 m or 180 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Villeneuve-sur-Lot is located 22 km northeast of the commune of Agen and straddles the river Lot.

History

Villeneuve was founded in 1254 by Alphonse, Count of Poitiers, brother of Louis IX, on the site of the town of Gajac, which had been deserted during the Albigensian Crusade.[3]

By the early 20th century, Villeneuve-sur-Lot was an important agricultural centre and had a large trade in plums (prunes d'ente); the preparation of preserved plums and the tinning of peas and beans were major industries. The important mill of Gajac stood on the bank of the Lot a little above the town.[4]

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 10,125—    
1800 9,600−0.76%
1806 10,727+1.87%
1821 9,211−1.01%
1831 10,652+1.46%
1836 11,222+1.05%
1841 12,337+1.91%
1846 13,088+1.19%
1851 13,212+0.19%
1856 13,834+0.92%
1861 13,830−0.01%
1866 13,114−1.06%
1872 13,681+0.71%
1876 14,448+1.37%
1881 14,560+0.15%
1886 14,693+0.18%
1891 13,798−1.25%
1896 13,561−0.35%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 13,594+0.05%
1906 13,540−0.08%
1911 13,181−0.54%
1921 11,350−1.48%
1926 12,047+1.20%
1931 12,197+0.25%
1936 12,655+0.74%
1946 17,055+3.03%
1954 15,784−0.96%
1962 17,295+1.15%
1968 21,682+3.84%
1975 22,307+0.41%
1982 23,045+0.47%
1990 22,782−0.14%
1999 22,782+0.00%
2007 23,436+0.35%
2012 23,377−0.05%
2017 22,064−1.15%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

Sights

The main quarter of the town is located on the right bank of the Lot River and is linked to the quarter on the left bank by a bridge from the 13th century, the principal arch of which, constructed during the reign of Louis XIII in place of two older arches, has a span of 36 metres (118 ft) and a height of 18 metres (59 ft). On the left bank, portions of the 13th century ramparts, altered and surmounted by machicolations of the 15th century, remain, and high square towers rise above the gates to the north-east and southwest, known respectively as the Porte de Paris and Porte de Pujols.[3]

On the right bank, boulevards have for the most part taken the place of the ramparts. Arcades of the 13th century surround the Place La Fayette, and monumental houses of the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries are to be seen in various parts of the town. The church of St Etienne is late Gothic style. On the left bank of the Lot, 3 km S.S.W. of Villeneuve, are the 13th-century walls of Pujols located.[3]

The buildings of the formet abbey of Eysses, about 2 km to the N.E., are mainly from the 17th century and serve as a departmental prison and penitentiary settlement. The principal hospital, the hospice St Cyr, is a pretty building standing in beautiful gardens.[3]

The Pont De La Liberation, which spans the Lot river, is a 96.2 metres (316 ft) arch bridge built between 1910 and 1919. When it was completed it was the largest single span concrete arch in the world. It was designed by Eugène Freyssinet, one of the pioneers in using reinforced concrete.

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Villeneuve-sur-Lot is twinned with:[7]

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Villeneuve-sur-Lot". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 85.
  4. Chisholm 1911.
  5. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Villeneuve-sur-Lot, EHESS (in French).
  6. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  7. "Ma Ville (Menu) => Jumelages". ville-villeneuve-sur-lot.fr (in French). Villeneuve-sur-Lot. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
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