Céret

**Céret** is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It was the capital of the historic Catalan comarque of Vallespir.

It is a subprefecture in the department and the capital of the Céret _arrondissement_.

## Name of the city

The name _Céret_ comes from the Catalan name for the town: _Ceret_.

Former known names of Céret are, in order of appearance, _vicus Sirisidum_ in 814, _vico Cereto_ in 866, _villa Cerseto_ in 915, _vigo Ceresido_ in 930, also _Cered_ and _Ceriteto_ in the 10th century, _Ceret_, _Cericeto_ in the XIth and XIIth centuries, _Cirset_ around 1070, _Cersed_ (one of the most common forms) in 1130 and _Cerset_ in 1138, and from the XIIIth to the XVth centuries _Cereto_, _Ceret_, _Seret_ and _Saret_. _Ceret_ becomes the most common form around the XVIth century.

## Geography

Céret lies in the foothills of the Pyrénées mountains, in southern France. It is in the valley of the Tech river.

It has an area of  and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is . The lowest point () of the _commune_ is on the Tech river and the highest is on the Roc de Frausa ().

The _commune_ is at  from Perpignan,  from Montpellier and at  from Toulouse. It is surrounded by the _communes_ Vivès, Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts, Maureillas-las-Illas, Reynès, Oms.

### Climate

The climate of Céret, in the Köppen climate classification, is **Cfb** - Oceanic climate with template summers.

## Population

The inhabitants of Céret are known, in French, as _cerétans_ (women: _céretanes_).

With a population in 2014 of 7,663, Céret has a population density of  inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>.

**Evolution of the population in Céret**

## Administration

Céret is a subprefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department since 1790. It is also the capital of the _arrondissement_ of Céret and the administrative centre () of the canton Vallespir-Albères with 13 _communes_ and 29,894 inhabitants in 2014.

It is part of the intercommunality _Vallespir_ ().

### Mayors

|Mayor|Term start|Term end|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Onuphre Tarris|align=center|1919|align=center|1940|
|Henri Rey|align=center|1940|align=center|1941|
|Henri Mouchard|align=center|1941|align=center|1943|
|Jean Maler|align=center|1943|align=center|1944|
|Jacques Souquet|align=center|1944|align=center|1945|
|Gaston Cardonne|align=center|1945|align=center|1947|
|Henri Guitard|align=center|1947|align=center|1963|
|Marcel Parayre|align=center|1963|align=center|1964|
|Michel Sageloly Sr.|align=center|1964|align=center|1983|
|Henri Sicre|align=center|1983|align=center|1995|
|Michel Sageloly Jr.|align=center|1995|align=center|1996|
|Henri Sicre|align=center|1996|align=center|2001|
|Alain Torrent|align=center|2001|align=center|2020|
|Michel Coste|align=center|2020|||

### Twin cities

Céret is a twin town of:
- Almonte, Spain
- Banyoles, Spain
- Lüchow, Germany

## Economy

The region around Céret is a major fruit producer, in particular famed for its cherries. The first of the season's pick are, by local tradition, sent to France's President. Céret has a cherry festival each year. The cherry season is during the end of April and May.

## Sites of interest

Céret is famous for its Musée d'Art Moderne (Museum of Modern Art), which has numerous Picasso paintings, sculptures and ceramics. The museum also features paintings by Chagall, Matisse, Herbin, Soutine, lots of Fauves and a few Impressionists.

The Museum of Musical Instruments opened in May 2013 and has a unique collection of instruments and musical scores.

The _Pont du Diable_ (Devil's Bridge) is a single arch stone bridge built between 1321 and 1341.

## Related pages

- Arrondissement of Céret
- Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department

## Other websites

- City Council website
- Ceret tourist information office
- Communauté de communes du Vallespir
- Museum of Modern Art website

## Infobox (french commune)

- **name**: Céret
- **image coat of arms**: Blason de Céret.svg
- **image coat of arms size**: 85
- **image**: Ceret.jpg
- **caption**: The city of Céret
- **arrondissement**: Céret
- **canton**: Vallespir-Albères
- **intercommunality**: Communauté de communes du Vallespir
- **mayor**: Michel Coste
- **term**: 2020 - 2026
- **elevation m**: 154
- **elevation min m**: 107
- **elevation max m**: 1440
- **area km2**: 37.86
- **population demonym**: Cérétans
- **population**: 7663
- **population date**: 2014
- **insee**: 66049
- **postal code**: 66400
- **website**: [http://www.mairie-ceret.fr/ Official website]