page_title: Montpellier
section_title: Sights
hierarchical_section_title: Montpellier / Sights
caption_attribution_description: Cathédrale St Pierre de Montpellier
context_page_description: Montpellier is a city near the south coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the Hérault department. It is located in the Occitanie region. In 2016, 607,896 people lived in the urban area and 281,613 in the city itself. Nearly one third of the population are students from three universities and from three higher education institutions that are outside the university framework in the city.
context_section_description: The main focus point of the city is the Place de la Comédie, with the Opéra Comédie built in 1888.
  The Musée Fabre.
  In the historic centre, a significant number of hôtels particuliers (i.e. mansions) can be found. The majority of the buildings of the historic centre of Montpellier (called the Écusson because its shape is roughly that of an escutcheon) have medieval roots and were modified between the 16th and the 18th centuries. Some buildings, along Rue Foch and the Place de la Comédie, were built in the 19th century.
  The Rue du Bras de Fer (Iron Arm Street) is very typical of the medieval Montpellier.
  The mikve, ritual Jewish bath, dates back to the 12th century and is one of very few old mikves preserved in Europe.
  The Jardin des plantes de Montpellier—oldest botanical garden in France, founded in 1593
  The La Serre Amazonienne, a tropical rain forest greenhouse
  The 14th-century Saint Pierre Cathedral
  The Porte du Peyrou, a triumphal arch built at the end of the 17th century, and the Place Royal du Peyrou built in the 17th century, are the highest point of the Ecusson.
  The Tour des Pins, the only remaining of 25 towers of the city medieval walls, built around 1200.
  The Tour de la Babotte, a medieval tower which was modified in the 18th century to house an observatory.
  The Saint Clément Aqueduct, built in the 18th century.
  The Antigone District and other housing projects have been designed by the architect Ricardo Bofill from Catalonia, Spain
  A number of châteaux, so-called follies, built by wealthy merchants surround the city
  Nearly 80 private mansions were built in the city from the 17th to 19th century, and some of their interior courtyards are open
caption: Saint Pierre Cathedral
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