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 ().

+ Céret and its neighboring communes 350px|Map of the commune of Céret

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/km2.

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 endOnuphre Tarris19191940Henri Rey19401941Henri Mouchard19411943Jean Maler19431944Jacques Souquet19441945Gaston Cardonne19451947Henri Guitard19471963Marcel Parayre19631964Michel Sageloly Sr.19641983Henri Sicre 19831995Michel Sageloly Jr.1995 1996Henri Sicre 1996 2001Alain Torrent 2001 2020Michel Coste2020

 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.

 Gallery 

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

 References 

 Other websites 

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

Category:Subprefectures in France
Category:Communes in Pyrénées-Orientales