Lodève

Lodève () is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a subprefecture of the department and also the capital of the arrondissement of the same name.

History
Lodève started as the capital of a Celtic tribe before becoming the Roman city Luteva (also known as Forum Neronis). It was a centre for textile production under Louis XV and was home to one of only two royal factories for tapestry, the other being the one in Paris.

Geography
Lodève is in the north of the Hérault department, where the plains rise up to the Larzac plateau. It is a narrow valley of the Lergue river, a tributary of the Hérault river.

The commune has an area of  and is at an altitude of about  above sea level. The city of Montpellier is to the east of Lodève at  and Béziers is to the west at . Lodève is at  from the Mediterranean Sea.

The commune of Lodève is surrounded by the communes Soumont, Olmet-et-Villecun, Poujols, Fozières, Les Plans, Le Puech, Soubès, Lauroux, Lavalette, Saint-Étienne-de-Gourgas, Le Bosc and Usclas-du-Bosc.

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

Climate
The climate of Lodève, in the Köppen climate classification, is Csb - Mediterranean climate with template summers.

Population
The inhabitants of Lodève are known, in French, as  Lodévois (women: Lodévoises).

With a population of 7,381, Lodève has a population density of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Lodève

Lodève forms with other seven communes the urban area of Lodève with a population of 9,780 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Lodève, formed by nine communes with a population of 9,977 inhabitants (2013) and an area of .

 Administration 
Lodève is a subprefecture of the Hérault department, the capital of the arrondissement of Lodève and the administrative centre () of the canton of Lodève.

It is part of the intercommunality Lodévois et Larzac ().

 Sister cities 
Lodève is twinned with:
 South Kirkby and Moorthorpe, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

 Sites of interest 
 Lodève Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Fulcran de Lodève), parts of which date from the sixth century.
 Museum Fleury (temporary art exhibitions and archeology permanent collection).
 L'Atelier national du tapis de Lodève, the French state carpet-making workshop.

 Gallery 

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Lodève
 Communes of the Hérault department

References

Other websites

 Ville de Lodève website  
 Communauté de communes Lodévois et Larzac website  
 Tourisme en Lodévois et Larzac 

Category:Subprefectures in France
Category:Communes in Hérault