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/km2.

**Evolution of the population in Céret**

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 bar:2011 at: 7583 fontsize:S text: 7,583 shift:(-18,5)
 bar:2014 at: 7663 fontsize:S text: 7,663 shift:(-18,5)

## 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
### 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 

File:Céret, France, main street 2.jpg|Céret, main street
File:Ceret, església barroca.jpg|Saint Peter church, Céret
File:Céret 2010 001.jpg|Le Tech river, Céret
File:Pont du Diable 2.JPG|Le Pont du Diable (The Devil's bridge), Céret

## 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