Sommières

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Sommières
Someire
Sommières coat of arms
Sommières (France)
Sommières
region Occitania
Department Gard
Arrondissement Nîmes
Canton Calvisson
Community association Pays de Sommieres
Coordinates 43 ° 47 '  N , 4 ° 5'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 47 '  N , 4 ° 5'  E
height 19-106 m
surface 10.36 km 2
Residents 4,917 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 475 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 30250
INSEE code 30321
Website Sommières

Bridge over the Vidourle

Sommières ( Occitan Someire ) is a place and a municipality with 4,917 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the French department of Gard .

location

Sommières is located near the border with the Hérault department at an altitude of approx. 40 m above sea level. d. M. on the Vidourle river between Nîmes (approx. 30 km eastbound) and Montpellier (approx. 37 km southwest).

history

Already during the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (reigned 14–37 AD) an approx. 200 m long bridge of the Via Domitia over the Vidourle was built, but it has been repaired or even partially reconstructed several times over the course of its history. The current place was not created until the 10th century; In the years 1220 to 1262, the then landlords ( seigneurs ) from the Roquefeuil Blanquefort family even minted their own coins in Sommières. In the 16th century, the city , which was partly inhabited by Protestants , fell into the religiously motivated turmoil of the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598); in 1622 the place was besieged by royal troops after a Huguenot rebellion. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. In 1685 and the subsequent suppression of the Protestant faith, there were renewed conflicts; in 1703 Camisards from the nearby Cevennes conquered the place occupied by troops loyal to the king, and an entire district was set on fire. During a flood on September 8 and 9, 2002, the Vidourle flooded large parts of the city.

Population development

year 1800 1851 1901 1954 1975 1999 2017
Residents 3299 3923 3780 2935 3070 3677 4917

As early as the 19th century, the population rose to over 4,000 at times. The phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the increasing mechanization of agriculture then led to a significant decline in the population. Only at the beginning of the 21st century did it rise again due to the relative proximity to the cities of Nîmes and Montpellier.

Attractions

  • The bridge, originally from Roman times, corresponds in its present appearance to a renovation measure from the 18th century. It used to have 20 arches; today there are only seven. Both sides were previously secured by bridge towers (see city arms); one of them was on the site of the medieval city gate ( Beffroi ).
  • A city gate from the late Middle Ages, clamped between houses on both sides, was given a small tower structure with a wrought-iron bell cage in 1603 ; it has been recognized as a monument historique since 1923 . The large clocks on both sides and the stone city coat of arms are more recent.
  • Near the city gate there is a residential building with a loggia from the 17th / 18th centuries. Century, which has also been classified as a Monument historique since 1984 .
  • Other houses from the 15th to 18th centuries are located on the arcade-lined square in the center of the village.
  • From the castle ( château ), which was mostly built in the 13th century , the 25 m high donjon ( Tour Bermonde ) built on a square floor plan , the chapel and some parts of the wall ring are still preserved. They have been recognized as a monument historique since 2010 .
  • The three-nave and also with side chapels provided neo-Gothic Catholic parish church ( Église Saint-Pons ) was built between 1846-1867 on the site of a previous medieval building. Its interior is painted in parts.
  • The Protestant parish church ( temple ) was built at the beginning of the 19th century in a church from the 18th century that used to belong to the Franciscan order .

  • Tour you beffroi

  • Donjon du château

  • Church Saint-Pons

  • Interior of the Saint-Pons church

  • Protestant Church

  • Place Jean Jaurès

  • Sommières: Roman bridge over the Vidourle

economy

For centuries, the majority of the local population lived as a self-sufficiency from agriculture, which also includes viticulture and cattle breeding; a small part of the population practiced a craft. At the same time, the place functioned as a mercantile center for the surrounding villages and individual farms. Viticulture ( Sommières (AOC) ) still plays a not insignificant role in the economic life of the municipality.

radio

As a project of the local youth center, the youth radio Sommières 102.9 FM , one of the largest youth radio stations in France, is operated with the support of the city administration as well as many businesses and private individuals . It is a free and non-commercial radio with more than 70 young people (mostly between 9 and 18 years old) and over 40 live broadcasts per week.

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Sommières  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Beffroi, Sommières in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ^ Immeuble, Sommières in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  3. ↑ Château de Sommières, Sommières in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)