Lunel, Hérault

Lunel (French pronunciation: [lynɛl]; Provençal: Lunèl) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Lunel is located 21 km (13 mi) east of Montpellier and 28 km (17 mi) southwest of Nîmes (Gard). Lunel station has rail connections to Narbonne, Montpellier, Nîmes and Avignon.

Lunel
Commune
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Lunel
Lunel Show map of France Lunel Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°40′40″N 4°08′10″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Hérault
Arrondissement	Montpellier
Canton	Lunel
Intercommunality	Pays de Lunel
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Pierre Soujol[1]
Area 1	23.90 km2 (9.23 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	26,185
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	34145 /34400
Elevation	2–53 m (6.6–173.9 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

The ancient Roman site of Ambrussum is located nearby. The troubadour Folquet de Lunel was from Lunel.

According to legend, Lunel was founded by Jews from Jericho in the first century.^[3] It had a Jewish population by the first millennium, and an ancient synagogue is located there. Lunel was a centre of Jewish learning. It is thought that the family of Rashi (1040–1105) originated in Lunel. Other scholars include Jonathan of Lunel, Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel, his son Aaron ben Meshullam ben Jacob of Lunel, Abraham ben David who taught in Lunel before moving to Posquières, and Asher ben Meshullam of Lunel.

Lunel was the birthplace of Louis Feuillade (1873–1925), film director from the silent era. The artist Jean Hugo (1894-1984) lived in the Lunel area for most of his life and painted scenes from the surrounding countryside. The Parc Jean Hugo in the centre of the town was named after him.

Since the 20th century, the town has been a destination for Muslim immigrants from Algeria and other parts of North Africa. In 2015 the New York Times reported that 10% of all the French nationals killed fighting in Syria for ISIS came from Lunel.^[4]

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 4,170 —     1800 4,227 +0.19% 1806 4,196 −0.12% 1821 5,554 +1.89% 1831 6,260 +1.20% 1836 6,320 +0.19% 1841 6,385 +0.20% 1846 6,639 +0.78% 1851 6,392 −0.76% 1856 6,712 +0.98% 1861 6,737 +0.07% 1866 6,989 +0.74% 1872 7,281 +0.68% 1876 8,315 +3.38% 1881 6,487 −4.84% 1886 6,667 +0.55% 1891 6,793 +0.38% 1896 7,203 +1.18%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 7,532 +0.90% 1906 7,489 −0.11% 1911 7,730 +0.64% 1921 7,539 −0.25% 1926 8,268 +1.86% 1931 8,435 +0.40% 1936 7,665 −1.90% 1946 7,775 +0.14% 1954 7,758 −0.03% 1962 8,872 +1.69% 1968 10,735 +3.23% 1975 13,452 +3.28% 1982 15,648 +2.18% 1990 18,404 +2.05% 1999 22,352 +2.18% 2007 24,044 +0.92% 2012 25,405 +1.11% 2017 26,239 +0.65%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

See also

• Hachmei Provence
• Communes of the Hérault department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. Farber, J.B. (2013). The Pope's Jews in Provence: Itineraries. Arles: Editions Actes Sud. ISBN 978-2330018979.
4. "A French Town Linked to Jihad Asks Itself Why", New York Times, January 2015
5. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Lunel, EHESS (in French).
6. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE

External links

• Official website (in French)