Montpellier, university city, diocesan city and capital of the region of Languedoc-Roussillon and of the département of Hérault, is situated some distance west of the Camargue on the River Lez, some 10km/6mi from the coast of the Golfe du Lion. With its three universities, national élite schools (Grandes Ecoles), agricultural college (the "Agropolis" agrarian research center), libraries, conservatoire, etc. it is an economic and cultural center for the region.
The town came into being after the second destruction of the nearby settlement of Maguelone by Charles Martel (737). In the 13th C. it belonged to the Kings of Aragon, then until 1349 to the Kings of Mallorca as vassals of the French. As early as 1289 Montpellier had a university, where Francesco Petrarch studied from 1316 to 1319 and François Rabelais from 1530 to 1532 and from 1537 to 1538. At the end of the 16th C. the city was a headquarters of the Huguenots. In 1622 it was conquered by Louis XIII.
At the eastern edge of Montpellier Old Town, diametrically opposite the Promenade du Peyrou, lies its simpler counterpart, the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle. On the west side (Rue Montpellieret) stands the Musée Fabre, which includes a picture gallery with works by old Italian and Dutch painters, as well as older and more modern French masters and fine 18th C. sculptures.
Address: Musée Fabre, 39 boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, F-34000 Montpellier, France
Hours:
10am-6pm; Wed:1pm-9pm; Sat:11am-6pm; Closed: Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Bastille Day - France (July 14), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Remembrance Day / 1918 Armistice Day (November 11), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
In Montpellier, to the east of the Polygone department store, between Bd. Antigone and Allées du Nouveau Monde, Ricardo Bofill has constructed the Antigone district, which stretches as far as the River Lez, and which is a shining example of post-modern architecture.
Forming the gateway to Montpellier Old Town, the Arc de Triomphe, a 15m/49ft high triumphal arch in honor of Louis XIV, stands at the east end of the Promenade du Peyrou, on the northern side of which is the stately Palais de Justice (lawcourts). Rue Foch, which goes east form here, is impressive for its fine 19th century buildings.
In Montpellier, to the east of the Faculté de Médicine (Rue de l'Ecole de Médicine) stands the Gothic cathedral of St-Pierre, founded in 1364 after the Wars of Religion and restored in 1867. The severe double- towered facade has a high-vaulted canopied portico.
Address: Cathédrale de St Pierre, Rue Cardinal de Cabrières, F-34000 Montpellier, France
An aqueduct 7km in length draws water for Château de Castries to the grotto garden. Two pools are also filled by the water. Beyond a terrace that sits before the house, is a pool and still further is a woodland.
Hours:
April 1 to December 31: 10am-12pm, 2:30pm-6pm; Closed: Mon
At the northern end of the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle Corum in Montpellier, the opera hall and conference building by Claude Vasconi, was opened in 1990 (Opéra Berlioz, 2,000 seats). From its roof terrace there is a beautiful view across the Old Town to the sea.
To the east of the Esplanade stands the former citadel, built in 1624, which is today used for educational purposes (Lycée Joffre).
Address: Le Corum, Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, F-34027 Montpellier, France
This annual three-week festival runs from mid-July to early August and includes over eighty afternoon and evening performances. Events include numerous large scale operas and classical concerts.
Various venues are used, including local abbeys, cathedrals, churches and theaters.
Address: Festival International de Radio France et de Montpellier, Service Location 7 boulevard Henri IV, F-34000 Montpellier, France
In Montpellier, flanking the Boulevard Henri IV, just to the north of the Arc de Triomphe, lies the Jardin des Plantes; laid out in 1593, it was the first botanical garden in France and has a large number of exotic plants.
Address: Jardin des Plantes, Boulevard Henri IV, F-34000 Montpellier, France
This is the only underground river on the Causse du Larzac open to the public. There is evidence that it was inhabited by Neolithic man, although it was turned into a cheese-making factory at the end of the last century. Renewed exploration at the site began in the 1980s and continues today.
The cave includes a prehistoric gallery, crystalline formations, calcite crystals, waterfalls, stalagmites and colonnettes.
Address: Grotte de Labeil, F-34520 Le Caylar, France
16km/10mi south of Montpellier is the old port of Maguelone, which was completely destroyed by Louis XIII in 1633, leaving only the 12th C. Cathedral of St-Pierre relatively unscathed. It has a beautiful west doorway and contains a 15th C. sarcophagus.
This annual two-month festival runs from late June to late July and focuses mainly on baroque music. There are usually over 10 concerts, ranging from choral and chamber performances to piano and organ recitals, all of which take place in the Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert Abbey. Art exhibitions are also staged to coincide with the festival.
Address: Association des Amis de Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, 165 rue Michel-Ange, F-34070 Montpellier, France
The Musée Atger (Boulevard Henri IV) has drawings by French and Italian masters from the Baroque period on display. The impressive building was originally a bishop's palace belonging to the Abbey of St-Bênoit (14th and 16th C.); since the French Revolution it has been the seat of the Faculté de Médicine, founded in 1221. The Maison d'Heidelberg (Center Culturel Franco-Allemand) is also housed here.
To the north of the museum stands the Tour des Pins, a relic of the medieval city fortifications.
Address: Musée Atger, 2 rue de l'école de médecine, F-34000 Montpellier, France
Hours:
August 26 to July 4: 1:30pm-5pm; Closed: Sun, Tue, Thu, Sat
Always closed on: Christmas - Christian (December 25)
In Montepellier, the Place de la Comédie with its Fontaine des Trois Grâces, a fountain dating from 1776, is the heart of the Inner City. On the southwestern side of the square stands the theater (opera-house). From here the great boulevards radiate around the area of the Old Town (the greater part a pedestrian precinct), which extends to the northwest on a hilltop. In the Old Town the 50 or so patrician and merchants' mansions from the 17th/18th C. testify to the former wealth of the city.
Address: Place de la Comédie, Esplanade de la comédie 30 allée Jean de Lattre Tassigny, F-34000 Montpellier, France
This spectacular cave is 120 meters long and 52 meters high, full of such rich decorations, it has been called the "Subterranean Cathedral." There are numerous limestone rocks in exquisite shapes, as well as colorful stalagmites, stalactites, draperies and cascades.
Address: Grotte des Demoiselles, St Bauzille de Putois, F-34190 Montpellier, France
Hours:
January 1 to March 31: 9:30am-12pm, 1pm-5:30pm
April 1 to June 30: 9:30am-12pm, 1pm-6:30pm
July 1 to August 31: 9am-7pm
September 1 to September 30: 9:30am-12pm, 1pm-6:30pm
October 1 to December 31: 9:30am-12pm, 1pm-5:30pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
This large cave was discovered in 1945 and opened to the public in 1964. The cave is nearly 4 kilometers long, and is known throughout the world for its speleothems (calcite and aragonite flowers) as well as its many helictites soda straws and discs.
Lighting and mood music has been added to the cave.
Address: Grotte de Clamouse, Box 08, F-34150 Aniane, France
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