Stage town for the 33rd time
Prefecture of Hérault (34)
Population : 303,000
Personalities : Rabelais, André Gide, Paul Valéry (writers), Auguste Comte (philosopher), Louis Nicollin (entrepreneur), Michel Galabru (actor), Juliette Gréco (singer), Georges Frêche (politician), Stéphane Goubert (cyclist)
Specialities : wines from the coteaux du Languedoc (pic saint-loup, saint-chinian, faugères). Grisettes (sweets), Montpellier butter
Sport : Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (football), Montpellier Hérault rugby club, Montpellier handball
Events : Open Occitanie (tennis), FISE (Extreme Sports International Festival), Beach Pro Tour, Jumping national, World Table Tennis Championships
Economy : universities, medicine, research, high technology, winegrowing, waste treatment
Festivals : Comédie du Livre, Montpellier Danse, Festival Quartiers libres, Printemps des Comédiens, Mediterranean Film Festival (Cinémed), Radio France Festival
Labels : Tour de France 3 Bike City / Art and History Country / Active and Sporting City / Design Art City / Innovative Territory
Website : www.monptellier.fr
MONTPELLIER AND CYCLING
Since 1930, Montpellier has often been chosen to finish a transition stage between the Alps and the Pyrenees, and has more often than not been a favourite with sprinters, crowning riders such as André Darrigade, Olaf Ludwig, Robbie McEwen, Mark Cavendish and, in 2013, André Greipel. But it's not inevitable, especially when the wind or the heat get in the way. In 1951, a similar stage between Carcassonne and Montpellier saw Fausto Coppi suffer a serious breakdown in the heat. Ill and livid, the campionissimo, flanked by six team-mates, reached the Hérault prefecture 33 minutes behind the day's winner, Hugo Koblet. The Swiss rider, untouchable that year, took his fourth stage win of the Tour and consolidated his Yellow Jersey with a 1'32" lead over Raphaël Geminiani. Frenchman Gilbert Bauvin, second at the start, lost twelve minutes and dropped to 4th place overall.
In 2016, as on three previous occasions (see Mont Ventoux), Montpellier served as a launch pad for the Ventoux, where Thomas de Gendt won solo, while Chris Froome suffered a crash that forced him to run towards the summit for lack of a bike!
Montpellier is also home to Stéphane Goubert, one of the most engaging personalities in the caravan.
SIGHTS
Place de la Comédie
Built : 1755
History and characteristics : this 18th-century square is the heart of Montpellier. It is surrounded by affluent buildings and closed off at one end by the Opéra Comédie, built in 1888. It is 230-m long and 50-m wide. In the centre is the fountain of the Three Graces and the Egg drawn on the ground with a line of red marble. It was named after La Comédie, the opera house located to the south-west of the square
Special feature : the square was given a facelift in 2023 with the planting of new trees
Comédie Opera House
Built : 1888
History and characteristics : opened in 1888, the Opéra Comédie is a large Italian-style theatre designed by architect Joseph-Marie Cassien-Bernard. It replaced two previous theatres destroyed by fire in 1785 and 1881. It was listed as a historical monument in 2020
Statue of the Three Graces
Construction : 1773 to 1776
History and characteristics : sculpted by Étienne Dantoine, installed on Place de la Comédie in 1789. The sculpture has been moved and restored multiple times. The original now stands in the Opéra lobby. Renovated in 2003 with blue lighting
Listed as : Historical Monument in 1963
Fabre Museum
Opened : 1828
History : created by painter François-Xavier Fabre, enriched over time by many donations. Housed in Hôtel de Massilian
Characteristics : renovated in 2007, with over 9,000 m² of space. Hosts major works by Soulages, Courbet, Rubens, Bazille, and more
Listed as : Musée de France
Saint-Pierre de Montpellier Cathedral
Construction : 1364 to 1875
Style : Gothic
History : former monastery chapel, cathedral since 1536, damaged in Wars of Religion, rebuilt and enlarged over centuries
Listed as : Historical Monument in 1906
Anatomy Museum
History and characteristics : over 13,000 anatomical specimens, created in 1795. Teratology collection is a highlight. Located in the Faculty of Medicine's historic building
Galileo Planetarium
Location : In the Odysséum complex
Attractions : giant star crossword, solar system, asteroids, moon scale, meteorites
TO DRINK
Pic-saint-loup
French wine produced north of Montpellier. Since 2017, the vineyard has had its own AOC. Covers around 1,200 hectares across 13 communes. Main grape varieties: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah (reds); Grenache gris (rosé). Annual production: 25,000 hl, 85% red, 15% rosé
