Marmande (French pronunciation: [maʁmɑ̃d] ; in Occitan, Marmanda) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne département in south-western France.[3]

Marmande
The church and cloister in Marmande
The church and cloister in Marmande
Coat of arms of Marmande
Location of Marmande
Map
Marmande is located in France
Marmande
Marmande
Marmande is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Marmande
Marmande
Coordinates: 44°30′N 0°10′E / 44.50°N 0.17°E / 44.50; 0.17
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentLot-et-Garonne
ArrondissementMarmande
CantonMarmande-1 and 2
IntercommunalityVal de Garonne Agglomération
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Joël Hocquelet[1]
Area
1
45.06 km2 (17.40 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
17,239
 • Density380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
47157 /47200
Elevation12–132 m (39–433 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography edit

Marmande is located 35 km north-west of Agen, on the southern railway from Bordeaux to Sète. The town is situated at the confluence of the Trec with the Garonne on the right bank of the latter river, which is crossed at this point by a suspension bridge. There is a second bridge to the west of Marmande which connects the D933 from the Toulouse/Bordeaux motorway (A62) to the new by-pass, opened in July 2009, which now leads to Bergerac and the département of the Dordogne. Marmande station has rail connections to Agen, Langon and Bordeaux. Marmande ranks 481st in terms of population for the whole of France. A noted producer of tomatoes, a festival dedicated to tomatoes is held annually in July.

History edit

Marmande was a bastide founded about 1195 on the site of a more ancient town by Richard Cœur de Lion, who granted it a liberal measure of self-government. Its position on the banks of the Garonne made it an important place of toll. It soon passed into the hands of the counts of Toulouse, and was three times besieged and taken during the Albigensian Crusade, its capture by Amaury de Montfort in 1219 being followed by a massacre of the inhabitants. It was united to the French crown under Louis IX. A short occupation by the English in 1447, an unsuccessful siege by Henry IV in 1577 and its resistance of a month to a division of Wellington's army in 1814, are some important events in its subsequent history.

Population edit

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 15,559—    
1975 16,535+0.87%
1982 16,540+0.00%
1990 17,113+0.43%
1999 16,770−0.22%
2007 17,161+0.29%
2012 18,458+1.47%
2017 17,691−0.85%
Source: INSEE[4]

Sights edit

Apart from the administrative offices, the most notable building is the church of Notre-Dame, which dates from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. The windows of the nave, the altarpiece of the 18th century and, in particular, the Renaissance cloister adjoining the south side, are some of its most interesting features.

The town is host to the Garorock music festival.

Economy edit

The town is renowned for its tomato production. The average income per household is 19,520 €/year [5]

Sport edit

Marmande has a grasstrack, longtrack and motorcycle speedway facility.[6][7] The venue has been major venue for events and has held a final round of Individual Speedway Long Track World Championship on multiple occasions,[8][9] qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship (the first in 1993)[10][11] and a qualifying round of the Speedway World Team Cup in 1992.[12]

People linked to the commune edit

Twin towns edit

See also edit

References edit

  •   This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Marmande". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ INSEE commune file
  4. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  5. ^ "Full set of local data − Employment area 2020 of Marmande (7518) | Insee".
  6. ^ "Marmande - France". Moto Club Marmandais. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Home". Speedway Plus. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  8. ^ "World Longtrack World Championship venues". Grasstrack GB. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  9. ^ "SPEEDWAY and LONGTRACK". Speedway.org. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  10. ^ "World Championship". Metal Speedway. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  11. ^ "World Championship". Speedway.org. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Speedway World Cup". International Speedway. Retrieved 13 February 2024.

External links edit