Castelnau-le-Lez

Castelnau-le-Lez (French pronunciation: [kastɛlno lə lɛz] ; Occitan: Castèlnòu de Les) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located on the outskirts of Montpellier, it is situated around 3 km (1.8 mi) north of the city centre.

Castelnau-le-Lez Castèlnòu de Les (Occitan)
Commune
Church Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Coat of arms
Location of Castelnau-le-Lez
Castelnau-le-Lez Castelnau-le-Lez
Coordinates: 43°38′13″N 3°54′07″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Hérault
Arrondissement	Montpellier
Canton	Montpellier - Castelnau-le-Lez
Intercommunality	Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Frédéric Lafforgue
Area 1	11.18 km2 (4.32 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	24,888
• Density	2,200/km2 (5,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	34057 /34170
Elevation	19–93 m (62–305 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Map

Castelnau-le-Lez is served by Line 2 of the Montpellier tramway.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 450 —     1800 496 +1.40% 1806 547 +1.64% 1821 696 +1.62% 1831 673 −0.34% 1836 745 +2.05% 1841 787 +1.10% 1846 794 +0.18% 1851 861 +1.63% 1856 827 −0.80% 1861 894 +1.57% 1866 1,120 +4.61% 1872 906 −3.47% 1876 884 −0.61% 1881 815 −1.61% 1886 884 +1.64% 1891 954 +1.54% 1896 1,141 +3.64%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 1,213 +1.23% 1906 1,202 −0.18% 1911 1,103 −1.70% 1921 1,120 +0.15% 1926 1,504 +6.07% 1931 1,959 +5.43% 1936 2,226 +2.59% 1946 2,345 +0.52% 1954 2,923 +2.79% 1962 4,979 +6.88% 1968 8,169 +8.60% 1975 9,339 +1.93% 1982 9,884 +0.81% 1990 11,043 +1.40% 1999 14,214 +2.84% 2007 15,201 +0.84% 2012 16,664 +1.85% 2017 20,480 +4.21%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

History

Hundreds of Jewish children were hidden in the town of Castelnau-le-Lez during the Holocaust. Almost every home hid children, in some cases from multiple families. After the war, the children whose parents had survived were returned to them. The people of the town and the local priest were well aware of the situation and, at least tacitly, supported it.

Twin towns

Castelnau-le-Lez is twinned with:

• Plankstadt, Germany
• Argenta, Emilia–Romagna, Italy
• San Fernando de Henares, Spain

See also

• Communes of the Hérault department
• Giant of Castelnau