Leucate
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in German. (April 2010) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Leucate | |
|---|---|
,_view_from_Etang.jpg) | |
Location of Leucate  | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Aude |
| Arrondissement | Narbonne |
| Canton | Sigean |
| Intercommunality | Corbières en Méditerranée |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Michel Py |
Area 1 | 23.55 km2 (9.09 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | 3,858 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 11202 /11370 |
| Elevation | 0–70 m (0–230 ft) (avg. 25 m or 82 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Nestled between the Mediterranean sea and sea pond backing the Corbières mountains with an impressive view on the Canigou peak, Leucate is a community of typical villages lying among a unique natural landscape.
Leucate combines history, gastronomical treasures (oysters, wine, seafood) and cultural and sporting events as well as various types of famous festivals all year long.
Leucate, unique place, unique experiences.
Leucate is composed of five villages: the first, Leucate Village, cradle of the rich local historical heritage lies between a valley overlooked by a fortress and a vast geological plateau.
Leucate Village is an invitation for peaceful strolls along its narrow streets, typical of the area.
Leucate Plage at the feet of a steep cliff hidden from the wind offers an ideal site for adults and children. The latter are safe to play on the fine and wide sandy beaches.
La Franqui has a retro charm appealing to any visitor. Famous for its beach of Coussoules, 8 km of golden sand, this site offers the possibility to practice windsurf, kitesurf and any other wind related activity. Another alternative is to lay down and relax as the famous Henry de Monfreid would have done when he lived in La Franqui.
The naturist villages are a distinct part of Port Leucate. These villages are the guardian of the intimacy of those who feel free naked.
Port Leucate although inhabited during prehistorical era, has a quite recent history which starts in the 60’s with the ‘Racine’ commission. The particular location of this long land of sand between the Mediterranean sea and sea ponds allowed the construction of a marina composed of 1,200 moorings welcoming holidaymakers and seafarers all year long. Port Leucate also boasts a vast and welcoming beach.
Geography
Leucate is on the Mediterranean coast of France. It is part of the eastern Corbières Mountains, which are called the Corbières maritimes. It is around 30 km (19 mi) south of Narbonne, and around 30 km (19 mi) north of Perpignan.
The Phare du Cap Leucate offers a view (on a clear day) over the whole French Mediterranean Sea from the Spanish border to the Camargue.
Population
| Year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1077 | 1233 | 1244 | 1968 | 2177 | 2732 | 3858 |
Personalities
- Henry de Monfreid, adventurer and author
- Françoise de Cezelli (1558–1615) knight and French female war hero
- André Héléna (1919–1972) author
- Jacques Hiron author (fiction, comics, regional & local history and geography)
- Evelyne Marie France Neff (née Migliori) retired German-French politician
- Christophe Neff geographer
See also
Sources
- Nöel Hautemanière and Jacques Hiron: Leucate : plein cadre; livre de photographies. Toreilles, 2004, ISBN 2-9516053-3-1.
- Christophe Neff: Kulturlandschaftswandel, Fremdenverkehr und Biodiversität auf der Halbinsel Leucate (Dept. Aude / Frankreich). In: Fremdenverkehrsgebiete des Mittelmeerraumes im Umbruch. Beiträge der Tagung des Arbeitskreises "Geographische Mittelmeerländer-Forschung“ vom 11.-13. Oktober 1996 in Regensburg. Regensburger Geographische Schriften, Heft 27, S. 99-135, Regensburg, 1998, ISBN 3-88246-193-4
- Christophe Neff : Observation géographiques et floristiques sur la presqu'île de Leucate. In: Bul. Soc. Et. Sc. Nat. Nîmes et Gard, T. 62, 1999, 23-34.
- Christophe Neff and Peter Frankenberg : Reflexions géobotaniques sur les plantes échappees de jardins: L´example de Euphorbia dendroides et d´autres espèces ornementales dans la région de Leucate et dans les Corbières maritimes (Aude, France). In : Bul. Soc. Et. Sc. Nat. Nîmes et Gard, T. 63, 2001, 7- 10.
- Christophe Neff : Les Corbières maritimes – forment-elles un étage de végétation méditerranéenne thermophile masqué par la pression humaine ? In: Eric Fouache (Edit.): The Mediterranean World Environment and History. IAG Working Group on Geo-archeology, Symposium Proceedings. Environmental Dynamics and History in Mediterranean Areas, Paris, Université de Paris – Sorbonne 24 – 26 avril 2002. Paris, 2003, 191 – 202, (Elsevier France, ISBN 2-84299-452-3).
References
External links
