Oppède
Oppède | |
|---|---|
 Oppède-le-Vieux | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Oppède  | |
  Oppède  Oppède | |
| Coordinates:43°50′43″N5°10′10″E/ 43.8453°N 5.1694°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Vaucluse |
| Arrondissement | Apt |
| Canton | Apt |
| Intercommunality | CA Luberon Monts de Vaucluse |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2021–2026) | Jean Pierre Gerault[1] |
| Area 1 | 24.1 km2(9.3 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 1,284 |
| • Density | 53/km2(140/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 84086/84580 |
| Elevation | 103–733 m (338–2,405 ft) (avg. 300 m or 980 ft) |
| 1French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2(0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Oppède(French pronunciation:[ɔpɛd];Occitan:Opeda) is acommunein theVauclusedepartmentin theProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azurregionin southeasternFrance.Oppidumis the Latin word for 'fortified town'.[3]
History
[edit]
It is in fact two villages: Oppède-le-Vieux ( "the old" in French), built against thePetit Luberonand dating back to the 12th century, and Oppède-les-Poulivets ( "nice view" inProvençal), today known as "le village", down in the valley.
The old village, built on a rocky hill, has narrow streets. In winter, the Petit Luberon starts casting its shadow early in the afternoon. Houses beyond the medievalrampartsare dark, humid and tricky to maintain.
From below the village is dominated by the restored church of Notre-Dame-Dalidon and the ruins of the castle.
In the 19th century, the inhabitants had enough and started to move down in the valley, dismantling the roof of their houses to stop paying property taxes.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Oppède-le-Vieux was a ghost village and a new community was officially established in the valley, with larger streets, cosier houses and farmers closer to their fields.
Following thearmistice of June 1940,architectBernard Zehrfussfounded a commune of artists in the old town, a project that attracted French sculptorFrançois Stahlyand the writer and artistConsuelo de Saint-Exupéry.The commune proved short-lived. It was the basis for Saint-Exupéry's fictionalized account, published in 1946, called "Kingdom of the Rocks".[4]
Geography
[edit]The commune is traversed by the riverCalavon.
Personalities
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Répertoire national des élus: les maires"(in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
- ^"Populations légales 2021"(in French).The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.28 December 2023.
- ^Le Hir, Geneviève (2005-04-12)."À propos d'Oppède de Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry".Études littéraires.33(2): 128.doi:10.7202/501297ar.ISSN1708-9069.
- ^Saint-Exupéry: a biography ByStacy Schiff,page 381
- ^"LaProvencedit adieu à Jean-Paul Clébert,Jean-Pierre Thiollet,France Soir,23 September 2011
External links
[edit]
- video about Oppede with two free clips- Oppède le Vieux, a small village in the Luberon
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