My Languedoc village

Marsillargues, Herault – 34590

With a population of 5,327, situated 4kms from Lunel, 12kms from the beaches of Grau-du-Roi and La Grande-Motte. 30kms from Nimes and Montpellier, Marsillargues is ideally positioned – although not somewhere that has to suffer drive-through traffic and loads of tourists, although just on the edge of the beautiful Camargue (this area being known as the Petite Camargue).

We have a beautiful XVIe siècle renaissance-style chateau, with lovely gardens, which has hosted concerts, Christmas markets and the Miss Herault Beauty Pageant. Properties within a certain distance of the chateau (there are lots of small car-width-size roads) are considered classé and there are restrictions as to roof terraces being built right down to the colour your shutters are allowed to be painted... We also have a beautiful tree lined Boulevard which circles the village, for boules and chatting generally on the benches dotted around.

Marsillargues was probably originally a fishing village (from the Vidourle river), then after World War 2 turned to it's vines as it's main resource, until the 1950's when the vines were killed off by disease. Now the fields where the vines once were are filled with fruit trees – apples, peaches, nectarines etc...

The Vidourle river skims the edge of the village and is the border between the Herault and the Gard, it's great for walks, fishing and cycle rides and has had a lot of work done to the berges after the dramatic floods of September 2002, in which Marsillargues suffered.

Each year we have a Water Fete – they herd the bulls (an abrivado) through the village and down into the Vidourle river on the white
Camarguaise white horses.  We also have an annual fete at the beginning of August. There is an arena in the centre of the village by the mairie, in which there is a Clubs taurins – generally,  a school to teach all about the Camarguaise way of competing with the bulls
(pulling ribbons for money from the horns of the bulls).

Some interesting figures:

Marsillargues covers an area of 42km2 with 125 habitants per km2 who are known as Marsillarguois/es.  

21pc of the Marsillarguois are unemployed (as at 1999) and the average wage is Euro18,384 a year.

84pc of the properties are for full time residents.

64pc of the properties are lived in by their owners.

Commerce: We have:

3 or 4 garages / an epicerie / at least 3 or 4 boulangeries / a butcher / a post office / 2 newspaper shops / 3 or 4 hairdressers /
launderette /  2 chemists / 3 or 4 cafe-bars / 2 restaurants / 2 take-away Pizza shops / 3 dentists / 3 doctors / 2 physiotherapists /
creche & halte garderie and all schools / notaire / children's play park / bull arena / police municipal

Take a look at http://www.marsillargues.fr and
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsillargues

Wendy Johnson
www.FrenchHelpServices.com
Happy to help whenever we can.....
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