Assas

Assas
Saint-Martial church
Coat of arms
Assas
Location within Languedoc-Roussillon region  Assas
Coordinates: 43°42′10″N 3°54′00″E / 43.7028°N 3.9°ECoordinates: 43°42′10″N 3°54′00″E / 43.7028°N 3.9°E
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Hérault
Arrondissement	Montpellier
Canton	Castries
Intercommunality	Pic-Saint-Loup
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Jacques Graut
Area^1	19.11 km^2 (7.38 sq mi)
Population (2008)^2	1,527
• Density	80/km^2 (210/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	34014 / 34820
Elevation	59–164 m (194–538 ft) (avg. 85 m or 279 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Assas is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.

Geography

Located just north of Montpellier, Assas lies near Saint-Vincent de Barbeyrargues, Guzargues, Clapiers, Jacou, Castries and Teyran. The region near Assas is primarily scrubland, but it is watered by a number of streams and brooks and has a small wooded area that produces mushrooms in the fall.

The village of Assas is organized around the Château d'Assas, located on a hill overlooking the small but quaint old village.

Map

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	352	—
1968	352	+0.0%
1975	506	+43.8%
1982	815	+61.1%
1990	992	+21.7%
1999	1,305	+31.6%
2008	1,527	+17.0%

The inhabitants are called Assadins.

Viticulture

The region containing Assas is a productive wine-making area, and has the appellation Grès de Montpellier. This is part of the AOC Coteaux du Languedoc designation.

Sights

• Château d'Assas, an 18th-century folie montpellierraine, designed by the architect Jean-Antoine Giral (1700–1787), was built in 1759/1760 on the ruins of a feudal castle. It is a private residence, but can be toured either by appointment or on national holidays. A historic 18th century harpsichord is preserved in the Château, a favoured instrument of harpsichordist Scott Ross (1951–1989), who died in Assas. At the beginning of the 1920s, Sir Patrick Geddes (born Ballater, Scotland 2 October 1854, died Montpellier, France 17 April 1932), the Scottish botanist, bought the Château d'Assas to set up a centre for urban studies, as an extension of the Collège des Ecossais which he founded in Montpellier in 1890.
  The château was used as a set in the filming of La Belle Noiseuse, a film by Jacques Rivette (1991).
• A church of the 11th or 12th century, completely restored at the beginning of the 21st century.
• Remains of the 10th or 11th century fortifications.
• Old village.

See also

• Communes of the Hérault department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Commune d'Assas, official website
• Map of France locating Assas
• Map of Assas on Mapquest
• Assas photos – not an official site