Sommières is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
It lies 22 km (14 mi) from Nîmes, 28 km (17 mi) from Montpellier.
Sommières is to the south of the garrigues and on the edge of the Vaunage, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle.
The village grew in the protection of the castle. It was annexed into the French kingdom by King Louis X in 1248, following the crusade against the Albigensiens. It became a Protestant st...
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Sommières is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.
It lies 22 km (14 mi) from Nîmes, 28 km (17 mi) from Montpellier.
Sommières is to the south of the garrigues and on the edge of the Vaunage, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle.
The village grew in the protection of the castle. It was annexed into the French kingdom by King Louis X in 1248, following the crusade against the Albigensiens. It became a Protestant stronghold, and it was besieged by the catholic Louis XIII in 1622. It has always been prone to flooding, and as recently as 2002 the River Vidourle flooded, causing major damage to the town and properties along the bank. This time it washed out the Champion supermarket, which reopened at Villevieille in July 2008. In October 2008 this supermarket was rebranded Carrefour. The floods are called 'vidourlades'.
The village has a Roman bridge, a medieval centre, a fortified gate and the ruins of a castle.
The Roman bridge is 190m long, it was built...
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