Cournonterral (French pronunciation: [kuʁnɔ̃tɛʁal]; Occitan: Cornonterralh) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.

Cournonterral
Tower and Sainte-Croix church
Tower and Sainte-Croix church
Coat of arms of Cournonterral
Location of Cournonterral
Map
Cournonterral is located in France
Cournonterral
Cournonterral
Cournonterral is located in Occitanie
Cournonterral
Cournonterral
Coordinates: 43°33′32″N 3°43′12″E / 43.5589°N 3.72°E / 43.5589; 3.72
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentHérault
ArrondissementMontpellier
CantonPignan
IntercommunalityMontpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) William Ars[1]
Area
1
28.62 km2 (11.05 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
6,654
 • Density230/km2 (600/sq mi)
DemonymCournonterralais
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
34088 /34660
Elevation29–320 m (95–1,050 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Map

Population

edit

Residents are known as Cournonterralais.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 2,088—    
1975 2,460+2.37%
1982 3,062+3.18%
1990 4,095+3.70%
1999 5,069+2.40%
2007 5,586+1.22%
2012 5,859+0.96%
2017 6,110+0.84%
Source: INSEE[3]

Festival

edit

The town is known for an annual festival known as Pailhasses. The festival has taken place in Cournonterral every Ash Wednesday since 1346. In that year, residents held off rivals from their neighbouring village of Aumelas[1], thus putting an end to a long dispute over gathering firewood. Since that time, Cournonterral residents have relived the event every year. The Paillasses (people in straw-stuffed tops) chase the "white men" through the streets of the town with old rags and tissue soaked in wine sediment.

A fictionalized version of the Pailhasses is presented in Agnès Varda's film "Vagabond".

Notable people from Cournonterral

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE