Le Lavandou

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Le Lavandou
Commune
A view within the commune
A view within the commune
Coat of arms of Le Lavandou
Coat of arms
Location of Le Lavandou
Le Lavandou is located in France
Le Lavandou
Le Lavandou
Coordinates: 43°08′19″N 6°22′06″E / 43.1386°N 6.3683°E / 43.1386; 6.3683Coordinates: 43°08′19″N 6°22′06″E / 43.1386°N 6.3683°E / 43.1386; 6.3683
CountryFrance
RegionProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
DepartmentVar
ArrondissementToulon
CantonLa Crau
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Gil Bernardi[1]
Area
1
29.65 km2 (11.45 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2018)[2]
5,981
 • Density200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
83070 /83980
Elevation0–485 m (0–1,591 ft)
(avg. 10 m or 33 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Le Lavandou (pronounced [lə lavɑ̃du]; Occitan: Lo Lavandor) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It derives its name either from the flower lavender (lavanda in Provençal) that is prevalent in the area,[3] or more prosaically from the local form of the Occitan name for lavoir, lavandor (for lavador, a public place for washing clothes).

The (then) village is where the famous popular song A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was written in the summer of 1939.[4] The words were by Eric Maschwitz and the music by Manning Sherwin, with its title ‘stolen’ from a story by Michael Arlen. The song had its first performance in a local bar, where the melody was played on piano by Manning Sherwin with the help of the resident saxophonist. Maschwitz sang the words while holding a glass of wine, but nobody seemed impressed.[5]

In the spring of 2002, an attempt was made to find the bar where this classic song was first performed with the view to having a blue plaque set up. With the help of the local tourist office, elderly residents were questioned, but it proved impossible to establish the venue.[4]

In September 2000, the mayor passed an unusual bylaw making it illegal to die in the town. The mayor described his own bylaw as "absurd ... to counter an absurd situation"; the "absurd situation" was that with the town's cemetery already full, a court in Nice had denied permission for a new cemetery because it would mar the beauty of the selected site.[6]

Twin towns – sister cities[]

Le Lavandou has been twinned with Kronberg (Germany) since 1973.

Events[]

  • Lavandou Flower Parade
  • Saint-Pierre festival
  • Romérage
  • Summer season concerts
  • Halloween | Fall Festival

Beaches[]

Beach Cavaliere
Beach Saint-Clair
  • L'Anglade
  • La Grande Plage du Lavandou
  • Saint-Clair
  • La Fossette
  • Aiguebelle
  • l'Eléphant
  • Jean Blanc
  • Rossignol
  • Le Layet
  • Cavalière
  • Cap Nègre
  • Pramousquier
Panoramic view of Le Lavandou (2017-05)

See also[]

  • Communes of the Var department

References[]

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
  3. ^ Lehman, Doris (1996). The Riviera: Off-season and On. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 121.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Le chant du Rossignol – ou l'étonnante histoire d'une très célèbre chanson anglaise écrite en 1939 au Lavandou", Figure Libre, Reseau Lalan, Le Lavandou (No 14), Sep 2002
  5. ^ Maschwitz, Eric (1957). No Chip on my Shoulder. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd. pp. 208, p.124.
  6. ^ Henley, Jon (2000-09-23). "Citizens live under law's dead hand". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-10-26.

External links[]


Stub icon

This Var geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""