Lesparre-Médoc

Lesparre-Médoc
Subprefecture and commune
The church in Lesparre
Coat of arms
Location of Lesparre-Médoc
Lesparre-Médoc Lesparre-Médoc
Coordinates: 45°18′28″N 0°56′11″W
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Gironde
Arrondissement	Lesparre-Médoc
Canton	Le Nord-Médoc
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Bernard Guiraud
Area 1	36.97 km2 (14.27 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	5,844
• Density	160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	33240 /33340
Elevation	7–34 m (23–112 ft) (avg. 4 m or 13 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Lesparre-Médoc (French pronunciation: [lɛspaʁ medɔk] ; Occitan: L'Esparra de Medòc, [lespaˈra ˈde meˈðɔk]), commonly known as Lesparre (L'Esparra), is a commune in the Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.

Geography

Lesparre is on the Médoc peninsula about 80 km north of Bordeaux.

History

Traces of human occupation from the Neolithic era have been discovered in the town. Before the arrival of the Romans, the area was inhabited by the Biturges, a Celtic tribe. After the Roman Empire collapsed, various peoples such as the Arabs and Normans came into the area. During the rule of Charlemagne, a castle was built to protect the town from further invasions. In the High Middle Ages it was the site of castle. The troubadour Aimeric de Belenoi was born here. In 1790, the town was promoted to district capital. During WWII, the town was the site of guerilla warfare with German troops. During the 20th century, the infrastructure of the town was expanded and the population grew to 5,200 people.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 818 —     1800 800 −0.32% 1806 919 +2.34% 1821 950 +0.22% 1831 1,232 +2.63% 1836 1,404 +2.65% 1841 1,521 +1.61% 1846 1,605 +1.08% 1851 1,677 +0.88% 1856 3,482 +15.73% 1861 3,633 +0.85% 1866 3,726 +0.51% 1872 3,656 −0.32% 1876 3,794 +0.93% 1881 4,145 +1.79% 1886 4,059 −0.42% 1891 3,972 −0.43% 1896 4,038 +0.33%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 3,959 −0.39% 1906 3,840 −0.61% 1911 3,699 −0.75% 1921 3,267 −1.23% 1926 3,419 +0.91% 1931 3,422 +0.02% 1936 3,219 −1.22% 1946 3,101 −0.37% 1954 3,378 +1.08% 1962 3,443 +0.24% 1968 3,563 +0.57% 1975 3,814 +0.98% 1982 4,217 +1.45% 1990 4,661 +1.26% 1999 4,855 +0.45% 2007 5,258 +1.00% 2012 5,656 +1.47% 2017 5,801 +0.51%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

International relations

Lesparre is twinned with Drayton in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England.

Notable persons

• Bour de Lesparre, Mercenary captain of the Hundred Years' War

See also

• Communes of the Gironde department