Le Lavandou
Le Lavandou | |
|---|---|
 A view within the commune | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Le Lavandou  | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Var |
| Arrondissement | Toulon |
| Canton | Collobrières |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Gil Bernardi |
| Area 1 | 29.65 km2 (11.45 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | 2,867 |
| • Density | 97/km2 (250/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 83070 /83980 |
| Elevation | 0–485 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,[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
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.[2]
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.[4]
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
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- L'Anglade
- La Grande Plage du Lavandou
- Saint-Clair
- La Fossette
- Aiguebelle
- l'Eléphant
- Jean Blanc
- Rossignol
- Le Layet
- Cavalière
- Cap Nègre
- Pramousquier
See also
References
- ^ Lehman, Doris (1996). The Riviera: Off-season and On. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 121.
- ^ 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
- ^ Maschwitz, Eric (1957). No Chip on my Shoulder. London: Herbert Jenkins Ltd. pp. 208, p.124.
- ^ Henley, Jon (2000-09-23). "Citizens live under law's dead hand". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
External links
- Official website of Tourist Information
- Official Home Page
- Informations : le Lavandou and Bormes les Mimosas
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