Le Lavandou

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).

Le Lavandou
Commune
A view within the commune
Coat of arms
Location of Le Lavandou
Le Lavandou
Le Lavandou
Coordinates: 43°08′19″N 6°22′06″E
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. 2019)[2]
5,985
 • 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.

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

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 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2021.
  3. Lehman, Doris (1996). The Riviera: Off-season and On. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 121.
  4. "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.


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