Céret
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Commune of Céret Main street in Céret |
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| Location | |
| Longitude | 02°45'08" E |
| Latitude | 42°29'21" N |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Région | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Département | Pyrénées-Orientales (sous-préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Céret |
| Canton | Céret |
| Mayor | Alain Torrent (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude | 107 m–1,440 m (avg. 154 m) |
| Land area¹ | 37.86 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
7,291 |
| - Density (1999) | 192/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 66049/ 66400 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel). | |
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Céret (Catalan: Ceret) is a town and commune of the Pyrénées-Orientales département. It is the capital of Vallespir comarca. The town lays in the foothills of the Pyrénées mountains, in southwestern France. It is most famous for its Museum of Modern Art which has numerous Picasso paintings and sculptures as well as paintings many other impressionist artists. The Cafe Pablo in the town is dedicated to Picasso and The Grand Cafe, still operating today, was a meeting place for many famous artists in the early part of the last century.
The region around Ceret is major fruit producer, in particular famed for its cherries. The first of the seasons's pick are, by local tradition, sent to France's President. Ceret hosts a cherry festival each year with such oddities as cherry beer and a cherry stone spitting competition.
Ceret also hold an annual bull running festival where young bulls (usually with their horns blunted) are run through the streets coralled by a group of highly skilled Camargue horsemen and and women. Young bloods, fired up on cheap local wine and wearing traditional red and yellow Catalan outfits, chase from behind in an attempt to catch hold of the bull's tail and hold on for as long as they can. Many bruises result although mostly it has to be said, to the ego.
Ceret's Saturday market is a high point of the week and is as much a social event as anything else. It is a bustling, busy market mostly selling local fruit, veg, cheese and wines. Much frequented by the large local English, Dutch, German and Scandanavian population that have moved to the Ceret region in the last ten to fifteen years.
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[edit] Geography
It has an altitude of 175-1400 meters. It is located 7 km from the Autoroute A9, 200 km from Montpellier, 250 km from Toulouse and 180 km from Barcelona.
[edit] Main sights
- The Pont du Diable (Devil's Bridge), a 14th century bridge.
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[edit] Artists
Céret has a continued tradition of being a home for artists, especially painters and poets.
- Pablo Picasso (1911, 1912)
- Georges Braque (1911, 1912)
- Georges Badin (1986 - )
[edit] External links
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