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 | |
Country | France |
Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
Department | Var |
Arrondissement | Toulon |
Canton | La Crau |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Gil Bernardi[1] |
Area 1 | 29.65 km2 (11.45 sq mi) |
Population | 5,985 |
• Density | 200/km2 (520/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. |
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]
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1968 | 3,271 | — |
1975 | 3,798 | +2.16% |
1982 | 4,269 | +1.68% |
1990 | 5,212 | +2.53% |
1999 | 5,449 | +0.50% |
2007 | 5,825 | +0.84% |
2012 | 5,165 | −2.38% |
2017 | 5,985 | +2.99% |
Source: INSEE[7] |
Le Lavandou has been twinned with Kronberg, Germany since 1973.[citation needed]
![]() | This Var geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |