Cucuron | |
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 View of Cucuron | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Cucuron  | |
  Cucuron  Cucuron | |
| Coordinates:43°46′27″N5°26′22″E / 43.7742°N 5.4394°E /43.7742; 5.4394 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Vaucluse |
| Arrondissement | Apt |
| Canton | Cheval-Blanc |
| Intercommunality | Territoriale Sud-Luberon |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Philippe Egg[1] |
Area 1 | 32.68 km2 (12.62 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 1,849 |
| • Density | 57/km2 (150/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 84042 /84160 |
| Elevation | 235–1,105 m (771–3,625 ft) (avg. 375 m or 1,230 ft) |
| Website | http://mairie-cucuron.fr |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Cucuron (French pronunciation:[kykyʁɔ̃]) is a village (commune) in theVauclusedepartment, of theProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azurregion, in southeasternFrance. Its inhabitants are calledCucuronnais.
Located on the south side of theLuberon mountain range, Cucuron is surrounded by slopes ofgrapevines andolive trees. There are severalcooperatives in the village, including for wine and olive oil production. The present village dates from earlier than the 11th century and suffered a serious plague epidemic in 1720. Its primary features are a long pond (l'étang) that occupies its main square, the ruins of amedievalkeep, and two churches.
Cucuron features in two movies:A Good Year andThe Horseman on the Roof (French: Le hussard sur le toit).
Cucuron is located on the south side of theLuberon mountain range and includes most of the northern slope of the Aigues valley, sloping gently towards the south. The rural district of Cucuron is part of the Luberon Regional Park (Parc naturel régional du Luberon).
The highest point of the village area is located at its northern end, 1,040 m above sea level, on the crest of the Luberon. The village itself is located on a hill dominating the area, consisting ofzaffre, with the highest part of the village proper at 375 m. It is surrounded by slopes ofgrapevines and vegetable crops, cereals (wheat fields) or abandonedagricultural land.
The extreme south of the territory is part of the alluvialplain of theDurance. Several rivers irrigate the village area, this includes the Vabre and Hermitage streams - the latter supplies the village.
Plots of land "in slices" may be legacy areas (villae) of theGallo-Roman period - two sites have been clearly identified and excavated.
The times given in brackets are estimates which include part of the journey by motorway where relevant.
The villages closest to Cucuron areAnsouis (5 km),Vaugines (2.2 km),Lourmarin (7.4 km) andCadenet (8 km).
Local tradition ascribes the origin of the village name toJulius Caesar, like manyProvence villages. Caesar, seeing the inhabitants of the place run, was said to have stated theLatin phrasecur currunt? ("Why do they run?"). In fact Cucuron, under various spellings, is a common placename in southern France, meaning a peak, mound. Many localities are so named, as well as various villages:Coucouron (Ardèche),Cuguron (Haute-Garonne),Cuqueron (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).
The village name derives from the pre-indo-European root "Kuk", which means a place located on a high mountain or a round hill. The village has had various names:castro Cucurone andcastro Cucuroau in the 11th century,in tertitorio Cucuronis, of Cucurun in the 12th century,Cucuron from the 16th century.
Themedieval village site was occupied from theNeolithic period (at a place calledCastelas). Duringprotohistory, it was on the territory of theGauls ofDexcivate, established along theDurance, as indicated byConch graves.
A site on the plain, to the south of the village, dates from theGallo-Roman period:villas were established there benefiting from the fertile land, with severalburial grounds and amausoleum - the Pourrières mausoleum, dates from the 1st century BC.
In theMiddle Ages, acastrum (castle) was built on the hill by the Reillanne-Valence family: the present village dates from earlier than the 11th century and is quoted for the first time in 1024, under the name ofcastrum cucurone. The castle passed between the hands of several families ofseigneurs (lords): theSabrans in the 12th century, then theCastillon and theOraison in co-seigneurship and finally the Bruni fromLa Tour-d'Aigues at the end of the 18th century. Meanwhile, a "consulate" was created; the village was consequently administered by "consuls" which controlled the local justices and lower courts.
During the late Middle Ages, Cucuron hosted aJewish community which was officially expelled in 1501. It also accommodated aVaudois minority, after they repopulated Luberon at the end of the 15th century. In 1534, thearchbishop ofAix-en-Provence executed ten of these 'heretics', which included inhabitants of Cucuron. However, at the time of theFrench Wars of Religion, Cucuron remained predominantlycatholic, unlike the surrounding villages.
In 1720-1, the village was hit hard bya plague epidemic which spread fromMarseille.
The arms are emblazoned with the following:
Gules background with a silver tower that has a door andarrowslits. The tower is flanked by two savages with a symmetrical profile, who hold the tower; the one on the right with their right hand, the one on the left with their left hand, their other hands hold a club.
Cucuron motto:cucurrunt sed vixerunt (they ran but they overcame)
| Term | Name |
|---|---|
| 1995–2001 | Alain Gardon |
| 2001–2008 | Gérard Livolsi |
| 2008–2020 | Roger Deranque |
| 2020–incumbent | Philippe Egg |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1,177 | — |
| 1975 | 1,206 | +0.35% |
| 1982 | 1,409 | +2.25% |
| 1990 | 1,624 | +1.79% |
| 1999 | 1,792 | +1.10% |
| 2007 | 1,816 | +0.17% |
| 2012 | 1,809 | −0.08% |
| 2017 | 1,766 | −0.48% |
| Source: INSEE[3] | ||
The village had almost 1,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the 14th century and there were nearly 2,000 on the eve of theGreat Plague of Marseille of 1720-1. The deaths caused by the plague, however, led to a sharp decline in population in the 18th century, that decline was compounded in the 19th century withrural flight.
The inhabitants of the village are calledCucuronnais.
There are many traders in the village: a grocers, a tobacco shop, two bakeries and a butcher, a pharmacy, restaurants, bars and a hotel. It has hadADSL (broadband internet) since January 2005.
Theviticulture (vineyards) and vegetable crops (asparagus in particular) found on village land, are from postWorld War I. The village has severalcooperatives: one forcherry jam, an agricultural cooperative for wheat and othergrains, a viticultural cooperative, and twoolive oilmills open their doors to olive growers in mid-November.
The village producesCôtes du Luberon AOC wines - AOC stands forAppellation d'origine contrôlée (controlled designation of origin). Wines which are not AOC can be labelled, after approval,vin de pays d'Aigues.[4]
Like the rest of the surrounding area,olive cultivation is growing in Cucuron.
As with all municipalities in the Luberon, tourism plays a role, directly or indirectly, in the local economy.
There are three main kinds of tourism in the Luberon. Firstly cultural, which relies on a heritage of village hilltops and festivals. Secondly, relaxation tourism which has resulted in a significant development ofchambres d'hôtes (bed and breakfasts), hotels and rental properties; a large concentration of swimming pools and provençale markets. Lastly, walking holidays which benefit from the footpaths and protected countryside of the Luberon and surrounding area.
The village has a public elementary school,[5] the pupils are then sent toLe Luberon, a lowersecondary school inCadenet,[6] thenVal de Durancelycée (upper secondary school) in Pertuis (mainstream education) orAlexandre Dumascollège inCavaillon orAlphonse Benoit college inL'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (technical education).
Amarket is held on Tuesdays and two major holidays punctuate the life of the village:
Four night markets are held each year between the months of July and August, around l'étang (the pond), generally the last two Fridays of July and the first two of August. Local craftsmen and producers attend these markets.
Scenes from the filmsThe Horseman on the Roof andA Good Year were filmed in the village.
In the parlance of southern France, the termCucuron-les-Olivettes means a remote place, devoid of interest or place that does not exist.[citation needed]
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