Fronsac, Gironde

Commune in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

Coat of arms

Location of Fronsac

(2020–2026) Marcel Durant^[1]Area

15.29 km² (5.90 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

1,120 • Density73/km² (190/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

33174 /33126

Elevation1–84 m (3.3–275.6 ft)
(avg. 30 m or 98 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Fronsac (French pronunciation: [fʁɔ̃sak]; Occitan: Fronçac) is a commune in the Gironde department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. The town gave its name to the Fronsac AOC wine.

Geography

The commune is situated in the Fronsadais [fr] and is bordered on the south by the river Dordogne and on the east by the river Isle, which separates it from Libourne. Fronsac is 40 km northeast of Bordeaux and 5 km northwest of Libourne and the Saint-Émilion and Pomerol appellations.

History

Fronsac's mound owes its history to its privileged position. It was the site of the Gauls' market, the Romans erected an altar there, and Charlemagne built a fortified camp on the mound ("Franciacus") in 769, where the Basques led by duke Lupo came to pledge allegiance to the Frankish King after Aquitaine's submission. In 849, Fronsac was pillaged by Hasting, the chief of the Vikings.^[3] The Marechal of Richelieu had a "folly" built there, to an extravagant architectural design, where he held courtly entertainments. As word spread of these events, the renown of Fronsac's wines was carried with it to the Court of Versailles. In the 18th Century, the names of Fronsac and Canon Fronsac enjoyed a very good reputation. It was at this time that the concept of "cru" first appeared in the Libournais.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1962	1,230	—
1968	1,155	−6.1%
1975	1,129	−2.3%
1982	1,170	+3.6%
1990	1,067	−8.8%
1999	1,042	−2.3%
2008	1,046	+0.4%

Administration

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (April 2021)

List of Mayors
Period	Name	Party	Background
1983–present (re-elected in May 2020)	Marcel Durant	The Republicans	Retired farmer

Sights

Saint-Martin's Church, which is classed as a Monument historique, (historical monument).

Personalities

Guillaume-Sanche de Pommiers, Sire of Pommiers, Viscount of Fronsac
Joachim Rouhault de Gamaches

International Relations

Fronsac is twinned with Pasiano di Pordenone.^[4]

Wine

Situated on the right bank of the Gironde River, the commune is an appellation in itself, as well as a sub-appellation, Canon-Fronsac AOC.

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Michel Dillange (1995). Les Comtes de Poitou, Ducs d'Aquitaine (778–1204) (in French) (Geste éditions, coll. ed.). La Crèche. p. 56. ISBN 2-910919-09-9.
^ Directory of Twinned Towns and Cities