Béziers, Historic commune in Occitanie, France.
Béziers is a commune in Occitanie in southern France, rising on a hill beside the Orb River. The town spreads from the old quarter on the hilltop down to newer neighborhoods in the plain, with tree-lined avenues and parks connecting the different districts.
The Romans established a colony at this location in the 1st century BC and named it Betarrae. During the Middle Ages, the town became an important trading post on the Via Domitia before suffering heavy destruction in 1209 during the Albigensian Crusade.
The name comes from the Celtic tribe of the Volcae Tectosages who settled here before Roman conquest. Today, the Place de la Madeleine serves as a gathering spot where locals meet in street cafés and pétanque players are seen on the square.
A walk along the Allées Paul-Riquet offers shade under the plane trees and leads from the train station to the theatre square. The medieval part of town is easy to explore on foot, as most points of interest lie within a short distance of one another.
The nine locks of Fonseranes form a staircase of water basins that originally had eight steps before one was taken out of use. Visitors can watch boats slowly ascend or descend through the system, with the entire process taking about an hour.
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