Soulac-sur-Mer

Soulac-sur-Mer Solac de Mar (Occitan)
Commune
Notre-Dame-de-la-Fin-des-Terres Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998
Coat of arms
Location of Soulac-sur-Mer
Soulac-sur-Mer Location within France Soulac-sur-Mer Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 45°30′43″N 1°07′25″W
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Gironde
Arrondissement	Lesparre-Médoc
Canton	Le Nord-Médoc
Intercommunality	CC Médoc Atlantique
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Xavier Pintat (LR)
Area 1	28.89 km2 (11.15 sq mi)
Population  (2023)	3,100
• Density	110/km2 (280/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Soulacais, Soulacaise (French)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	33514 /33780
Elevation	0–25 m (0–82 ft) (avg. 12 m or 39 ft)
Website	www.mairie-soulac.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Soulac-sur-Mer (French pronunciation: [sulak syʁ mɛʁ]; lit. 'Soulac-on-Sea'; Occitan: Solac de Mar, [suˈlak de ˈmaɾ]), commonly known as Soulac (Solac), is a commune in the department of Gironde, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (formerly Aquitaine), France. It is a seaside resort on the Côte d'Argent, on the peninsula of the Médoc, 12 km from Royan and 86 km from Bordeaux.

History

The history of the town remains relatively unknown before the medieval period. The town was for a time known as Noviomagus, mentioned by Ptolemy in his work Geography as being one of the two parts of a city held by the Bituriges Vivisques tribe, but this theory remains controversial in modern times. The territory of the town has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and through the Bronze Age, as shown by several archaeological discoveries. At the time, the configuration of the coasts differed. Soulac, today by the sea, was then located on the banks of the river. The town was at the end of an ancient route known as the Levade (or Lébade).

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1793	742	—
1800	673	−1.38%
1806	651	−0.55%
1821	656	+0.05%
1831	801	+2.02%
1836	768	−0.84%
1841	814	+1.17%
1846	840	+0.63%
1851	950	+2.49%
1856	1,101	+2.99%
1861	1,165	+1.14%
1866	1,315	+2.45%
1872	1,185	−1.72%
1876	716	−11.83%
1881	720	+0.11%
1886	813	+2.46%
1891	993	+4.08%
1896	1,349	+6.32%
1901	1,388	+0.57%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1906	1,601	+2.90%
1911	1,650	+0.60%
1921	1,672	+0.13%
1926	1,586	−1.05%
1931	2,043	+5.19%
1936	2,009	−0.34%
1946	1,883	−0.65%
1954	2,097	+1.35%
1962	2,113	+0.10%
1968	2,198	+0.66%
1975	2,387	+1.19%
1982	2,536	+0.87%
1990	2,790	+1.20%
1999	2,720	−0.28%
2007	2,679	−0.19%
2012	2,531	−1.13%
2017	2,811	+2.12%
2023	3,100	+1.64%

Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2023)

Twin towns – sister cities

Soulac is twinned with:

• Saarburg, Germany (1972)
• Ospedaletti, Liguria, Italy (1972)
• Burgo de Osma-Ciudad de Osma, Castile and León, Spain (1988)
• Castlerea, Connacht, Ireland (1990)

See also

• Communes of Gironde