Villeneuvette

Villeneuvette (French pronunciation: [vilnœvɛt]; Occitan: La Fatura) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is close to the town of Clermont l'Hérault.

Villeneuvette
Commune
Village gate
Location of Villeneuvette
Villeneuvette Show map of France Villeneuvette Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°36′40″N 3°24′01″E / 43.6111°N 3.4003°E / 43.6111; 3.4003
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Hérault
Arrondissement	Lodève
Canton	Clermont-l'Hérault
Government
• Mayor (2022–2026)	Laurent Albert[1]
Area 1	3.14 km2 (1.21 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	67
• Density	21/km2 (55/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	34338 /34800
Elevation	116–317 m (381–1,040 ft) (avg. 140 m or 460 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Villeneuvette is a small village made up of a group of buildings built in the 17th century to create a royal clothmaking factory and to provide accommodation for its workers. Apart from a hotel and restaurant, the buildings are now restricted to residential use, many for holiday purposes.

The creation of Villeneuvette was promoted in 1677 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the noted finance minister of King Louis XIV. It was one of his many initiatives to develop France's industrial base. The factory was powered hydraulically, the water being drawn from various water courses from existing basins. The factory was privately owned and produced cloth for the king, including uniforms for his armies. The factory was operational until 1955.

Since 1995, the village has been classified as a "Zone de Protection du Patrimoine et du Paysage", recognising the originality and importance of its heritage.

Since 2014, the site has been listed as monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.^[3]

The original inscription above the gateway was "MANUFACTURE ROYALE" but this was later rather crudely changed by the Republic to "HONNEUR AU TRAVAIL" - Honour in work.^{[citation needed]}