Suze-la-Rousse is a commune

Communes of France

The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Drôme

Drôme

Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...

 department in southeastern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 situated in the heart of the Rhône Valley vineyards

Location

Suze-la-Rousse is located 10 km southeast of Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-See also:*Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux Cathedral*Tricastin*Communes of the Drôme department-External links:*...

 and 18 km north of Orange. It extends over the left bank of the river Lez

Lez (river)

The Lez is a coastal river in Hérault département, France. It is the main river crossing Montpellier. The river has its source in Saint-Clément-de-Rivière and flows to the Mediterranean Sea at Palavas-les-Flots. The fish Cottus petiti is found only in a short stretch of this river....

 and commands an uninterrupted view of the Mont Ventoux, the Lance mountains, and the foothills of the Dauphiné Alps

Dauphiné Alps

The Dauphiné Alps are a group of mountain ranges in southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. They are separated from the Cottian Alps in the east by the Col du Galibier and the upper Durance valley; from the western Graian Alps in the north-east by the river Arc; from the lower...

. The neighbouring settlements are Bollène

Bollène

Bollène is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...

, Rochegude, Tulette

Tulette

Tulette is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:...

, Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes

Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes

Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.Nearby cities are Orange and the smaller Bollène. It is also not far from the Mont Ventoux....

, Bouchet, La Baume-de-Transit

La Baume-de-Transit

La Baume-de-Transit is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...

, Solérieux

Solérieux

Solérieux is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...

 et Saint-Restitut

Saint-Restitut

Saint-Restitut is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...

.

History

In the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

, Suze-la-Rousse was the most important town of Tricastin

Tricastin

The Tricastin is an area around Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux in Provence, France. The name derives from the Gaulish tribe Tricastini, which was part of the confederation of the Cavares...

. Suze castle was built in the 12th century by the princes of Orange on the site of a hunting lodge given by Charlemagne to his cousin Guillaume de Gellone. With its fortified medieval walls, this fortress dominated the surrounding area and guaranteed it occupants perfect security. During the Renaissance

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

, the princes of Orange made it their country retreat.

Population

Wine

At the foot of the castle is the location of the University of Wine, a department of the University Institute of Valence. The facility, with its laboratories and tasting rooms is unique in Europe, and offers courses in oenology, mlarketing, and management for the wine industry.

International relations

Suze-la-Rousse was twinned with the town of Gouvy in Belgium in 2003.