The growth of winemaking also meant that many people amassed fortunes. This led to a real urban transformation, with the building of the Palais de Justice, the churches of Sainte-Anne and Saint-Roch and the theatre…
In 1839, the railway arrived between Sète and Montpellier, and later between Montpellier and Nîmes, thus shifting the city’s nerve centre.
At the end of the 19th Century, Montpellier’s expansion came to a sudden halt due to the ravages of phylloxera in the vineyards, followed by a major wine over-production crisis.
The city entered the 20th Century in a state of deep unrest, and this culminated in 1907 when over 500,000 winemakers demonstrated in its streets.