The Revolution of 1789 hardly affected the city’s administrative life. Only the textile industries suffered, but trade continued to prosper and public development works continued: the ramparts were removed, new streets were opened and the Musée Fabre was created...
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.
The city centre opens up
The station was built. A new district was constructed around it, along with the Rue Maguelone, which connected the station to the newly built Place de la Comédie, a square that, on its own, symbolised the transformation completed under the Restoration, Second Empire and 3rd Republic.
These great developments opened up the old city centre. They were inspired by the works carried out in Paris by Baltard, Haussmann and Violet-le-Duc. Gradually, Montpellier took on the shape that it was to retain until the 1960’s and 1970’s.
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.
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