Menton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commune of Menton Menton Old Town and Harbour |
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| Location | |
| Longitude | 07° 30' 02" E |
| Latitude | 43° 46' 32" N |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Région | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Département | Alpes-Maritimes |
| Arrondissement | Nice |
| Canton | Chief town of 2 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération de la Riviera française |
| Mayor | Jean-Claude Guibal (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude | 0 m–774 m (avg. 16 m) |
| Land area¹ | 14.05 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
28,812 |
| - Density (1999) | 2,050.7/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 06083/ 06500 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel). | |
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Menton (Occitan: Menton in classical norm or Mentan in Mistralian norm; Italian: Mentone) is a town and commune in the Alpes-Maritimes département of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région of France. It has been called the most beautiful town on the French Riviera and its nickname is La perle de la France ("The pearl of France").
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[edit] Geography
Menton is located on the Franco-Italian border, within the confines of the Côte d'Azur and the Ligurian Alps. It boasts a warm micro-climate favorable to lemon, tangerine and orange groves.
The fishing industry was devastated in the 1980s and 1990s when the "killer Algae" Caulerpa taxifolia, a non-native Asian tropical green algae first discovered in the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco in 1984) introduced to the local environment spread throughout the coastal sea floor decimating the local fish life.
[edit] History
Menton was founded by the Count of Ventimiglia as château de Puypin (ca. 1000) and inhabited by Ligurian people, it was owned by the Grimaldi family from 1346 until 1848, before departing from the principality of Monaco and officially becoming French in 1861.
During the 19th century, Menton was popular because of its warm climate, and many famous people chose to take their vacation in the town.
Annexed by the Italians during World War II, Menton enjoyed a steady flow of goods and services during this period as an example of the benefits of Italian government but french residents were forced to live as Italians, like the majority of local people. Germans in turn occupied Menton during the latter part of the war. Menton was regained on September 8, 1944. The town was devastated and it was not until the 1960s that the re-building of Menton was concluded. It then regained its appeal as a tourist destination.
[edit] Sights
Perhaps the most famous aspect of Menton is its world-renowned gardens, including the Serre de la Madone, the Le Val Rahmeh, the Fontana Rosa, and the Maria Serena garden. Le Val Rahmeh, meaning "Valley of the Cat" in Hindi, was established in 1905 by Englishman Lord Radcliffe, the first owner of the gardens. Villa Fontana Rosa was built in 1922 by Blasco Ibanez, a Spanish novelist, and the gardens of the villa are now open to the public.
[edit] Events
Every year in February a "Lemon Festival" takes place in the town. There are huge statues build from particular citrus fruit (lemons and oranges) and every year there is a special theme given to this festival. This year it was 'Viva l'Espana', in the year of 2004 it was Neverland theme. The festival lasts for few days, during which different interesting orchestras march in Menton's streets, displaying their fabulous instruments, in this way opening the park full of fruits.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Menton is twinned with:
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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