Aix-en-Provence

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Commune of Aix-en-Provence
Street in Aix-en-Provence
Location
Image:Paris_plan_pointer_b_jms.gif
Map highlighting the commune of Aix
Coordinates 43°31′53″N, 05°25′24″E
Administration
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Bouches-du-Rhône
(sous-préfecture)
Arrondissement Aix-en-Provence
Canton Chief town of 3 cantons
Intercommunality Communauté
d'agglomération
du Pays d'Aix
Mayor Maryse Joissains-Masini  (UMP)
(2001 - 2008)
Statistics
Land area¹ 186.08 km²
Population²
(1999)		 134,222
 - Density (1999) 721/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 13001/ 13100 or 13090
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
France

Aix (IPA: [ɛks]), or, to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, Aix-en-Provence (Provençal Occitan: Ais de Provença in classical norm or Ais de Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a city in southern France, some 30 km north of Marseille. It is located in the Provence region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. Aix's population is approximately 137,000.

Contents

[edit] History

For the ecclesiastical history, see Archdiocese of Aix

Aix (Aquae Sextiae) was founded in 122 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs. In 102 BC its neighbourhood was the scene of the Battle of Aquae Sextiae when Romans under Gaius Marius defeated the Cimbri and Teutones, with mass suicides among the captured women, which passed into Roman legends of Germanic heroism (cf Jerome, letter cxxiii.8, 409 A.D. [1]).

Small street in Aix-en-Provence.
Small street in Aix-en-Provence.

In the 4th century AD it became the metropolis of Narbonensis Secunda. It was occupied by the Visigoths in 477. In the succeeding century, the town was repeatedly plundered by the Franks and Lombards, and was occupied by the Saracens in 731. Aix, which during the Middle Ages was the capital of the county of Provence, did not reach its zenith until after the 12th century, when, under the houses of Aragon and Anjou, it became an artistic centre and seat of learning.

With the rest of Provence, it passed to the crown of France in 1487, and in 1501 Louis XII established there the parliament of Provence which existed until 1789. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the town was the seat of the Intendance of Provence.

[edit] Geography and climate

Aix-en-Provence is situated in a plain overlooking the Arc, about a mile from the right bank of the river. The city slopes gently from north to south and the Montagne Sainte-Victoire can easily be seen to the east. Aix's position in the south of France gives it a warm climate. It has an average January temperature of 5°C and a July average of 22°C. It has an average of 300 days of sunshine and only 91 of rain. Whilst it is partially protected from the Mistral, Aix does occasionally suffer the cold gusty conditions it brings.

[edit] Main sights

The Cours Mirabeau, a wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of plane-trees, bordered by fine houses and decorated by fountains, divides the town into two portions. It follows the line of the old city wall. The new town extends to the south and west, the old town with its wide but irregular streets and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries lies to the north. Along this avenue you will find Les Deux Garcons, the most famous café in all of Aix. Built in 1792, it has been frequented by the likes of Cézanne and Ernest Hemingway.

The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour (Cathédrale Saint Sauveur), which mainly dates from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries but is built on the emplacement of a Roman temple, is situated in this part of Aix. It is fronted by a richly decorated portal in Gothic style with elaborately carved doors, and is flanked on the north by an uncompleted tower. The interior contains tapestries from the 16th century, other works of art and a baptismal pool dating from the fourth century. The archbishop's palace (Palais de l'Archêveché) and a Romanesque cloister adjoin the cathedral on its south side. Just south of the Cours Mirabeau is the church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte. Dating from the 13th century, it contains some valuable pictures and the Musée Granet, which has recently undergone restoration and was host in 2006 to an important exhibition of the works of Cézanne to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death.

The hôtel de ville, a building in the classical style of the middle of the 17th century, looks on to a picturesque square (Place de la Mairie). It contains some fine woodwork and a large library which includes many valuable manuscripts. At its side rises a handsome clock-tower erected in 1505.

Also on the Place de la Mairie is the former Corn Exchange (Halle de Grains). This 18th century building is ornately decorated and was designed by the Vallon architects.

Aix has thermal springs, remarkable for their heat as well as for containing lime and carbonic acid. The bathing establishment was built in 1705 near the site of the ancient baths of Sextius, of which vestiges still remain.

The town, which is the seat of an archbishop and court of appeal, and the centre of an académie (educational circumscription), numbers among its public institutions an Assises, tribunals of first instance and of commerce, and a chamber of arts and manufactures. As well as being the second most important Appeal Court after Paris

La Rotonde fountain and roundabout
La Rotonde fountain and roundabout

Aix is often referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. Among the more notable are the Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins (Fountain of the Four Dolphins), built in 1667 by Jean-Claude Rambot; Le bon Roi René's Fountain, built in the 19th century, surmounted by a statue of Roi René holding a bunch of Muscat grapes, which he introduced into Provence in the 15th century; the hot-water fountain dating back to 1734, which is covered in moss due to the 35°C (93°F) water; and the great fountain, from 1860, at La Rotonde, the large roundabout at the centre of town.

[edit] Education

Aix is an important educational centre, hosting various faculties from:

Aix also has training-colleges, lycées, and a school of art and technics. There are several cités U in the city, which provide cheap accommodation for students, but sometimes lack even basic facilities.

[edit] Festival d'Aix-en-Provence

Aix has an important opera festival, the 'Festival international d'Art Lyrique' founded in 1948 which now ranks with those in Bayreuth, Salzburg and Glyndebourne. The current director is Stéphane Lissner. The festival takes place in July each year. The main venue is the Théâtre de l'Archévêché in the archbishop's palace. Linked to the festival is the Académie européenne de musique a summer school for young musicians with master classes by celebrated artists.

[edit] Museums

Aix has several museums and galleries:

  • Le Musée du Vieil Aix (Museum of Old Aix), which tells of the history and growth of the city.
  • Le Museum d'Histoire Naturelle
  • Le Musée de Tapisseries (Tapestry Museum), housed in the Archbishop's Palace.
  • Le Musée Paul Arbaud (Faïence/Pottery)
  • Le Musée Granet, next to the Church of Saint John of Malta.
  • Le Pavillon de Vendôme, a 17th century mansion housing permanent and touring art exhibitions.
  • La Fondation Vasarely, museum dedicated to the Hungarian-born French Abstract Painter

[edit] Economy

Industries formerly included flour-milling, the manufacture of confectionery, iron-ware, hats, matches and the extraction of olive oil.

Current industries include:

[edit] Miscellaneous

Aix' local dialect (spoken by a rapidly declining number and rarely used) is part of the Provençal language. The name of the city in that language is 'Ais de Prouvènço' [ˈz'aj de pʀuˈvɛⁿsɔ']. Most streets in the old city are named in both French and Provençal.

Aix hosted the ninth Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne in 1953. The city is also home to Union team Pays d'Aix RC.

Best selling Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay's 10th novel, "Ysabel", is set entirely in Aix-en-Provence. He also lived in Aix while writing it.

[edit] Births

Aix-en-Provence was the birthplace of:

[edit] Twin towns

Aix-en-Provence is twinned with:

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] References

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