Salon-de-Provence

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Coordinates: 43°38′26″N 5°05′50″E / 43.6405555556, 5.09722222222

Administration
Commune of Salon-de-Provence

Location

Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Aix-en-Provence
Canton	Salon-de-Provence
Intercommunality	Salon–Étang de Berre–Durance]]
Mayor	Michel Tonon (2001-2008)
Statistics
Land area^¹	70.3 km²
Population^² (1999)	37,129
- Density	528.15/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	13103/ 13300
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: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Salon-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône département in southern France. It is the location of an important air base.

1 History
2 Sights
3 Famous past residents
4 Sister cities
5 External links

[edit] History

Salon was a Gallo-Roman oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, hence its name. This region was under the Phocaean influence since the sixth century BCE, and stretches of the Via Aurelia can still be recognized just outside the town, but the earliest mention of the place under its familiar name is of the ninth century, as Villa Salone. The archbishops of Arles controlled the site.

Its principal claim to fame today is as the place where Nostradamus spent his last years and is buried. His dwelling is maintained as a museum, and for four days every June or July, the city celebrates its history during the time of Nostradamus, attracting tourists.

The historic center still lies within its circuit of walls, entered through two seventeenth-century gateways, the Porte de l'Horloge and the Port Bourg Neuf. In the sixteenth century Adam de Craponne built the canal that still bears his name; inexpensive freight brought commerce to Salon, and the town prospered.

[edit] Sights

[edit] Château de l'Emperi

Main article: Château de l'Empéri

The castle, which was the biggest in Provence during the 12th and 13th centuries and was mentioned as early as the tenth, still dominates the old town. It was the preferred residence of the bishops of Arles, when Provence was part of the Holy Roman Empire, hence its name. It became the property of the city after the French Revolution. After damage caused by the 1909 earthquake, it has been restored and now hosts a museum of military history. Every summer, it hosts an international classical music festival.

[edit] Fontaine Moussue

This fountain in Place Crousillat has existed since the 16th century. During the 20th century, limestone concretions and vegetation developed, giving the familiar mushroom aspect.

Fontaine Moussue by night

[edit] St Michel Chapel

Built during 13th century, this chapel boasts a remarkable Romanesque tympanum featuring the paschal lamb.

St Michel, inside

tympanum, Eglise St-Michel

[edit] Salon-de-Provence Air Base

Salon-de-Provence Air Base is the site of the French Air Force Academy, as well as the home of the French Aerial Demonstration team, the Patrouille de France.