Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence
Coat of arms of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence is located in France
Aix-en-Provence
Administration
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement Aix-en-Provence
Intercommunality Pays d'Aix
Mayor Maryse Joissains-Masini (UMP)
(2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation 173 m (568 ft) avg.
Land area1 186.08 km2 (71.85 sq mi)
Population2 141,200  (2005)
 - Density 759 /km2 (1,970 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 13001/ 13100 or 13090
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.

Aix (French pronunciation: [ɛks], medieval Occitan Aics), or Aix-en-Provence (Provençal Occitan: Ais de Provença in classical norm, or Ais de Prouvènço in Mistralian norm, both pronounced [ˈajs de pʀuˈvɛⁿsɔ] or [zaj]) to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city in southern France, some 30 km (19 mi) north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a sub-prefecture. The population of Aix is approximately 140,200.[1] Its inhabitants are called Aixois or, less commonly, Aquisextains.

Contents

History

Espariat street in Aix-en-Provence.

Aix (Aquae Sextiae) was founded in 123 BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs.[2] 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.[3]

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 and by Charles Martel in 737. Aix, which during the Middle Ages was the capital 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.

Aix passed to the crown of France with the rest of Provence 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.

Current archeological excavations in the Ville des Tours, a medieval suburb of Aix, have unearthed the remains of a roman amphitheatre.[4]

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 (41 °F) and a July average of 22 °C (72 °F). It has an average of 300 days of sunshine and only 91 days of rain.[5] While it is partially protected from the Mistral, Aix does occasionally suffer from the cold gusty conditions it brings.

Unlike most of France which has an oceanic climate, Aix-en-Provence has a Mediterranean climate.

Climate data for Aix-en-Provence
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 10.6
(51)		 11.7
(53)		 14.4
(58)		 17.2
(63)		 21.1
(70)		 25.6
(78)		 28.9
(84)		 28.3
(83)		 25
(77)		 20
(68)		 14.4
(58)		 11.7
(53)		 18.9
(66)
Average low °C (°F) 2.8
(37)		 3.3
(38)		 5.6
(42)		 8.3
(47)		 12.2
(54)		 16.1
(61)		 18.9
(66)		 18.3
(65)		 15.6
(60)		 11.1
(52)		 6.7
(44)		 3.3
(38)		 10
(50)
Precipitation mm (inches) 48
(1.9)		 41
(1.6)		 46
(1.8)		 46
(1.8)		 46
(1.8)		 25
(1.0)		 15
(.6)		 25
(1.0)		 64
(2.5)		 94
(3.7)		 76
(3.0)		 58
(2.3)		 587
(23.1)
Source: [6]

Main sights

Les Deux Garçons
Place de l'Hotel de Ville
The Cathedral Cloisters
La Rotonde
Saint-Jean-de-Malte
Place des Quatre Dauphins, Quartier Mazarin

The Cours Mirabeau is a wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of plane-trees, bordered by fine houses and decorated by fountains. It follows the line of the old city wall and divides the town into two sections. 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, which is lined on one side with banks and on the other with cafés, is the Deux Garçons, the most famous brasserie in Aix. Built in 1792, it has been frequented by the likes of Paul Cézanne, Émile Zola and Ernest Hemingway.[7]

The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour (Cathédrale Saint Sauveur) is situated to the north in the medieval part of Aix. Built on the site of a former Roman forum and an adjacent basilica, it contains a mixture of all styles from the 5th to the 17th century, including a richly decorated portal in the Gothic style with doors elaborately carved in walnut. The interior contains 16th century tapestries, a 15th century triptych, depicting King René and his wife on the side panels, as well as a Merovingian baptistery, its Renaissance dome supported by original Roman columns. The archbishop's palace (Palais de l'Archêveché) and a Romanesque cloister adjoin the cathedral on its south side.[8] The Archbishopric of Aix is now shared with Arles.

Among its other public institutions, Aix also has the second most important Appeal Court (Palais de Justice) outside of Paris, located near the site of the former Palace of the Counts (Palais des Comtes) of Provence.

The Hôtel de Ville, a building in the classical style of the middle of the 17th century, looks onto a picturesque square (place de l'Hôtel de Ville). It contains some fine woodwork and tapestries. At its side rises a handsome clock-tower erected in 1510.[9] Also on the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville is the former Corn Exchange (1759–1761) (Halle de Grains). This ornately decorated 18th century building was designed by the Vallon brothers. Nearby are the remarkable thermal springs, containing lime and carbonic acid, that first drew the Romans to Aix and gave it the name Aquae Sextiae. A spa was built in 1705 near the remains of the ancient Roman baths of Sextius.[10]

South of the Cours Mirabeau is the Quartier Mazarin. This residential district was constructed for the gentry of Aix by the brother of Cardinal Mazarin in the last half of the 17th century and contains several notable hôtels particuliers. The thirteenth century church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte contains valuable pictures and a recently restored organ. Next to it is the Musée Granet, devoted to European painting and sculpture.

Aix is often referred to as the city of a thousand fountains.[11] Among the most notable are the 17th century Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins (Fountain of the Four Dolphins) in the Quartier Mazarin, designed by Jean-Claude Rambot,[12] and three of the fountains down the central Cours Mirabeau: At the top, a 19th century fountain depicts the "good king" René holding the Muscat grapes that he introduced to Provence in the 15th century; half-way down is a natural hot water fountain (34°C), covered in moss, dating back to the Romans; and at the bottom at la Rotonde, the hub of modern Aix, stands a monumental fountain from 1860 beneath three giant statues representing art, justice and agriculture. In the older part of Aix, there are also fountains of note in the Place d'Albertas and the Place des Trois-Ormeaux.

Education

The Institute of Political Studies

Aix has long been a university town: Louis II of Anjou granted a royal charter for a university in 1409. Today Aix remains an important educational centre, with many teaching and research institutes:

Aix also has several training colleges, lycées, and a college of art and design. It has also become a centre for many international study programmes.

Culture

Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Rheingold in 2006

Music

Aix holds two significant musical events each year. These are:

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence

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 Bernard Foccroulle, director of la Monnaie in Brussels. The festival takes place in late June and July each year. The main venues in Aix itself are the outdoor Théâtre de l'Archévêché in the former garden of the archbishop's palace, the recently restored 18th century Théâtre du Jeu de Paume, and the newly built Grand Théâtre de Provence; operas are also staged in the outdoor Théâtre du Grand Saint-Jean outside Aix. Linked to the festival is the Académie européenne de musique, a summer school for young musicians with master classes by celebrated artists. Over the four year period from 2006 until 2009, Sir Simon Rattle's version of Wagner's Ring Cycle with the Berlin Philharmonic is being premiered at the Aix festival.

Musique dans la Rue

This takes place each year in June to coincide with the national 'Fête de la Musique.' There is a week of classical, jazz and popular concerts held in different street venues and courtyards in the city. Some of these events are held in the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud, named in honour of the French composer, a native of Aix.

Dance

The dance company Ballet Preljocaj of the French dancer and choreographer Angelin Preljocaj has been located in Aix since 1996. In 2007 it took up residence in the "Pavillon Noir", a centre for dance performance, designed in 1999 by the architect Rudy Ricciotti. The centre is one of nineteen of its kind in France, designated Centre chorégraphique national.

Museums and Libraries

Granet's "Pumpkin Harvest" at the Musée Granet

Aix has several museums and galleries:

Prior to 1989 Aix had several libraries, for example in the Parc Jourdan and the Town Hall. In 1989, many of these were moved to the Méjanes, an old match factory.

In 1993, the "Cité du Livre" was opened around the library. This has media spaces for dance, cinema and music, and a training facility for librarians. Adjacent to the Cité du Livre are the Grand Théâtre de Provence and the Pavillon Noir (see above).

Mont Sainte-Victoire

Mont Sainte-Victoire, Paul Cézanne 1882-5
Mont Sainte-Victoire, Paul Cézanne 1904-6

To the east of Aix rises Mont Sainte-Victoire (1011 m), one of the landmarks of the Pays d'Aix. It is accessible from the centre of Aix by road or on foot, taking the wooded footpath of Escrachou Pevou to the plateau of Bibemus.[15] It dramatically overshadows the small dam built by Emile Zola's father and was a favourite subject and haunt of Paul Cézanne throughout his lifetime. In the village of le Tholonet on the precipitous southern side of Mont Sainte-Victoire, there is a windmill that he used and beyond that a mountain hut, the réfuge Cézanne, where he liked to paint.

To the north, the mountain slopes gently down through woodland to the village of Vauvenargues. The Château of Vauvenargues that overlooks the village was formerly occupied the by the Counts of Provence (including René of Anjou) and the Archbishops of Aix before it became the family home of the marquis de Vauvenargues.[16] It was acquired by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in 1958, who was resident there from 1959 until 1962, when he moved to Mougins. He and his wife wife Jacqueline are buried in its grounds,[17] [18][19] which are not usually open to the public. (Exceptionally the chateau is open to the public from April to September 2009 to coincide with Picasso exhibitions in the south of France.[20])

Mont Sainte-Victoire has a complex network of paths, leading to the priory and Croix de Provence at the summit, to the large man-made reservoir of Bimont and to the roman viaduct above le Tholonet.

Economy

Calissons, a specialty of Aix

Industries formerly included flour-milling, the manufacture of confectionery, iron-ware, hats, matches and the extraction of olive oil.[21]

Current economic activities include:

The airline Twin Jet has its head office in Aix-en-Provence.[26]

Transport

TGV viaduct over the river Arc at Roquefavour

A set of ancient roads radiate out from Aix to the surrounding countryside, the Pays d'Aix. There are also a large number of modern autoroutes connecting Aix to nearby towns. There are autoroutes northwards to Avignon and to the Luberon; southwards to Marseille; and eastwards to Aubagne and the Mediterranean coast of Provence; and to Nice and other towns on the French Riviera. Aix and Marseille are equidistant from the international airport of Marseille-Provence (MRS) at Marignane on the Etang de Berre. There is an other airport at Les Milles, which is mostly used by general aviation. There is a frequent bus shuttle service from the main bus station in Aix. This shuttle also serves the nearby TGV station Gare d'Aix-en-Provence TGV at l'Arbois, in the middle of the countryside about 10 miles (16 km) from Aix.

At Gare d'Aix-en-Provence TGV the line from Paris branches to Marseille and Nice; it takes about 3 hours to get from Paris to Aix by TGV. Aix also has a railway station near the centre, Gare d'Aix-en-Provence, with connections to Marseille, Pertuis and Briançon in the French Alps. A frequent and rapid shuttle bus service for commuters operates between the bus station in Aix and Marseille. There are many other long distance and local buses from the bus station.

In the town itself, there is an inexpensive municipal bus service, including a dial-a-bus service ("proxibus"), a park-and-ride service and tiny electrified buses for those with mobility problems.[27] The central old town of Aix is for the most part pedestrianised. There are large underground and overground parking structures placed at regular intervals on the "boulevard exterieur", the predominantly one-way ring road that encircles the old town. Access to the old town is by a series of often narrow one-way streets that can be confusing to navigate for the uninitiated.[28][29]

As in many other French cities, a short-term bicycle hire scheme nicknamed V'Hello, free for trips of less than half an hour, has recently been put in place by the town council: and has been popular with tourists.[30] As well as overland routes, two "rivers" flow through Aix, the Arc and the Torse, but neither of them can remotely be described as navigable.

Miscellaneous

The local Aix dialect, rarely used and spoken by a rapidly decreasing number of people, is part of the provencal dialect of Occitan language. The provencal for "Aix-en-Provence" is "Ais de Prouvènço" [ˈaj de pʀuˈvɛ̃sɔ]. Most of the older streets in Aix have names in both Provençal and French.

Aix hosted the ninth International Congress of Modern Architecture in 1953.

Aix is the home town of the rugby union team Pays d'Aix RC. It played host to the All Blacks during the early stages of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.[31][32]

Ysabel, the tenth novel of the best-selling Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, was set and written in Aix.

International relations

Twin towns — sister cities

Aix-en-Provence is officially twinned[33][34] with the following seven cities (in alphabetical order):

In addition Aix has international cooperations, partnerships and exchanges with the following cities from all over the world: Oujda (Morocco) since 1997, Baalbeck (Lebanon), Bamako (Mali), Baton Rouge(USA), Coral Gables (USA), Philadelphia (USA) since 1998, Chaoyang (China), Foshan (China), Meguro (Japan) and Kumamoto (Japan).

People from Aix

Births

François Marius Granet
Paul Cézanne (1861)
Hélène Grimaud

Aix-en-Provence was the birthplace of:

Famous residents

Édouard Manet, Portrait of Émile Zola, 1868, Musée d'Orsay

Gallery

Medieval town wall near Roman baths

Place des Tanneurs

Statue of le Roi René

Detail of le Roi René

Place des Quatre Dauphins, towards boulevard exterieur

The archbishop's palace, opera house and tapestry museum

Clock tower, Hotel de Ville

Detail of mechanical clock

The Corn Exchange

Cathedral Saint-Sauveur, Dome

Cathedral Saint-Sauveur

St Jean de Malte, rue Cardinale

Eglise de la Madeleine, place des Precheurs

Jas de Bouffan, Paul Cezanne

Jas de Bouffan, Paul Cezanne

The Vendome Pavilion

Mural advertisement

Atlas on a doorway in Aix

The place d'Albertas

Fountain in the place d'Albertas

Door carving in Aix

Mechanical clock, place des Precheurs

Daily vegetable market, place Richelme

Provencal confectionery

Baroque fountain in Aix

The cours Mirabeau

Provencal market

The modern spa in Aix

The Vasarely Foundation

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Population figures from INSEE". Insee.fr. http://www.insee.fr/fr/recensement/nouv_recens/resultats/grandes-villes.htm#A. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  2. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, article Aix.
  3. ↑ cf Jerome, letter cxxiii, To Ageruchia, 8, 409 A.D.
  4. ↑ Théâtre antique d’Aquae Sextiae (French)
  5. ↑ "Tourist office; the climate of Aix". Aixenprovencetourism.com. http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/uk/aix-en-provence.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  6. ↑ "Aix-en-Provence monthly weather". http://www.weather.com/weather/climatology/monthly/FRXX0001?x=0&y=0. 
  7. ↑ Sarre, Claude-Alain (2007). Les Deux Garçons. Quatre Siècles d'Histoire au Coeur d'Aix-en-Provence.. Université Aix. ISBN 2-903449-92-9 
  8. ↑ Michelin Guide to Provence, ISBN 2-06-137503-0, pages 67-68.
  9. ↑ "Tourist office: Old Aix". Aixenprovencetourism.com. http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/aix-vieilleville.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  10. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911.
  11. ↑ Laurence Labrouche, "Ariane Mnouchkine: un parcours théâtral: le terrassier, l'enfant et le voyageur", L'Harmattan (1999), ISBN 2-7384-8022-5, page 66, "la ville aux mille fontaines"
  12. ↑ Provence. Michelin Green Guide. Michelin. 1999. ISBN 0-320-03732-0 , page 69. The fountain was built in 1667.
  13. ↑ "Website of the Musée Granet". Museegranet-aixenprovence.fr. http://www.museegranet-aixenprovence.fr/www/index5.html. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  14. ↑ "Reopening of the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence - The Art Tribune". The Art Tribune<!. 2007-08-20. http://www.thearttribune.com/Reopening-of-the-Musee-Granet-in.html. Retrieved 2009-05-22. 
  15. ↑ Montagne Ste-Victoire, Aix-en-Provence, Gardanne, Trets. La Carte de Randonnée, 1;25,000. 3244 ET. Institut Géographique National 
  16. ↑ Mairie of Vauvenargues, History and heritage (French)
  17. ↑ O'Brian, Patrick (1976). Picasso: Pablo Ruiz Picasso : a Biography. Putnam. ISBN 88-304-0863-8 
  18. ↑ Monday, Apr. 23, 1973 (1973-04-23). "Pablo Picasso's Last Days and Final Journey - TIME". TIME<!. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,945265-2,00.html. Retrieved 2009-05-22. 
  19. ↑ Bruno Ely (2009). Château de Vauvenargues. ImageArt. ISBN 978-2-9534525-0-1 
  20. ↑ "Picasso exhibitions in the south of France, 2009". Tourmag.com. http://www.tourmag.com/Cote-d-Azur-l-art-fil-conducteur-d-une-campagne-de-promotion_a27160.html. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  21. ↑ Histoire d'Aix-en-Provence. Edisud. 1977. ISBN 2-85744-237-8 
  22. ↑ Parker, Robert (1996). The Wine Buyer's Guide. Dorling Kindersley. p. 488. ISBN 0-7513-0342-9 
  23. ↑ "Official website for Château Simone". Chateau-simone.fr. http://www.chateau-simone.fr/. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  24. ↑ "Guide des Vins - Château Crémade" (in (French)). Guidevins.com. http://www.guidevins.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=320. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  25. ↑ "The Chocolaterie of Puyricard". Puyricard.fr. http://www.puyricard.fr/. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  26. ↑ "The company > Company information." Twin Jet. Retrieved on 8 July 2010. "Address : TWIN JET 1070 rue du lieutenant Parayre BP 30370 13799 AIX EN PROVENCE CEDEX 3 "
  27. ↑ untitled
  28. ↑ Aix-en-Provence, Plan Guide Blay-Foldex.
  29. ↑ "Map of central Aix". http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/pdf/plan-centre-a-imprimer.gif. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  30. ↑ Ville d'Aix-en-Provence: V'Hello...Bougez dans Aix en toute liberté !
  31. ↑ "Just Sport - New Zealand's Sports Network - What's Up : RWC 2007 Commentators Blog". Radio Sport. 2007-10-21. http://www.radiosport.co.nz/WhatsUp/Detail.aspx?id=1432. Retrieved 2009-05-22. 
  32. ↑ "All Blacks dazzled by haka ballet - rugbyheaven07.com.au". Rugbyheaven.com.au. 2007-09-28. http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/news/all-blacks-dazzled-by-haka-ballet/2007/09/28/1190486520975.html. Retrieved 2009-05-22. 
  33. ↑ "Association of twinnings and international relations of Aix-en-Provence". Aix-jumelages.com. http://www.aix-jumelages.com/. Retrieved 2010-04-15. 
  34. ↑ Mairie of Aix-en-Provence - Twinnings and partnerships
  35. ↑ "Acordos de Geminação" (in Portuguese). © 2009 Câmara Municipal de Coimbra - Praça 8 de Maio - 3000-300 Coimbra. http://www.cm-coimbra.pt/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=128. Retrieved 2009-06-25. 
  36. ↑ Perugia Official site - Relazioni Internazionali(Italian)
  37. ↑ Jessula, Georges (2003). "Darius Milhaud, Compositeur de Musique". Revue Juive: 140–144. http://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_REVUE=AJ&ID_NUMPUBLIE=AJ_361&ID_ARTICLE=AJ_361_0140#  Since their marriage in 1892, Milhaud's parents lived in the Bras d'Or in Aix-en-Provence, where their son grew up; however he was delivered at the home of his maternal grandparents in Marseille.
  38. ↑ Milhaud, Darius (1998). Ma Vie heureuse. Zurfluh. ISBN 2-87750-083-7 
  39. ↑ FullSIX (1972-12-22). "Franck Cammas - Profile". Cammas-groupama.com. http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en/franck_cammas/cammas/portrait/index.jsp. Retrieved 2009-05-22. 

References

Busquet, Raoul (1954). Histoire de la Provence des origines à la révolution française. Editions Jeanne Lafitte. ISBN 2-86276-319-5 

External links