Tourist information

Geography

Situation

Aix en Provence is located in  Bouches-du-Rhône département, in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur area, north to Marseilles and west to the Ste Victoire mountain, in a basin formed by the Arc river and the Torse river. Together with Marseilles, Aix en Provence constitutes a big built-up area.

Climate

The city enjoys a mediterranean climate : hot in summer, sunny and fresh in winter. Temperatures can fall below 0°Celcius in winter (around -5°C), while being extremely hot in summer (around 40°C).

History

Aix (Aquae Sextiae) was founded in 123BC by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs. In 102BC 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]).

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.

Highlights

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.

The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour (Cathédrale Saint Sauveur), which dates from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, is situated in this portion of Aix. It is preceded by a rich portal in the Gothic style with elaborately carved doors, and is flanked on the north by an uncompleted tower. The interior contains tapestry of the 16th century, other works of art and a baptism pool from the fourth century. The archbishop's palace (Palais de l'Archêveque) 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. [Cathedral:[2],[3]] [Eglise Saint-Jean-de-Malte:[4]]

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. [[Hôtel de Ville:[5]]

Also on the Place de la Mairie is the former Corn Exchange (Halle aux 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 a Court of assizes, tribunals of first instance and of commerce, and a chamber of arts and manufactures.

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.

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.

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

External links

• Aix en Provence Tourist office website
• Festival website
• Provence-Hideaways Aix en Provence
• Cyberflag : Flag of Aix-en-Provence
• Official site of the town Aix-en-Provence
• Aix en provence article on Wikipedia

Credits

This article incorporates text from the Aix en provence article on Wikipedia.
Pictures by Jean-Claude Carbone, Labo Photo Mairie d¿Aix en Provence. Other pictures from same author.

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.)