Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence is a common French, old capital of the Provence, located in the community of the country of Aix, in the department of the Rhone delta and the area Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure.

Its: 140100 inhabitants are called the Aixois or Aquisextains .

Geography

Aix is located at 20 minutes of Marseilles, 1:30 of the ski slopes, 30 minutes of the beaches, 15 minutes of the Aéroport of Marseilles Provence, of 2:55 to 3:10 of Paris by the station Aix-en-Provence TGV, close to Vitrolles.

Situation

Located at 15 kilometers in the west of the Mountain Holy-Victoire and at 30 kilometers in the north of Marseilles in a basin formed by the Arc and the Chest it forms with the city phocéenne a vast agglomeration of more than one million inhabitants.

Of very large surface, with 18.608 hectares, Aix-en-Provence is the 15th vastest commune of Metropolitan France. The communal territory includes/understands 6.219 hectares of wooded surfaces and in addition includes many villages in the neighborhoods of the city itself, such as the Miles, Luynes, Puyricard, Couteron.

Climate

The climate is Mediterranean: heat the summer, shone upon and expenses the winter, soft in mid-season. The city is relatively protected from the mistral thanks to the ranges of hills located at north (Trévaresse and Lubéron).

The summer is hot and dry, the winter is dry. Aix-en-Provence counts 300 days of sun per annum. The average temperatures oscillate of 5°C in January with 22°C in July. It happens that they are negative in winter (- 8,5 °C and -12 °C with the Miles in February 2005) and extremely high (>40 °C) the summer, because the city is on a basin formed by the Arc at a lower altitude compared to the neighborhoods; the hot air is encircled and has more evil to escape.

The countryside knows there microclimates varied, wetter and been windy or protected according to the places.

History

See also: History of Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence is the historical capital of Provence.

With, Low-Provence is occupied by the tribe celto - ligure of the Salyens or Salluviens, whose capital, the oppidum known as of Entremont, is located at the north of Aix, on the road of Puyricard. In 123 before J. - C., following the call of the Greeks of Massalia (Marseilles), the Sextius consul takes and destroys this city-oppidum, installs then there, close to the thermal springs, a fortified camp called Aquæ Sextiæ (“Water of Sextius”) in order to ensure the safety of commercial transport between Rome and the city phocéenne of Massalia. In 102 before J. - C., at the time of the Battle of Aquae Sextiae, Gaius Marius holds head, with the foot of the Holy-Victoire, the hordes of Ambrons and Teutons which it demolishes.

At the 4th century, Aix becomes the capital of the Narbonnaise Second. It is then occupied by the Visigoths in 477. At the next century, it is invaded in turn by the Francs and the Lombards, then in 731 by the Sarrasin S.

Aix finds its splendor only as from the 12th century, time to which the counts of Provence (houses of Anjou and Aragon) hold a refined court and well-read woman to with it, and at the 15th century under the good king Rene, Duc of Anjou, Count de Provence, titular king of Sicily, the city takes all his rise and becomes a famous arts center and academic (1409).

Starting from 1486 and the fastening of Provence in France, the governor resides at it. In 1501, Louis XII establishes there the Parlement of Provence which perdure until the Révolution. Generally, the States meet there to vote the tax.

Aix-en-Provence is of course the city which saw being born and dying Paul Cézanne (1839 - 1906). It is with the college Bourbon (Lycée Mignet) that is born the deep friendship between Cézanne and Emile Zola.

Aix is today a city which mixes last history and technological future, in particular with the project ITER with Cadarache (community of the Country of Aix), station TGV of Aix, the technopolises of the Alpine laburnum and Rousset. Aix counts moreover many universities (Letters, Droit, Économie, Political sciences, Arts and Trades, Art schools).

The city celebrated with dignity the centenary of died of Cézanne with in particular the international exhibition to the Musée Granet: " Cézanne in Provence" June 9th with the September 17th 2006 which gathered nearly 120 works of the Master on the topic of his " expensive Provence ".

Heraldic

Demography

Administration

Mayors of Aix-en-Provence

See also: List of the mayors of Aix-en-Provence

The current mayor of Aix-en-Provence east Maryse Joissains-Masini, since the March 18th 2001.

Administrative divisions

Aix-en-Provence is divided into three cantons:

A new cantonal cutting, in February 2003, was to divide the city into four cantons, but it was cancelled by a decision of the Council of State in January 2004.

Economy

  • electronic Industry
  • Gone from Provence
  • Craft industry of Provence
  • University S
  • Center ENSAM (Arts and Métiers)
  • Tourism
  • Antenna of the Chamber of commerce and of industry Marseilles-Provence.

Equipment or Services

Urban transport

Because of a dense circulation, the downtown area of Aix-en-Provence is regularly saturated. For this reason, an urban and school transport system was conceived and makes it possible 8 million people to travel every year. This network names Aix-in-Bus in the centrehistoique one, the villages and the districts of the city.

Since September 2007, the city also allows the hiring of Bicyclette S in self-service, with the help of an yearly subscription. This system allows the loan of a bicycle for one free half an hour duration. Following half an hour are invoiced 50 centimes the unit. 200 bicycles are thus available on 16 different stations.

Aix also has a SNCF railway station, in the downtown area, as well as a station TGV, with the plate of the Alpine laburnum.

Sports

Aix-en-Provence is especially known for its team of American football, the Argonautes (club more titrated France), of female Basket-ball, the Pays of Aix Basket 13 (former champion of Europe), and its club cyclist, the AVC Aix (winner of the Coupe de France of the Clubs 2001 and 2002), but also has high level clubs in Volley-ball (Aix CPU), and Handball (Aix CPU), Escrime, Taekwondo, Badminton, Squash (the vice world champion is Aixois)…

  • the PARK (Country of Aix Rugby Club) evolves/moves into Federal 1 after two seasons as a Pro D2.

  • celebrates It swimmer Virginie Dedieu (Olympic champion, world champion…) (synchronized swimming) is laid off with the club of Aix.
  • With regard to the Tennis, Aix holds its club emblematic: the Country Club Inhabitant of Aix, club of Arnaud Clément and Severine Debeuf, but of many hopes are also laid off in this club.

Education

The town of Aix-en-Provence is a university town, more than 41.000 students live there. Moreover it has 4 colleges having more than 1000 pupils, as well as many preparatory classes in these colleges.

  • College Georges Duby with international vocation (Luynes)

  • military College of Aix-en-Provence
  • College Paul Cézanne
  • College Emile Zola
  • Vauvenargues College (general and professional)
  • private College of the Nativity
  • private College of the Sacred Heart
  • College Holy-Catherine
  • the private international Center for education and the culture or " CIPEC" (Elementary school) and the International bilingual school off Provence or " I.B.S. off Provence" (Secondary School), all two private establishments on Luynes

Health

Local life

Worship

Environment

Tourist culture and places

The town of Aix-en-Provence aims at obtaining the label town of Art and History. It held before the Ville label of Article.

Religious buildings

  • Church Saint-Jean-of-Malta. The Saint-Jean-of-Malta church, not far from the Mirabeau course, is the first Gothic church of Provence.

  • Cathedral Saint-Saver. Triptych of the Burning bush (retable of king Rene) of Nicolas Wheat; retable of the Legend of saint Miter (XVe S.); tapestries: Life of the Virgin and Jesus (fine of XVe S.)

  • Cloister Saint-Saver: end 12th S. the formed roof is supported by arcades. The twinned posts, the capitals with foliages or historiés give much elegance to construction.

  • Notre-Dame Church of Seds. The current building goes back to 1853 and is the work of the architect inhabitant of Aix Henri Antoine Révoil. This church is built in a style romano - Byzantine.

  • Church of the Holy Spirit. This church was carried out of 1706 to 1728 by the Vallon brothers. The sculptures and decorations were carried out of 1726 to 1728. The marriage of Mirabeau was celebrated in this church.

Civil buildings

  • Place of Albertas

  • Bridge of the Arc (classified historic building), Bridge of Trois-Sautets, etc
  • Many private mansions, of which the Hotel of Estienne-of-Saint-Jean,…

Ways

  • Course Mirabeau: traced at the 17th century, on the ramparts, it has at an end a monumental fountain (1860). At the other end draws up the work of David of Angers (19th century) representing king Rene holding a muscatel bunch of grapes.

Museums and foundations

  • Museum of the Tapestries: collection of the old archbishop's palace. Tapestries carried out in Beauvais with, some according to Bérain and a series of 9 panels of the life of gift Quichotte, 4 other panels carried out according to Leprince.

  • Museum Granet: built into 1671, the priory is transformed into museum in 1838. François Marius Granet bequeaths to it an important collection of paintings and the establishment takes the name of its giver in 1949.
  • Museum of Old-Aix, open in 1933 in the Hotel of Estienne-of-Saint-Jean: collections of costumes, earthenware, puppets, reconstituting the life in Aix under the Old Mode and at the 19th century.
  • Foundation Vasarely, built in 1973 in the fields of the artist Victor Vasarely. Its frontage, succession of immense circles black or white, are characteristic of its work.

Cultural events

Gastronomy

From Aix kitchen is a kitchen of Provence and Mediterranean characterized by the important use of fresh produce: fish, vegetables, fruits:

Aix-en-Provence is famous for its calissons, Confiserie containing paste of almonds aromatized with the melon and the orange crystallized, which is the speciality of the city since the 17th century.

Native celebrities of Aix-en-Provence

See also: List of people born in Aix-en-Provence

13th century

15th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

Personalities related to Aix

Twinnings

Gallery

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