 |
|
|
AIX HISTORICAL GUIDE
Coveted for its privileged position between Spain and Italy, Aix, city of water, has continued to sparkle throughout the centuries. Its elegant way of life as well as its cultural treasures have survived despite the conflicts and the large-scale industrialization that threatened it. Spa town, University town, cultural town, judicial and economic center, all of these labels fit Aix-en-Provence today.
At 370m above sea level, the fortified village of Entremont (known today as Oppidum d'Entremont, an archaeological site located 3kms north of Aix), was the capital town for a mixture of Celtic Salyens and native Ligurians in 123 BC. At this time it also commanded the intersection of Provence’s two principal roads: the Spain-Italy axis and the passage from the Mediterranean coast to the Alps. After the siege, capture and destruction of this Celtic-Ligurian town, the Roman proconsul, Caïus Sextius Calvinus, founded "Aquae Sextiae Salluviorum" in 122 BC, thus christened because of the abundance of hot and cold water springs in the region.
Because of its privileged location between Italy and Spain, the city flourished both in urban development and as a spa town. City walls with colossal gates, theaters, amphitheaters and sumptuous villas were built.
Having become the administrative capital of Narbonnaise Seconde around 275, (a small province in the Alpes-Maritimes), an invasion in 474 by Germanic barbarians dealt it a fatal blow. There followed a long period of repression by various invaders: the Ostrogoths succeeding the Zisigoths, the Francs who came in 536, followed by the Lombards, the Saxons and the Saracens.
The town’s rebirth was thanks to the Count of Provence, Guillaume II -also known as the Liberator- who stopped the Saracen invaders from the East in 972. At this time Provence began to free itself from the distant rule of the Kingdom of Burgundy, in favor of the counts and marquises who were descendants of Guillaume II.
The city’s cultural influence continued to blossom under the reign of the Angevine princes (descendants of Guillaume II), Louis I d’Anjou, then Louis II, founder of the University, and the “Good King René in 1472. His court attracted artists and intellectuals from all over Europe, and the city became a center of artistic creation and home to famous sculptors such as Guiramand and painters like Nicolas Froment. This famous Pygmalion witnessed the end of Provence’s independence, which became French in 1481, when Charles III, then Count of Provence, bequeathed it to King Louis XI. Governor Palamède, representing the King of France, established himself in the heart of the city.
In the 16th and 17th centuries life in Aix boomed, in spite of a succession of imperial wars (1524 - 1529 - 1536) between François the 1st (king of France) and Emperor Charles-Quint for the supremacy of Provence and its coast. A carriageway linking the old town to the new Mazarin district was built in 1651; today this is the elegant Cours Mirabeau. The wealthy built splendid mansions, and fountains were erected on important squares, contributing to the city's current sophistication. Architects of the era such as J.C.Rambot privileged curved shapes, symbols of grace and femininity, over the straight and severe lines of the baroque style. The famous Fontaine des Quatre-Dauphins erected in 1667 on the square of the same name is a fine example of this: it brings together the cardo representing the North-South axis and the decumanus, the East-West axis, with four dolphins "singing" the virtues of natural spring water towards the points of the compass. 1789 saw the French Revolution and the abolition of privileges. "The Florence of Provence" lost some of its prestige but above all it lost its status as capital of the region in favor of Marseilles, a coarse and vulgar apology for a city in the eyes of the established aristocracy.
Aix then became a "sleeping beauty" in the wake of symbolic monuments such as the Fontaine de la Rotonde (built in 1860), the Palais de Justice (1831) and the Fontaine du Roi René (1832). The industrial revolution passed the city by, but confirmed its cultural and artistic vocations that are still alive today. Universities were constructed including the Faculties of Law and Arts, and the elite grandes écoles such as the Ecole Normale and the Ecole Nationale des Arts et Métiers. In 1839 Aix witnessed the birth of one of her most famous children, Cézanne, painter of the awesome Montagne Ste-Victoire. Great names from the world of literature (e.g. Zola and Mistral) came and stayed -so long that they wore out the armchairs of the famous Deux Garçons brasserie seeking inspiration.
The 20th century saw strong demographic growth: 54,000 inhabitants in 1954 and nearly 135,000 today. The creation of new districts such as Jas de Bouffan and Encagnane, and the institution of large urban projects such as Sextius-Mirabeau actively contribute to the well-being of its people, a concept closely linked to the image of the city. The inauguration, in spring 2000, of a prestigious health spa, has promoted thalassotherapy tourism. On a cultural level, Aix’s Festival d'Art Lyrique has attracted music lovers from all over the world since 1948. This takes place in the renovated Archevêché. Aix is also a university town, with a large student population. The creation of France’s second most important Court of Appeal, on the site of the former prison and right by the Palais de Justice, has consolidated its position as an important player in the field of the law. Lastly, the 21st century has seen the development of economic zones on the periphery of the town that provide jobs and growth for the fabric industry.
|
|
|
|
|
Download a custom event guide for Aix-en-Provence to your iPod!
Interested in writing content for Wcities?
