Nimes Attractions

Nîmes, which has the greatest wealth of ancient buildings in France, is strictly speaking not part of Provence, but is described here, as it is one of the principal attractions in this region.

The town is attractively situated in the foothills of the Cévennes, to the northwest of the Rhône Delta between Avignon and Montpellier. It is the capital of the département of Gard, a diocesan town and the birthplace of the writer Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897). Nîmes has an important textile industry (in particular, silk; the name "denim" used for jeans material comes from the words "de Nîmes").

The old Nemausus was the capital of the Volcae Arecomici, who had built their town around a spring, the spirit of which was worshipped under the name Nemausus. In 121 BC Nemausus submitted to the Romans and soon became one of the most important towns in Gaul, situated on the main route between Italy and Spain. The old buildings and extensive town walls bear witness to its eminence.

In the Middle Ages until 1185 Nîmes had its own viscount and then passed to the Counts of Toulouse. In the 16th century, since three-quarters of its inhabitants were Calvinist, the town suffered greatly during the Wars of Religion, and again in 1704 at the time of the uprising in the Cévennes. From the middle of the 18th century the inexpensive "Indiennes" material was produced on a large scale in the town, initially by hand, and then machine-printed, and this was to ensure Nîmes' prosperity. Today the town has had to yield importance to Montpellier as an economic and administrative center.

In the last few years extensive renovation work has been carried out, in particular in the Old Town. In addition, modern architecture has made its appearance in Nîmes. Raysse designed the Fontaine au Crocodile (the town coat of arms of Nîmes shows a crocodile tied to a palm-tree) on the Place du Marché, while Starck designed the Abribus (bus-stop), including the seats and lighting, in the Avenue Carnot. On the Esplanade a shopping center by Valle has been opened, Foster is building a museum for contemporary art, while the roofing of the amphitheater was produced by Michelin and Geipel. Those buildings planned, or already under construction, by such architects as Hendricks, Gregotti, Kurokawa, Balladur and Nouvel will turn Nîmes into a favored destination for lovers of architecture.