Salon-de-Provence

French commune
nomcommune=Salon-de-Provence


région=Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
département=Bouches-du-Rhône
arrondissement=Aix-en-Provence
canton=Salon-de-Provence
insee=13103
cp=13300
maire=Michel Tonon
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Salon–Étang de Berre–Durance]
longitude=5.09722222222
latitude=43.6405555556
alt moy=
alt mini=
alt maxi=
hectares=7030
km²=70.3
sans=37,129
date-sans=1999
dens=528.15
date-dens=1999

Salon-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is the location of an important air base.

History

Salon was a Gallo-Roman oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, hence its name. This region was under the Phocaean influence since the sixth century BCE, and stretches of the Via Aurelia can still be recognized just outside the town, but the earliest mention of the place under its familiar name is of the ninth century, as "Villa Salone". The archbishops of Arles controlled the site.

Its principal claim to fame today is as the place where Nostradamus spent his last years and is buried. His dwelling is maintained as a museum, and for four days every June or July, the city celebrates its history during the time of Nostradamus, attracting tourists.

The historic center still lies within its circuit of walls, entered through two seventeenth-century gateways, the "Porte de l'Horloge" and the "Port Bourg Neuf". In the sixteenth century Adam de Craponne built the canal that still bears his name; inexpensive freight brought commerce to Salon, and the town prospered.

ights

Château de l'Emperi

The castle, which was the biggest in Provence during the 12th and 13th centuries and was mentioned as early as the tenth, still dominates the old town. It was the preferred residence of the bishops of Arles, when Provence was part of the Holy Roman Empire, hence its name. It became the property of the city after the French Revolution. After damage caused by the 1909 earthquake, it has been restored and now hosts a museum of military history. Every summer, it hosts an international classical music festival.

Fontaine Moussue

This fountain in Place Crousillat has existed since the 16th century. During the 20th century, limestone concretions and vegetation developed, giving the familiar mushroom aspect.

St Michel Chapel

Built during 13th century, this chapel boasts a remarkable Romanesque tympanum featuring the paschal lamb.

Salon-de-Provence Air Base

Salon-de-Provence Air Base is the site of the French Air Force Academy, as well as the home of the French Aerial Demonstration team, the Patrouille de France.

Jardin de la République

Market

Every Wednesday the Place Morgan is host to a Provençal market.

Famous residents

* Nostradamus
* Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet, French botanist and explorer
* Joan Montseny, Catalan anarchist
* Christine Boisson, French actor
* Franck Esposito French swimmer
* Daniel Goossens Cartoonist
* Stationed in Salon-de-Provence for military reasons:
** Romain Gary, French novelist and pilot
** Charles Trenet, French singer
** Patrick Baudry and Léopold Eyharts, French astronauts

ister cities

*Wertheim am Main, Germany
*Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
*Gubbio, Italy
*Szentendre, Hungary

ee also

*Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department

References

"Based on the article in the French Wikipedia."

External links

* [http://www.salon-de-provence.fr/ Official website]
* [http://www.festival-salon.fr/ International Salon-de-Provence Music Festival : 'Musique à l'Emperi']
* [http://www.camping-nostradamus.com]