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1. Of course of written report y'all could do all of the next or merely register to our cultural scavenger hunt!
2. Take a hold off at this map of the city to receive got a existent thought on how it is built together with organized.
3. Place du Peyrou
On the outskirts of the Ecusson of Montpellier (the mention given to the historic middle because of its shape), the Promenade du Peyrou, set out to incorporate the statue of Louis XIV on horseback, is 1 of the favourite places of the people of Montpellier. The arc de triomphe together with the château d'eau (water tower), extend into the aqueduct together with are models of classical. It was completed inwards 1774, the engagement of Louis XVI's accession to the throne, yesteryear Jean Giral, the architect. The Peyrou esplanade gives a panoramic sentiment of the city, of the ancient arches of a Roman aqueduct, Les Arceaux together with of the surrounding area. Get Google maps directions>
4. Place de la Comedie
Place de la Comédie is Montpellier's primal square.
Also known every bit l'OEuf (the Egg) because of its original oval shape, it is 1 of the largest pedestrian areas inwards Europe.
Standing proud inwards the middle is the statue of the Three Graces, Montpellier's emblematic goddesses.
All to a greater extent than or less you'll reckon street artists, people on the move, together with others taking a leisurely interruption at 1 of the many exterior cafés.
Located inwards the historic metropolis centre, known every bit the Ecusson, the enticing downtown surface area for those who receive got pleasance inwards shopping. Get Google maps directions>
5. The Ecusson (Old town)
The Ecusson district is 1 of the most famous neighbourhoods inwards Montpellier amongst the place de la Comédie representing its focal point.
It's correct inwards the pump of the metropolis together with dates, similar the Opéra Comédie, from the nineteenth century.
The Ecusson district is pedestrianised allowing for pleasant strolls through its pretty squares losing yourself inwards the niggling streets. It's also a non bad shopping area! Get Google maps directions>
6. Antigone neighborhood
The district is built on the grounds of the one-time Joffre Barracks, of which entirely Montpellier's citadel remains. In 1977, Mayor Georges Frêche started the procedure that led to the construction of the district.
The district's architect was the Castilian Ricardo Bofill together with his Taller de Arquitectura. He designed a serial of grand neo-classical structures, enlarging classical motifs such every bit pediments, entablatures together with pilasters to gigantic scale. The district is located betwixt the old centre of Montpellier together with the river Lez. On the contrary side of the river is the Hôtel de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon, some other Bofill design. Together they brand for a unified visual axis 1 kilometre inwards length, nicknamed the Champs-Élysées of Montpellier.
After Antigone, to a greater extent than sites on this side of Montpellier were developed.
The buildings consist by together with large of low-income housing, populace facilities together with local shops.
The Antigone project, on a 36 hectares plot, has been 1 of the largest unmarried developments completed inwards French Republic together with attracted worldwide interest. In 1979, the newly elected municipal council of Montpellier decided to undertake urban evolution together with developea novel district on a site close the metropolis centre. The role of this town-planning functioning was to educate a novel district along a primal axis which would supply for the city's balanced eastward expansion together with link the historical centre to the river Lez. The architect Ricardo Bofill created the original programme together with most of the buildings inwards Antigone. From the pattern of the plazas to the details of the facades together with exterior slice of furniture together with landscape elements, everything is proportionally together with thematically related, creating a stylistic unity inwards a district total of boulevards together with plazas, parks, major residential areas, shops, schools together with sports, cultural together with administrative facilities.
Antigone's projects designed yesteryear Bofill included:
- La Place du Nombre d'Or (288 apartments together with shops)
- Les Echelles de la Ville (offices)
- Les Rives du Lez (landscape pattern of Lez riverbed)
- Headquarter of the Regional regime of Languedoc-Roussillon
- Le Port Juvénal (350 apartments)
- Hotel Mercure (5- star hotel)
- Le Parnasse (100 apartments)
- Le Capitole (apartments together with shops)
- La Tour Europe (offices)
- Les Guinguettes (2 restaurants)
- Olympic Swimming Pool of Montpellier Get Google maps directions>
The city’s proactive policy way that Montpellier finally has the modern museum that donators had hoped for. The museum was latterly renovated together with extended to 9,200 sq. m, allowing over 800 plant to live shown at the same time. In 1779, a few rattling clever people founded the Fine Arts Society inwards Montpellier. But entirely amongst the donation together with legacy of the painter François Xavier Fabre did the establishment move a existent museum boasting Italian together with French plant from the sixteenth, seventeenth together with eighteenth centuries. Antoine Valedau, a wealthy stockbroker, would together with so teach out the museum his fine collection of Flemish together with Dutch paintings inwards 1836. Finally, Alfred Bruyas carried on the tradition together with donated his vast collection of French paintings from the get-go one-half of the nineteenth century. The sculptures are organised to a greater extent than or less move yesteryear Houdon, Pajou together with Germaine Richier.
Get Google maps directions>
8. La Panacée
La Panacée, middle of contemporary culture, volition play host to meetings, exchanges together with hybrids betwixt dissimilar artistic disciplines.
La Panacée volition offering audiences of all ages the hazard to experiment amongst a novel human relationship to art. Somewhere betwixt spectator together with actor, each visitor tin explore the representations together with practices at the pump of contemporary artistic creation.
This novel Montpellier middle of fine art is the latest inwards a string of major fine art centers created inwards Europe over the finally x years, including the CCCB inwards Barcelona, Marres inwards Maastricht, Garage inwards Moscow, together with the Strozzina inwards Florence. These centers position amongst the notion of contemporary civilization every bit a way of championing a thematic approach to social issues together with of de-compartmentalizing fine art audiences.
La Panacée prioritizes move to a greater extent than or less 3 major disciplines together with their interactions:
- Visual arts: photography, fine art video, fine arts, cinema, design, comic strip, graphic design.
- Digital: digital communication techniques, social networks, blogs.
- New written forms: twitter, blogs, SMS, Facebook).
- Technological environments together with the way they transform artistic practise together with our processes of perceiving together with thinking.
- Transformations inwards the materiality of the written word. Support for writing projects on novel platforms that promote the coming together of authors together with artists of dissimilar disciplines.
- A critical sentiment of the fine art system. In the context of monographic or collective exhibitions, La Panacée volition recruit artists together with curators from French Republic together with beyond who inquire tough questions of the fine art system. Focuses volition include notions of authorship together with property, exhibition together with the visitor experience.
- An openness to dynamic fine art scenes abroad. In lodge to do decentralized cooperation betwixt unusual together with local artists. Get Google maps directions>
9. Église Saint-Roch
The Church of Saint Roch was initiated inwards the nineteenth century, replacing some other church building located on this site. It was named inwards laurels of Saint Roch, the patron of the metropolis of Montpellier. Legend has it that he was born inwards this city. The construction of the church building is inwards Neo-Gothic style. The church building has been completely renovated together with today y'all tin admire 2 beautiful stained drinking glass windows taken from some other church, representing St. Paul together with St. Roch, installed at that spot during its renovation. The Church of Saint Roch hosts a pilgrimage ritual every year. Get Google maps directions>
10. Chateau de Flauguergues
Built at the terminate of the 17th century, Flaugergues is 1 of the so-called 'Follies', built inwards the countryside to a greater extent than or less Montpellier. 'Houses inwards the Foliage', they were the trial of a novel lodge of aristocracy, whose wealth came from their service to the King. Planted inwards the pump of rural domains, they are surrounded yesteryear magnificent gardens. They would also move the summertime residences of the rich together with famous of Montpellier during the 18th century.
In 1696 Etienne de Flaugergues, an advisor to the Cour des Comptes (national audit office) inwards Montpellier, bought the estate to which he would give his name. Over the side yesteryear side 45 years he expanded together with embellished the 'House inwards the Fields', giving it its distinctive touches. It would appear that the usage together with organisation of the grounds to a greater extent than or less which Flaugergues was built, its gardens, together with the uncomplicated but well-groomed character of the buildings, served every bit a role model for numerous 'Follies' inwards the area, these mo homes of the Court advisors who wanted to alive comfortably inwards the countryside without beingness also far from the town.
In 1811 Flaugergues became a vacation residence for the Boussairolles, owners of a nearby château. And so handed downward from generation to generation, Flaugergues today bears witness to the way of life of the of import people of Montpellier of the time.
The architecture of the château is impressive, non entirely inwards the buildings but also inwards the overall organisation of space. The exact identity of the architect is unknown, but several theories receive got been position forward. It is probable that betwixt 1696 together with 1730 the refurbishment of the château together with its surroundings was undertaken yesteryear a succession of dissimilar people.
Thanks to the potent relief on which the original position was built, the architect was able to do neighbouring spaces on dissimilar levels, each amongst its ain unique character. Every space, surrounded yesteryear walls, hedges, trees together with balustrades, provokes curiosity to discover the mysteries contained inside the side yesteryear side area.
"…Built inwards the spirit of the 17th century château, amongst a meticulous freestone construction, the position offers a monumental image, surprising for a château which inwards fact reveals itself to live a dwelling of non bad simplicity together with rattling slight depth. With steps leading upward to a broad terrace, the château rises to 3 levels, together with its principal façade facing the gardens displays no fewer than vii bays of windows. The walls are painted amongst a sandy, nigh golden-coloured whitewash. At the centre of the façade is the Doric-inspired entrance, its lateral pilasters supporting an entablature amongst sculpted rose metopes. Once over again inwards the tradition of the 17th century, sober string courses amongst even mouldings emphasize the dissimilar levels. The get-go flooring is designed to live the principal one, amongst its windows embellished amongst dripstones; at either terminate of the façade, the windows opened upward onto wrought atomic number 26 balconies supported yesteryear quinches... At the dorsum the edifice is nigh blind, amongst imitation windows maintaining the symmetry.
The roofs, underlined at the base of operations yesteryear a cornice, are covered inwards traditional Roman tiles. Their crest is marked yesteryear ridge sheathing made of varnished terra cotta inwards the shape of vases, inwards colours of xanthous together with green, together with yesteryear ornamental balls on plinths (these originate from Saint-Jean-de-Fos). The whole construction gives an impression of nobility…" Get Google maps directions>
Carmen is our Montpellier local representative, nosotros asked her what an ideal 24-hour interval of leisure inwards Montpellier could hold off like, what she'd advise doing from early on forenoon to belatedly at night?
Here is what she suggests. Don't hesitate to contact Carmen on Twitter @bigcitychase #Montpellier #questionforCarmen if y'all receive got questions for her, nosotros may position out your conversation inwards this spider web log if she thinks it mightiness live useful to other Montpellier visitors.
Carmen from Montpellier for Big City Chase Montpellier :
"Hello, my mention is Carmen, I am from camargue together with moved to Montpellier metropolis middle 10 years ago
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