1.
Communes of France
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The commune is a level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to civil townships incorporated municipalities in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany, the United Kingdom has no exact equivalent, as communes resemble districts in urban areas, but are closer to parishes in rural areas where districts are much larger. Communes are based on historical geographic communities or villages and have received significant powers of governance to manage the populations, the communes are the fourth-level administrative divisions of France. A French commune may be a city of 2.2 million inhabitants like Paris, communes typically are based on pre-existing villages and facilitate local governance. All communes have names, but not all named geographic areas or groups of people residing together are communes, a commune is a town, city, or municipality. Use of commune in English is a habit, and one that might be corrected. There is nothing in commune in French that is different from town in English. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, as of January 2015, there were 36,681 communes in France,36,552 of them in metropolitan France and 129 of them overseas. This is a higher total than that of any other European country. The whole territory of the French Republic is divided into communes and this is unlike some other countries, such as the United States, where unincorporated areas directly governed by a county or a higher authority can be found. There are only a few exceptions, COM of Saint-Martin and it was previously a commune inside the Guadeloupe région. The commune structure was abolished when Saint-Martin became an overseas collectivity on 22 February 2007, COM of Wallis and Futuna, which still is divided according to the three traditional chiefdoms. It was previously a commune inside the Guadeloupe region, the commune structure was abolished when Saint-Barthélemy became an overseas collectivity on 22 February 2007.88 square kilometres. The median area of metropolitan Frances communes at the 1999 census was even smaller, the median area is a better measure of the area of a typical French commune. This median area is smaller than that of most European countries. In Italy, the area of communes is 22 km2, in Belgium it is 40 km2, in Spain it is 35 km2, and in Germany. Switzerland and the Länder of Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia in Germany were the places in Europe where the communes had a smaller median area than in France. The communes of Frances overseas départements such as Réunion and French Guiana are large by French standards and they usually group into the same commune several villages or towns, often with sizeable distances among them
Communes of France
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Road sign marking the end of the village of
Y in the
Somme department of
Picardy
Communes of France
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Map of the 36,569 communes of metropolitan France
Communes of France
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Mittelhausbergen in
Alsace
Communes of France
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Vacqueyras in
Provence, showing double French/
Provençal name
2.
Alpes-Maritimes
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Alpes-Maritimes is a department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region in the extreme southeast corner of France. The inhabitants of the department are called Maralpins, but are referred to as Azuréens. The Alpes-Maritimes department is surrounded by the departments of Var in the southwest, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in the north-west, Italy, and it surrounds the Principality of Monaco on the west, north, and east. The highest point of the department is the Cime du Gélas on the Franco-Italian border which dominates the Vallée des Merveilles further east, in fact the summit of Monte Argentera is certainly higher at 3297 m above sea level but it is located in Italian territory. There is also Mount Mounier which dominates the south of the vast Dôme de Barrot which is formed of a mass of more than 900 m thick red mudstones deeply indented by the gorges of Daluis and Cians. Except in winter, four passes allow passage to the north of the Mercantour/Argentera mountain range whose imposing 62 km long barrier covered in snow which is visible from the coast. From the west the Route des Grandes Alpes enters the Cayolle Pass first on the way to the Alps, then the route follows the Col de la Bonette - the highest pass in Europe at 2715 m - to connect to the valley of the Tinée then the Ubaye. Further east, the Lombard pass above Isola 2000 allows access to the shrine of Saint-Anne de Vinadio in Italy, finally, at its eastern end, the Col de Tende links with Cuneo in Italy. The rivers in order are, It is the climate that made the Côte dAzur famous. The coastal area has a Mediterranean climate, towards the interior, especially in the north, a mountain climate. One of the attractions of the department is its level of sunshine,300 days per year, despite this the department is also the most stormy of France with an average of 70 to 110 thunderstorm days per year. Alpes-Maritimes is divided into 2 arrondissements, the Grasse and the Nice,27 cantons and 163 communes, in 2002 there were 14 intercommunalities. At its greatest extent in AD297, the province reached north to Digne, a first French département of Alpes-Maritimes existed in the same area from 1793 to 1814. Its boundaries differed from those of the department, however. In 1793 Alpes-Maritimes included Monaco and San Remo, but not Grasse which was part of the départment of Var. Sanremo, cantons, Sanremo, Bordighera, Dolceacqua, Pigna, Taggia, Triora, Puget-Théniers, cantons, Puget-Théniers, Beuil, Gilette, Guillaumes, Roquesteron, Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée and Villars-sur-Var. Its population in 1812 was 131,266, and its area was 322,674 hectares, the department was reconstituted in 1860 when the county of Nice was annexed by France. It included the county of Nice as well as the independent towns of Menton and Roquebrune
Alpes-Maritimes
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Nice & Côte d'Azur
Alpes-Maritimes
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Sign welcoming visitors to Alpes-Maritimes.
Alpes-Maritimes
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Belvédère in the Vesubie valley, one of the many villages perched in the Alpes-Maritime.
Alpes-Maritimes
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Geography of the Department of Alpes-Maritimes
3.
Departments of France
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In the administrative divisions of France, the department is one of the three levels of government below the national level, between the administrative regions and the commune. There are 96 departments in metropolitan France and 5 overseas departments, each department is administered by an elected body called a departmental council. From 1800 to April 2015, they were called general councils, the departments were created in 1791 as a rational replacement of Ancien Régime provinces with a view to strengthen national unity, the title department is used to mean a part of a larger whole. Almost all of them were named after geographical features rather than after historical or cultural territories which could have their own loyalties. The earliest known suggestion of it is from 1764 in the writings of dArgenson and they have inspired similar divisions in many countries, some of them former French colonies. Most French departments are assigned a number, the Official Geographical Code. Some overseas departments have a three-digit number, the number is used, for example, in the postal code, and was until recently used for all vehicle registration plates. For example, inhabitants of Loiret might refer to their department as the 45 and this reform project has since been abandoned. The first French territorial departments were proposed in 1665 by Marc-René dArgenson to serve as administrative areas purely for the Ponts et Chaussées infrastructure administration, before the French Revolution, France gained territory gradually through the annexation of a mosaic of independent entities. By the close of the Ancien Régime, it was organised into provinces, during the period of the Revolution, these were dissolved, partly in order to weaken old loyalties. Their boundaries served two purposes, Boundaries were chosen to break up Frances historical regions in an attempt to erase cultural differences, Boundaries were set so that every settlement in the country was within a days ride of the capital of the department. This was a security measure, intended to keep the national territory under close control. This measure was directly inspired by the Great Terror, during which the government had lost control of rural areas far from any centre of government. The old nomenclature was carefully avoided in naming the new departments, most were named after an areas principal river or other physical features. Even Paris was in the department of Seine, the number of departments, initially 83, was increased to 130 by 1809 with the territorial gains of the Republic and of the First French Empire. Following Napoleons defeats in 1814-1815, the Congress of Vienna returned France to its pre-war size, in 1860, France acquired the County of Nice and Savoy, which led to the creation of three new departments. Two were added from the new Savoyard territory, while the department of Alpes-Maritimes was created from Nice, the 89 departments were given numbers based on their alphabetical order. The department of Bas-Rhin and parts of Meurthe, Moselle, Vosges and Haut-Rhin were ceded to the German Empire in 1871, following Frances defeat in the Franco-Prussian War
Departments of France
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Geometrical proposition rejected
Departments of France
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The 101 departments of France
Departments of France
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The three Algerian departments in 1848
4.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
France
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One of the
Lascaux paintings: a horse –
Dordogne, approximately 18,000 BC
France
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Flag
France
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The
Maison Carrée was a temple of the
Gallo-Roman city of Nemausus (present-day
Nîmes) and is one of the best preserved vestiges of the
Roman Empire.
France
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With
Clovis ' conversion to Catholicism in 498, the
Frankish monarchy,
elective and
secular until then, became
hereditary and of
divine right.
5.
Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes
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Aiglun is a French commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region of southeastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aiglenois or Aiglenoises, Aiglun is a remote mountain commune some 40 km north-east of Nice in a straight line. There are only two routes to the commune - the first by Highway D17 from Roquesteron to the east. Heading west on Highway D17 continue left onto Highway D10 which continues via a route into the commune. The other access is the continuation of Highway D10 west from Aiglun over a mountain route to Le Mas. The Estéron river passes through the south of the village. Numerous streams feed into this river in the commune, the northern part of the commune consists of high snow-capped mountains while the southern part is less high mountains. There are few roads however there are four hamlets in the Esteron Valley, Vascogne, Les Lones, Le Colombier, and LEscle. In 1388 the village of Aiglun was under the protection of the House of Savoy like the rest of the region during the Dédition of Nice to Savoy from 1388, at the Treaty of Turin on 24 March 1760, the commune became French. The name of the town appears for the first time in texts around 1200 in the form Ayglezuni and this was derived from the Latin word Aquila, meaning eagle, and the Gallic dunum, meaning height and signifies as a whole the height of the eagle. List of Successive Mayors of Aiglun Mayors from 1942 In 2009 the commune had 91 inhabitants, the evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the town since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held five years. Population Change Sources, Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 The village is known for its steep climbing walls over 200 metres high with high difficulty routes, the Aiglun canyon is also popular for canyoning enthusiasts. Daughter of Joseph Robin, who was mayor of Aiglun in the early 20th century, this French theatre actress died in 1982 at Aiglun and her memory is still alive with the people of Aiglun who knew her and plans are underway to honour her. Sometimes these events are carried out in collaboration with the University of Nice, communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department Yves Bernard, The Tourist and Cultural Directory of the Alpes-Maritimes and Monaco, p
Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes
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A general view of the village
Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes
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The Town Hall
Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes
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The Estéron river
Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes
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Aiglun War Memorial
6.
Amirat
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Amirat is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. This little village is made up of three quarters, The Agots, with the church and the hostel, Amirat village, where the mayors office is located. Maupoil, location of the 16th century Saint Jeannets Chapel, Amirat had the fourth highest percentage of people who voted for Jean-Marie Le Pen of all French communes during the second round of voting in 2002 -59. 26%. The current mayor is Yvon Michel of the UMP, who was elected in 2005, the communes inhabitants are known as Amiratois. A well known Iyengar yoga instructor, Charles Cartmell, is an Amirat resident, Saint Jeannets Chapel, a 16th-century chapel with lovely wooden gate in Maupoil. Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE Official site
Amirat
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The town hall of Amirat
7.
Andon, Alpes-Maritimes
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Andon is a French commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region of southeastern France. Andon is a home for many coastal residents and for people attracted by the peace and beauty of the area. The ski resort of Audibergue is in Andon commune, the Loup has its source nearby. The village is accessible via the D79 which branches west from the D5 road passing through the village, the D2 road also passes through the north of the commune from Valderoure in the west to Greolieres in the east. The No.400 route of the Sillages Transport Association serves the town from Monday to Friday on request and No.410 route, the climate of the region is Alpine with Mediterranean influences. Winters are cold with warm summers and sunny with cool nights, the rest of the year is rather cool with frosts possible from October to May. The site of Andon village has been occupied since 1000 BC, there are traces of the presence of Ligures in an entrenched camp called Castellaras de la Selle dAndon. This site was occupied by the Romans. Milestones have been found indicating the Via Vintiana connecting Séranon to Gréolières with the names of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the procurator Julius Honoratus. There are traces of Roman presence at multiple sites in the commune at, la Selle de Caille, la ferme du château, la Moulière, les Teilles, la Selle dAndon, la Baisse, at Collet de la Serre in the castellaras a small necropolis was found. The ruins of a large Roman tomb have been identified near the priory of Clos de Bourges, the village of Andon succeeded a former village which was perched on the Col de Castellaras and whose remains date to the 13th century. It was abandoned after a fire in the 18th century, the village was then rebuilt at the current location. The Count of Provence gave the lordship of Andon to Romée de Villeneuve in 1230, the lordship then passed to the family of Grasse-Bar, then to Russan then Théas. On the eve of the Revolution it belonged, with Thorenc, to Mr. de Fanton, the death of Queen Joanna I of Naples created a crisis of succession for the head of the County of Provence. The cities of the Union of Aix supported Charles of Duras against Louis I of Anjou, the Lord of Andon, Florent de Castellane, endorsed the Angevins in 1385 after the death of Louis I. Canaux appears in texts in 1251, in 1421, the Countess of Provence gave this lordship to Bertrand de Grasse. The original village was located 1 km to the west, in 1623, the Bishop of Grasse dared not climb to Canaux as we are assured that the road is rough and bad. Thorenc is mentioned in texts from 1200 under the name castrum de Torenc or Torenc, the village was originally a lordship of Grasse, then of Boniface de Castellane before depending the Count of Provence in 1235 who passed it to Romée de Villeneuve
Andon, Alpes-Maritimes
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Town hall
Andon, Alpes-Maritimes
Andon, Alpes-Maritimes
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Victorin Bonhomme Square at the centre of the village and the church
Andon, Alpes-Maritimes
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The ramparts of Castellaras de Thorenc
8.
Antibes
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Antibes is a Mediterranean resort in the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France, on the Côte dAzur between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is in the commune of Antibes and the Sophia Antipolis technology park is northwest of it, traces of occupation dating back to the early Iron Age have been found in the areas of the castle and cathedral. However, most trade was with the Greek world, via the Phocaeans of Marseille, Antipolis was founded by Phocaeans from Massilia. As a Greek colony settlement, it was known as Antipolis from its close to Nice. The exact location of the Greek city is not well known, given Greek colonial practices, it is likely that it was set at the foot of the rock of Antibes in todays old city. Traces of occupation in the Hellenistic period have been identified around the castle, the goods unearthed during these excavations show the dominance of imported products of the Marseilles region, associated with Campanian and indigenous ceramics. Early in the second century BC the Ligurian Deceates and Oxybiens tribes launched repeated attacks against Nikaia, the Greeks of Marseille appealed to Rome as they had already done a few years earlier against the federation of Salyens. In 154 BC the consul Quintus Opimius defeated the Décéates and Oxybiens, Rome gradually increased its hold over the Mediterranean coast. In 43 BC, Antipolis was officially incorporated in the province of Narbonesian Gaul. Antipolis grew into the largest town in the region and an entry point into Gaul. Roman artifacts such as aqueducts, fortified walls. The city was supplied with water by two aqueducts, the Fontvieille aqueduct rises in Biot and eventually joins the coast below the RN7 and the railway track at the Fort Carré. It was discovered and restored in the 18th century by the Chevalier dAguillon for supplying the modern city, the aqueduct called the Bouillide or Clausonnes rises near the town of Valbonne. Monumental remains of aqueduct bridges are located in the neighbourhood of Fugaret, in the forest of Valmasque, like most Roman towns Antipolis possessed these buildings for shows and entertainment. A Roman theatre is attested by the tombstone of the child Septentrion, the inscription says he danced and was popular on the stage of the theatre. The theatre was located, like the amphitheatre, between Rue de la République and Rue de Fersen, near the Porte Royale, the back wall is positioned substantially next to Rue Fourmillère. A radial wall was found on the side of the bus station. A plan of the made in the 16th century is in the Marciana National Library of Venice. The remains of the amphitheatre were still visible at the end of the 17th century during the restructuring of the fortifications of the city, a concentric oval was still visible in many plans of the seventeenth century and in a map of Antibes from the early nineteenth century
Antibes
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View of Antibes by the Mediterranean
Antibes
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Beach in Antibes, as seen from the city's walls.
Antibes
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The rocky beaches of Antibes
Antibes
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Aerial view
9.
Ascros
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Ascros is a French commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region of south-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Ascrossois or Ascrossoises, Ascros is an alpine commune located some 45 km north-west of Nice and 15 km east by south-east of Puget-Théniers. Access to the commune is by the D27 road from Toudon in the south-east passing through the heart of the commune, the D427 road branches off the D27 in the commune and goes south-west to join the D17 road which goes to Sigale in the south. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Rourebel, Les Chats, the commune is very rugged and alpine in nature with large forests. The commune name in Occitan is Als Cros and in Italian Ascroso, many ancient remains have been found in the commune including tombs dating from the Bronze Age and from Antiquity. The village is cited under the name of Castrum de Crocis in 1066 and its current name of Ascros was adopted in 1760. The origin of the name is the Low Latin crosus meaning depression, the current village is located at an altitude of 1,145 metres above sea level in a defensive site. In 1252 Raibaud dAscros, Lord of Ascros or of Crocquio, the commune is a former fief of the barons then the counts of Beuil. They were then summoned to come and explain to the Governor of Nice, on 5 January 1508 in his chateau at Beuil his barber, Esprit Testoris, slit his throat, possibly paid by the Governor of Nice. The County of Beuil then reverted to his brother, Honoré. Honoré I of Beuil, friend of Charles III, Duke of Savoy, was appointed Governor of Nice, in revenge the two brothers laid siege to the chateau of Gilette where the Lord of Les Ferres was but who managed to escape. The Governor of Nice, having seen the troubles that the Duke had made and their father had to seek clemency from the Duke for them, which was obtained by an act of 6 December 1529 after the Paix des Dames or Treaty of Cambrai. Meanwhile, the Lord of Les Ferres retaliated by attacking Rigaud in 1528, rené returned to the county and was murdered in his sleep by one of his servants who was paid by his opponents. Jean-Baptiste then intrigued with France and decided to war against the Duke of Savoy. Jean-Baptiste Grimaldi of Beuil was killed in 1544 at the Battle of Cérisoles fighting for the King of France, the revolt of Annibal Grimaldi brought about his conviction and execution in 1621 and, the chateau was destroyed by order of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy. The fief of Ascros was given to one Galléan then went to the Caissoti family who were Lords of Roubion who also owned the lordship of Toudon, in 1793, during the Battle of Gilette,300 men camped in the village. Apart from the cultivation of cereals, the village also lived on the raising of sheep. Some people also operated small mines and quarries in the late 19th century, during the Second World War the village provided refuge for Jews but a raid led to three arrests
Ascros
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The village of Ascros
Ascros
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View of Ascos coming from Toudon
10.
Aspremont, Alpes-Maritimes
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Aspremont is a French commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region of south-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aspremontois or Aspremontoises, Aspremont is located some 10 km north of Nice and 5 km east of Carros. Access to the commune is by road M414 from Nice in the south, by the M14 road from Saint-Blaise in the north, and by the M719 from Tourrette-Levens in the east. Apart from the village there are the towns of Les Salettes, La Plaine, La Valliere, and La Prairie near the village and Les Templiers, Bassac, Cabanes Bletonnieres, the commune is rugged and heavily forested in the west and east. The Magnan river rises near the village and flows south through the heart of the commune then to the Mediterranean sea in the south-west of Nice, soil and sunshine favoured the cultivation of vines, olives, and fruit trees, particularly fig trees. There was production of wine and olive oil in the county until the end of the 19th century, in 1874 Aspremont had its land area divided to create the new communes of Colomars and Castagniers. List of Successive Mayors In 2010 the commune had 2,187 inhabitants, the evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held five years. Magma, a group, has had a recording studio in the commune since 2010
Aspremont, Alpes-Maritimes
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Aspremont Town Hall
Aspremont, Alpes-Maritimes
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Church of Saint-Jacques le Mejeur
11.
Auribeau-sur-Siagne
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Auribeau-sur-Siagne is a French commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region of south-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Auribélois or Auribéloises, Auribeau-sur-Siagne is a medieval village dating from the 11th century located some 10 km north-west of Cannes and 6 km south-west of Grasse. Perched on a spur, the village overlooks the Siagne river. Access to the commune is by road D9 from Pégomas in the south-east which passes north through the part of the commune. The village, which is in the south of the commune, is accessed by local roads, the commune is served by the Sillages bus network Route 29 that has nine trips per day on weekdays. There are extensive residential areas in the commune with the areas of Le Gabre, Les Vayoux, Le Moulin Vieux, Carel. The rest of the commune is forested with a few patches of farmland. The Siagne river forms the border of the commune with several tributaries flowing south through the commune to join it. Auribeau is one of the hilltop villages in Alpes-Maritimes built to enable the population to protect themselves against external aggressors. The earliest traces of occupation are an Oppidum located at the top of mount Peygros. At Mandelieu a secondary road split off to follow the Siagne up to Auribeau, in an act of 1158, the pope confirmed ownership by the Bishops of Antibes of the fields and tithes of the churches of Auribeau, Pégomas, Notre-Dame-de-Valcluse and Mouans. A text from 1242 reads Auribeau church and castle which indicates that the village existed at that time, the population of the village was decimated in the middle of the 14th century in the wake of war and the Black Plague. The raids by Raymond de Turenne continued to devastate the region until 1399, a text from 1400 describes the place as deserted, castle completely destroyed near the church of Our Lady which is now open to the skies and partially destroyed. In an agreement dated 5 June 1497 the Bishop of Grasse, Jean-André Grimaldi requested the people of the dioceses of Albenga, therefore, the village that we see today dates from the 16th century. The church however, which is located outside the village walls, in the 16th century the Siagne river was navigable between Auribeau and Mandelieu and served as a transportation route. In 1692, commune residents opposed the requisitioning of workers to build the fortifications at Antibes, in 1707, during the War of Spanish Succession, the village was invaded and sacked by the French and Austro-Sardinian armies. In 1720 the Plague of Marseille led to the closure of the village, in 1765 Auribeau had 560 inhabitants. The number of inhabitants at the last census was between 2500 and 3499 so the number of members of the council is 23
Auribeau-sur-Siagne
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View of the village from the Chemin de Pierrenchon
Auribeau-sur-Siagne
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The Town Hall at Auribeau-sur-Siagne
Auribeau-sur-Siagne
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The Old Village
Auribeau-sur-Siagne
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The Altar of the Chapel
12.
Auvare
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Auvare is a French commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region of south-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Auvarois or Auvaroises, Auvare is located some 45 km north-east of Nice and 6 km north-east of Puget-Théniers in the heart of the Alps. Access to the commune is by the D16 road from Puget-Theniers which passes through the far south of the commune and continues, changing its designation to D316, to join the D2202 just south of Daluis. Access to the village in the centre of the commune is by a local road which branches from the D16 in the south of the commune and follows a tortuous. There is also an equally tortuous route going west from the village which eventually meets the D316 west of the commune, apart from the village there is the hamlet of Les Vignes towards the south. The terrain of the commune is alpine and very rugged with no apparent farmland, after the Roman conquest, Augustus organized the Alps into provinces. The territory of the present commune of Auvare was part of the province of Alpes Maritimae which was attached to the civitas of Glanate, in late antiquity the Diocese of Glandevès defined the limits of this civitas. The Roudoule Valley was conquered by the French Revolutionary Army in October 1792, the region was annexed by the decree of 31 January 1793 and confirmed by the Treaty of Paris. The French Revolution was apparently well received since a Liberty Tree was planted and remained until the Restoration of the Savoyard State in 1814, the Savoyards hastened to levy taxes bringing a new upheaval to the Auvare community. List of Successive Mayors Since 1 January 2014 Auvare has been part of the Community of communes of Alpes dAzur and it was previously a member of the Community of communes des vallées dAzur until this disappeared during the implementation of a new departmental plan for inter-communal cooperation. In 2010 the commune had 49 inhabitants, the evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held five years. Population Change Sources, Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 The main economic resource is sheep farming, communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department Yves Bernard, Tourist and Cultural Annual for Alpes-Maritimes and Monaco, p
Auvare
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View of the Village
Auvare
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The church at Auvare
13.
Bairols
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Bairols is a French commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region of south-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Bairolois or Bairoloises, the commune has been awarded two flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom. Bairols is located at an altitude of 830 metres on a ridge some 20 km north of Gilette and 5 km north of Villars-sur-Var. The commune is an alpine commune. The Tinée river forms the border of the commune as it flows south to join the Var. Many tributaries rise in the commune and flow east to join the Tinée including the Vallon du Serre, the Ruisseau de Fava, the Vallon du Bairols, the name Bairolum is cited around 1040. The village was given to Lérins Abbey then became a fief of the Grimaldi. The village was linked to the world by a motorable road in 1939. There were still 257 inhabitants in 1858, list of Successive Mayors In 2010 the commune had 107 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held five years. Population Change Sources, Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 Ruins of a Chateau The Medieval Church of Sainte-Marguerite whose S form is due to the topography, inside there are two frescoes in the choir on the theme of the Baptism of Christ. The church has a painting by Jean Rocca of the Virgin of the Rosary, the church also contains a Group Sculpture on a Processional dais of Saint Marguerite and the Tarasque which is registered as an historical object. Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department Philippe de Beauchamp, The misunderstood High Country, isolated Villages and Hamlets of Alpes-Marities, p.81, éditions Serre, Nice,1989, ISBN 2-86410-131-9, p.159 Bairols on Lion1906 Bairols on the INSEE website INSEE
Bairols
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A general view of the village
Bairols
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The Town Hall
Bairols
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View of the village from the heights
Bairols
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The facade of the Church
14.
Le Bar-sur-Loup
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Le Bar-sur-Loup is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Originally known simply as Le Bar, the commune become known as Le Bar-sur-Loup by a decree dated 27 March 1961 published in the Journal Officiel on 1 April and its inhabitants are known as Aubarnais - Aubarnenc in Occitan - or simply Barois. The commune gets its name from the Loup, a river that runs through it. The Loup flows into the Mediterranean near Villeneuve-Loubet, famous ruins of a viaduct are located in a village near Le Bar-sur-Loup. The viaduct was destroyed by German soldiers who occupied the village during the Second World War, towards the end of the war, the Germans evacuated the village and blew up the viaduct. Later, la Compagnie des Grands Travaux de Marseille ordered the destruction of remaining parts of the viaduct that were close to collapse, on the other hand, pillars that were considered as non-dangerous were left in place, and serve as a reminder of the time for local inhabitants. Church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur The carvings on the door are quite notable, on the inside, one can see an altarpiece painted by Ludovico Brea dating to the 16th century as well as statues from the 17th century. In the back of the church, there is a carving of a danse macabre from the 15th century. Le château des comtes de Grasse A quadrangular building built on vaulted cellars, the castle was sacked in 1792 and sold to the villagers in 1832. Restored, it was divided into apartments and it was the birthplace of François Joseph Paul de Grasse, Comte de Grasse and French naval general, on 13 September 1722. At the entrance to the courtyard before the castle, one can see a square tower. This is the old keep, now a tourist office. Before it was dismantled in 1792 it had seven storeys, a museum has been set up on the first floor which tells the stories of the villages most famous residents. The Chateau de Grasse is now a hotel, during Lent, a count in Le Bar held a party during which all the guests died. A danse macabre was painted to commemorate the divine punishment and it shows Death as an archer, firing arrows at the guests. Ghosts rise from the mouths of the corpses in the form of small, naked people, the ghosts are then sent into the jaws of a monster, representing the entrance to hell. It was the birthplace of 18th-century Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse, Le Bar-sur-Loup has a sister city, Poquoson, Virginia, United States of America. Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE
Le Bar-sur-Loup
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A general view of the village
Le Bar-sur-Loup
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Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur
Le Bar-sur-Loup
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Le château des comtes de Grasse
15.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
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Beautiful place, Occitan, Bèuluec de Mar) is a seaside village on the French Riviera between Nice and Monaco. It is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department and borders the communes of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Èze, the Villa Kerylos is a structure on a low rocky promontory by the sea. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the archeologist Théodore Reinach and is in the style of an ancient Greek villa at the time of Pericles, the Villa was bequeathed to the Institute of France in 1928. It is currently classified as a historical monument, today Beaulieu-sur-Mer is known as a beautiful Mediterranean resort village with quality marina facilities. It is also known as the site of the Villa Kerylos, Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a sister city of Tempe, Arizona. Every year, four French students are paired with four American students and this student exchange is with the Tempe Sister Cities organization, which has been voted Best Overall Sister City Program in both 1998 and 2004. Beaulieu-Sur-Mer served as the town of Beaumont-Sur-Mer in the hit 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
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Beaulieu-sur-Mer, seen from Saint-Hospice
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
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For other uses, see
Beaulieu.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
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View of the port of Beaulieu-sur-Mer
16.
Beausoleil, Alpes-Maritimes
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Beausoleil is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It adjoins the Principality of Monaco, Beausoleil was formerly known as Monte-Carlo-Supérieur. Located on a hillside above the city-state of Monaco, Beausoleil is surrounded by the Tête de Chien and it is urbanistically contiguous with the principality and shares some streets, as the Boulevard de France, the Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc, and the Avenue du Maréchal Foch. The commune is very intertwined on Monaco and it functions to some extent as a bedroom community as many of its residents are employed in Monaco. The main part of the consists of Belle Époque houses with ornate entrances. Interesting attractions within Beausoleil include the Gustave Eiffel covered market, St Josephs Sanctuary, another attraction is its Stade Vanco, a well-appointed sports centre. Given the towns proximity to Monaco, real estate in Beausoleil is usually prohibitively expensive for many, the towns border with Monaco was largely fixed during the 18th century. What is now known as Beausoleil was administered from La Turbie prior to 1904 and this may seem strange since Monacos political parties are more right-leaning. Beausoleil is the home of many Filipino and Portuguese immigrants, communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE Beausoleil official site Official Office of Tourism website
Beausoleil, Alpes-Maritimes
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St. Joseph Church's tower
Beausoleil, Alpes-Maritimes
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Place du Marché (Market Square)
17.
Beuil
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Beuil is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Beuil is a located in the Maritime Alps,78 km away from Nice. It is the gateway to the Mercantour National Park, a stop-off in the Red-rocked Gorges of the Cians and Daluis. The commune is traversed by the Raton River, communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE Official site
Beuil
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A general view of the village, from above
18.
Biot, Alpes-Maritimes
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Biot is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region in southeastern France. It is located near Antibes Juan-les-Pins, between Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet on the top of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean, about 40 kilometers from Monte Carlo, Biot was a pottery centre from the beginning of the 16th century until the 18th century. In the middle of the 20th century, Biot once again famous for its decorative pottery. Biot is well known for its glassblowers and bubble glass products Eloi Monod started the villages glass-blowing tradition, the Fernand Léger museum stands at the foot of the village. European Heart House, the headquarters of the European Society of Cardiology, is located in Sophia Antipolis. Toyota ED2 design center is located here, ED2 leads the design of the future Toyota automobiles in Europe and beyond. Once inhabited by Celts, Biot was conquered by the Roman legion two thousand years ago, which remained there for five hundred years. In 1209 it was a village of Knights Templar who were replaced in 1312 by the Knights of Malta, from 12th to 14th century, remarkable result of original charters from the archives of the Temple, gives us a perfect idea of the castrum and the village of Biot. In 1209, the Count Alfonso II of Provence gives to the Order of the Temple all his possessions in Biot. In January 1308, the Count of Provence Charles II of Naples, obeying the instructions of the Pope Clement V, Knights Templar in front of the pope will surrender. Many families of knights Templar emigrated to parts of Europe. All the assets of the Knights Templar are delivered to the Order of Saint John, in 1387 the town was destroyed by the war. In 1470 Biotti was repopulated with 50 families emigrated from western Liguria, even today many residents speak a language unique in the world, the variant Biot of Figun. Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department Official website Virtual visit of the old village with fullscreen panoramas Fernand Léger Museum INSEE
Biot, Alpes-Maritimes
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The Place des Arcades Biot, in Biot
19.
Breil-sur-Roya
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Breil-sur-Roya is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Breil-sur-Roya is one of the towns on the route of the Train des Merveilles which runs between Nice and Cuneo in Italy, the GR52, part of the French Grande Randonnée walking trail network links the town to Gorges de Saorge and Vallon de Zouayne. Breil-sur-Roya is particularly known for trout fishing, the Roya river runs through town and is open to trout anglers from March to September. Part of the run is reserved for fly-fishing. Trout anglers share the river with rafters, another popular local sport, breil-sur-Roya is twinned with, Borgo San Dalmazzo, Italy Aléria, France Roya River Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE
Breil-sur-Roya
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The tower of Cruella, in Breil-sur-Roya
20.
La Brigue
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La Brigue is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. La Brigue became part of France after World War II, when Italy was forced to hand it over in September 1947 under the terms of the Peace of Paris, before the hand over, it was part of the Province of Cuneo. The transfer, which was not unopposed in the village, was endorsed by a local plebiscite which took place on 12 October 1947 and was subject to international supervision. The Shrine of Our Lady of the Fountains is the home to a huge 15th-century painting by the painter Giovanni Piemontese Canavesio, the village is situated along the long-distance hiking trail GR52A. Another attraction for sports enthusiasts is a nearby via ferrata of medium difficulty which ascends about 250 metres above the village. La Brigue is twinned with, Triora, Italy Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE
La Brigue
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A view of the dry riverbed of the Rio Sec in La Brigue
21.
Le Broc, Alpes-Maritimes
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Le Broc is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Fishing Le Broc consists of the river Var and the lake of Broc, fishing is a popular activity in this man made lake however a license is required. A fishing license can be obtained in most tourist offices and local fishing clubs or shops, the main species of fish in the lake consist of, bleak, roach, perch, and mirror carp. Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE street map
Le Broc, Alpes-Maritimes
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A general view of Le Broc
22.
Cagnes-sur-Mer
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It is also home to the only horse hippodrome in the French Riviera, which draws people from all over for its horse races. It is the largest extension to the city of Nice and lies to the west-southwest of it and it was the retreat and final address of the painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who moved there in 1907 in an attempt to improve his arthritis, and remained until his death in 1919. In the late 1920s, Cagnes-sur-Mer became a residence for many American renowned literary and art figures, such as Kay Boyle, George Antheil and Harry, parisian artist, poet, and philosopher Georges Charaire had a home In Cagnes for many years. Creating his lithographs in the studio of Paul Gaugin, and also as a co-founder of the Theatre du Tertre in Montmartre, he had a great influence on French art. He helped his friend Eugène Ionesco with his first plays at the Theatre du Tertre, Charaire kept his second home in Cagnes sur Mer until his death in 2001. nt Belarusian-French artist Chaim Soutine created powerful, fanciful landscapes of southern France. A friend of Amedeo Modigliani, Soutine left colourful landscapes from Cagnes from 1924 on, fauvist painter Francisco Iturrino also resided in the town where he died. The town may have been an inspiration for Neo-impressionist Henri-Edmond Cross and it is also known for its horse racing venue, the Hippodrome de la Côte dAzur, and a four-kilometre pebble beach. The Gare de Cagnes-sur-Mer railway station offers services in the directions of Nice. The commune is twinned with, Passau Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE Official website Official tourism website The Weather in Cagnes Sur Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer
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The old village of Haut-de-Cagnes as seen from the château
Cagnes-sur-Mer
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Cros-de-Cagnes
Cagnes-sur-Mer
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Landscape near Cagnes, by
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Cagnes-sur-Mer
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Red Square,
winner of the
Grand Prix de la Ville de Nice (1974)
23.
Caille, Alpes-Maritimes
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Caille is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Caille is built on an outcrop in a glacial peneplain. Near to Bauroux, one of the summits of the Alps. Caille is constructed on an East-West axis along a main street. Caille was an agrarian town and although the population of farmers has halved in the last 30 years, cereal crops, sheep. Recently, there has been a drive towards tourism and the village features gîtes, mountain biking courses, a playground, a ski slope. Caille takes its name from the Indo-European root word Cal, meaning a place overlooking a rock, Caille is also the French word for quail, and the local church, rectory and town hall all feature carvings of quails. Although there was a presence in the Caille region in antiquity. Two large families were recorded in the region, De Castellane, from the 17th to 18th century, the ruling family of Caille were Théas. In January 1790, the National Constituent Assembly created the department of Caille, on the 6th of November 1801, when the number of Cantons was reduced, it was included in the canton of St. Auban. Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department INSEE Official site
Caille, Alpes-Maritimes
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A general view of Caille
24.
Cannes
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Cannes is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune of France located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, the city is known for its association with the rich and famous, its luxury hotels and restaurants, and for several conferences. On 3 November 2011 it also played host to the G20 organisation of industrialised nations, by the 2nd century BC, the Ligurian Oxybii established a settlement here known as Aegitna. Historians are unsure what the name means, the area was a fishing village used as a port of call between the Lérins Islands. In 69 AD, it became the scene of violent conflict between the troops of Otho and Vitellius, in the 10th century, the town was known as Canua. The name may derive from canna, a reed, Canua was probably the site of a small Ligurian port, and later a Roman outpost on Le Suquet hill, suggested by Roman tombs discovered here. Le Suquet housed an 11th-century tower which overlooked swamps where the city now stands, most of the ancient activity, especially protection, was on the Lérins Islands and the history of Cannes is closely tied to the history of the islands. An attack by the Saracens in 891, who remained until the end of the 10th century, the insecurity of the Lérins islands forced the monks to settle on the mainland, at the Suquet. Construction of a castle in 1035 fortified the city by then known as Cannes, one took a century to build. Around 1530, Cannes detached from the monks who had controlled the city for hundreds of years, during the 18th century, both the Spanish and British tried to gain control of the Lérins Islands but were chased away by the French. The islands were controlled by many, such as Jean-Honoré Alziary. They had many different purposes, at the end of the 19th century, henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux bought land at the Croix des Gardes and constructed the villa Eleonore-Louise. His work to improve living conditions attracted the English aristocracy, who built winter residences. At the end of the 19th century, several railways were completed, in Cannes, projects such as the Boulevard Carnot and the rue dAntibes were carried out. After the closure of the Casino des Fleurs, an establishment was built for the rich winter clientele. This casino was demolished and replaced by the new Palace in 1979, in the 20th century, new luxury hotels such as the Carlton, Majestic, Martinez, and JW Marriott Cannes were built. The city was modernised with a centre, a post office. There were fewer British and German tourists after the First World War, winter tourism gave way to summer tourism and the summer casino at the Palm Beach was constructed
Cannes
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The
Promenade de la Croisette and the port
Cannes
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Cannes seen from Spot Satellite
Cannes
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Panorama of the waterfront
Cannes
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Boulevard de la Croisette along the waterfront.
