Magnificent Montpellier
05.11.2024
24 °C
As we stand in the central square of Montpellier in front of the Le Comedie Opera House, we wonder if we have taken the wrong train and ended up in Paris by mistake…
The elegant facades of the 17th and 18th century buildings of Montpellier surround squares and boulevards that make up the largest traffic-free city area in Europe. Only trams, bicycles and, (annoyingly), electric scooters, are allowed in most areas. Sleek electric trams run silently through the main streets and pop in and out of tunnels…
Montpellier was a major Aragon city until it was sold to France in 1349. Its university was founded in 1220 and a quarter of its population today are students. We benefitted from this fact as all the delightful young women working in our hotel are studying for careers in tourism and hotel management and were keen to show off their skills. While tourism is important today, the university’s medical faculty is one of the oldest in the world and its buildings were once the cloisters of the Monastery attached to the Gothic cathedral…
Like many Medieval and earlier buildings, the cathedral and cloisters have been rebuilt and remodelled several times following wars and general decay. For example: this Arc de Triomphe was built in 1692 to replace an earlier one…
…and the “Romanesque’ aqueduct that brought water to the city from a spring 14 kilometres away, was actually built in the 1750s…
Many of the buildings of Montpellier have older bones hidden beneath elegant stucco facelifts and it is very difficult to tell what is ancient or modern. King Louis XIII was responsible for much of Montpellier’s elegance in the 17th century and his son, Louis XIV, decreed that no buildings should overshadow his father's legacy. This is Louis XIV…
While Louis’ decree was religiously observed, an entire area of the city known as Antigone was constructed in the 1990s and its architecture reflects a much earlier period…
But enough history for this trip. Montpellier is a beautiful city that also has some award-winning modern architecture that may appear out of place in the seemingly ancient city…
In the end, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While there are many great fountains in the squares of Montpellier, we found this one to be the particularly amusing…
Our Tour de France is now coming to an end and family awaits us in England. However, unlike the cyclists of the Tour de France, we won’t make it to Paris this time. But we will be back. Drawn by the history; the food; the sun; the wonderfully kind and helpful young French people; and the fabulous scenery glimpsed through the avenues of plane trees that are so much a part of the south of France...
À bientôt for now.
Loved the fountain and unusual building. So curious! The earlier architectural buildings beautiful. Love the fact checking. Adds to the ongoing story.
by Sue Fitzwilson