Water city
Art city
Map
of Aix (78Ko)
AIX HISTORY
History
Location - access
Patrimony
Fontains (in french)
Museums,
Fondations, sites and spaces cultural
Antique dealer
Famous people of Aix (in french)
Diaporama
ART OF LIFE
Gastronomy
Markets
Specialities
WALKS IN AIX AND PAYS D'AIX
Interactive walks in Aix
Outings and Excursions in the Aix Area
Villages
of Aix country
Mountain Sainte Victoire
CEZANNE
Biography
The Cézanne circuit
Cézanne's Workshop
Granet Museum
RETURN TO
aix-en-provence.com
for more informations aix@ten.fr
© ten.fr
1999
6, rue Gaston de Saporta
13100 Aix-en-Provence
Tél.: 33(0)4 42 17 11 79
History
Aix-en-Provence, a stopping place on the road from Northen France to Italy, draws its origin, its name and, to an extend, its reputation, from its thermal springs. It began as the capital of Provence under the successive rule of he Celts, the Romans, the counts and the Monarchs, until 1790, when it became merely the chief town of the area. It kept however its Court of Appeal (a remainder of the Parliament created in 1501), its University (which has been producing the same execellent standards since 1413), and its Archbishopric which keeps up the metropolitan dignity acquired in the 14th Century.At the present time, Aix has approximately 150000 inhabitants.
As a result of the patronage of its former rulers (and especially of the officials of Parliament and Counts who created an urban setting with town- houses, mansions and castles worthy of their sovereign functions), Aix maintains today a cultural tradition expressed each year by the International Festival of Lyrical Art and Music. The feeling of continuity is due not only to its prestigious past but also to the beautiful scenery which surrounds Aix and which has inspired artists and intellectuals, as indeed it inspired Cézanne.