Fréjus

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Fréjus
Coat of arms of Fréjus
Fréjus (France)
Fréjus
region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
Department Var
Arrondissement Draguignan
Canton Fréjus (main town)
Saint-Raphaël
Community association Var Estérel Méditerranée
Coordinates 43 ° 26 '  N , 6 ° 44'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 26 '  N , 6 ° 44'  E
height 0-616 m
surface 102.27 km 2
Residents 52,672 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 515 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 83600
INSEE code 83061
Website www.ville-frejus.fr

Town hall of Fréjus
Harbor with a view of Fréjus

Fréjus is a town with 52,672 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in southeast France and is located on the Mediterranean coast northeast of the common confluence of the Argens and Reyran . Fréjus is the largest municipality in the east of the department Var in the region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur . It is the capital of the canton of Fréjus and part of the canton of Saint-Raphaël in the Arrondissement of Draguignan .

history

In ancient times, Fréjus was the chief town of the Oxibians . Later Phocaeans from Marseilles founded a city here, the name of which is not known. Caesar arranged for the port to be enlarged and a market to be created, which was then called the Forum Julii . The name of the market finally became the place name, which has been rubbed off to this day.

The Emperor Augustus increased the importance of the place when he set up the Colonia Octaviorum for the veterans of Legio VIII Augusta and enlarged the port again (according to Strabon as navale Caesaris Augusti ). The buildings that are still partially preserved today also date from this period: amphitheater , aqueduct , lighthouse , thermal baths, etc.

When the port was silted up, the city fell, the Roman old town of which was largely destroyed during an invasion of the Saracens in 940.

Fréjus' resurgence began a few decades later under the direction of the city's bishops (the diocese had existed since the end of the 4th century); a pirate raid in 1475 led to further destruction of the city.

In the course of the wars that raged for 25 years between the French King Francis I and the Emperor Charles V (who was also King of Spain ), the latter made a triumphant entry into the city, which he renamed Charleville on the occasion and raised to the duchy.

During the Second World War , after the German occupation of southern France , several internment camps were set up in Fréjus , to which the inhabitants were deported after the port area of Marseille was cleared in January 1943.

On December 2, 1959, Fréjus was hit by a disaster when the Barrage de Malpasset dam broke. The flood left over 400 dead.

The world's largest biker festival has been held in Frejus since 1983. Mountain bikers from all over the world meet there for competitions ranging from classic mountain bike marathons and triathlons to enduro, tandem and kid-roc races in the Roc d'Azur .

Past mayors of the city include André Léotard (1959–1971) and his son François Léotard (1977–1997). In the 2014 local elections, David Rachline won the first time in the history of Fréjus, a candidate for the right-wing nationalist Front National (FN).

coat of arms

Description of the coat of arms : A continuous white cross in red under a blue shield head with three golden lilies arranged in bars .

administration

Fréjus is connected to the neighboring town of Saint-Raphaël in a communauté d'agglomération .

Attractions

  • From Roman times: harbor, arena (amphitheater), theater, aqueduct etc.
  • Cathedral district with Romanesque Saint-Léonce cathedral , baptistery (baptistery) and cloister: the complex dates from the 11th and 14th centuries, but the baptistery itself dates back to the 5th century.
  • Natural park of about 40 hectares by the sea, the former airport from which the first Mediterranean flight started in 1913: from Fréjus to Bizerta ( Tunisia ) by the plane Roland Garros .
  • Chinese pagoda and Sudanese mosque
  • Bullfighting (banned since 2011)
  • Museum of the French Navy troops

  • Cloister of the Saint-Léonce cathedral

  • Ruins of the Roman aqueduct

  • South facade of the Aurélien Castle

  • François Léotard beach

  • Missiri Mosque

arena

Ruins of the Roman arena

This monument, built in the 1st century BC BC, could accommodate around 10,000 spectators. It is 114 meters long and 82 meters wide, the central arena measures 68 by 39 meters. Its exterior is made up of small regular blocks ( opus vittatum ) of green sandstone from the old quarry of La Baume on the route to Bagnols-en-Forêt . Like all amphitheaters in the Roman Empire, it was built to host gladiatorial fights and animal baiting with wild animals imported from Africa .

Access to the three terraces ( cavea ) was through the arched passages ( vomitoria ), with the exception of the northern area of ​​the amphitheater, which was carved directly into the rock. In bad weather or very hot weather, the cavea could be protected by large adjustable sails ( velum ) that were attached to posts with ropes set into the stone at the top of the building.

In the middle of the arena is a cross-shaped, not openly visible pit from which the gladiators and animals, but also the equipment, were brought into the arena with the help of a system of trap doors and other mechanisms.

Town twinning

Personalities

Web links

Commons : Fréjus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Roc d'Azur
  2. ↑ Result of the runoff elections of March 30, 2014 ( Memento of the original of April 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on March 31, 2014 (French)  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ville-frejus.fr