Grimaud
| Grimaud | ||
|---|---|---|
.svg)
|
|
|
| region | Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur | |
| Department | Var | |
| Arrondissement | Draguignan | |
| Canton | Sainte-Maxime | |
| Community association | Golfe de Saint-Tropez | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 16 ' N , 6 ° 31' E | |
| height | 0-503 m | |
| surface | 44.58 km 2 | |
| Residents | 4,541 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 102 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 83310 | |
| INSEE code | 83068 | |
| Website | www.mairie-grimaud.fr | |
 Grimaud Village |
||
Grimaud is a climatic health site and a French municipality with 4541 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Var in the region Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur . It belongs to the canton of Sainte-Maxime in the Arrondissement of Draguignan . It consists of the districts of Grimaud-Village, Port Grimaud , Saint-Pons-les-Mûres and Beauvallon.
geography
Dominated by the ruins of its castle from the 11th century dominates the perched village of the bay of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez , who later called Gulf of Grimaud again during the French Revolution Gulf of Athenopolis and. The place, which for the most part still looks medieval, is located between the main road D588 and the castle complex, at the foot of the heavily wooded Moors massif , which stretches from Hyères and Pierrefeu-du-Var eastwards to Fréjus .
Due to its elevated position, with a view of the pass in La Garde-Freinet that crosses the Maures massif , Grimaud played an important role in the line during the entire Middle Ages and later into the 18th century during the Saracen invasions and also during their occupation the early warning system of the regional villages perchés (places at high altitude, here: Ramatuelle , Gassin , Grimaud, La Garde-Freinet with its so-called Saracen Fort, Le Vieux-Cannet near Le Luc ). Due to its position, the place was of strategic importance in the defense against attacks and incursions of any kind (e.g. pirates, etc.).
The partially restored ruins of the castle offer a view of the surrounding hills of the Maures massif, with its (cork) oak, chestnut and pine forests, as well as the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, on which Port-Grimaud, which belongs to the municipality, is also offered lies.
The place restored with its old streets and fountains. Some houses date back to the 15th and 16th centuries, some have old-style stone walls, others are in the bright pastel colors of Provence. A number of old door frames and lintels are made from large, polished slabs of stone - either black lava or dark green serpentine.
history
Prehistoric finds (menhirs) and numerous traces from Gallo-Roman times testify that the rocky hill of Grimaud was settled very early, but certainly as early as Gallo-Roman times. Grimaud is said to have been the ancient port of Sambracis, because at that time the sea reached far into the now very fertile plain between the rivers Giscle and Garde: 2 m high stones set into the earth have been interpreted during excavations as the landing stage of a Roman port. Many ceramic remains, amphorae and bricks from that time were also found.
With his victory in the Battle of Tourtour in 973, William I, “the liberator” , expelled the Saracens from the Freinet , an area that would today stretch between Saint-Tropez and La Garde-Freinet and between Sainte-Maxime and Cavalaire . He has a Gibelin de Grimaldi at his side, who receives the use of the Grimaud fief in return. Whether this Grimaldi has anything to do with the Princely House of the Grimaldi of Monaco has not been finally clarified, as this noble family has only been attested in Genoa since the 12th century and only at the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 15th century. Gained dominion over Monaco.
Grimaud, mentioned for the first time as Grimal and castrum in a document from the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille around the middle of the 11th century , has replaced an earlier system. This has been expanded again and again from the 12th to the 14th century. During the rule of the families of the Viscounts of Marseilles, the Pontevès, Jean de Cossa and the Castellane family, the abbeys of Saint-Victor, Lérins , Le Thoronet and the Bishop of Fréjus have been partakers of the Grimaud estate over the centuries held the title of marquisate in the 18th century.
As a result of the wars of religion (1562–1598), the castle, which now has the character of a castle, is abandoned and destroyed under Richelieu . A new building follows, of which two towers can still be seen today. During the French Revolution, the facility fell into disrepair. Today it is, like some other buildings, under monument protection ( Monument historique ).
Attractions
- Ruins of Grimaud Castle with the curtain wall up to seven meters high
- Romanesque parish church of Saint-Michel from the end of the 12th century; three-bay ship with half-dome apse; Arched portal. Carrara marble baptismal font from the 12th century; modern windows from 1975
- Penitent's chapel ( Chapelle des Pénitents ) from the end of the 15th century
- Saint-Roch chapel, 17th or 18th century
- Notre-Dame de la Queste, 11th century chapel
- Knights Templar Street ( Rue des Templiers ) with its 15th century arcaded house
- Old village mill ( Moulin Saint-Roch ), functional again since 1990
- Fairy Bridge ( Pont des Fées ), 15./16. Century, below the cemetery. A partially preserved aqueduct led up to the castle via it.
- Monumental fountain, Place Neuve: In 1886, the water from a spring on the plain was pumped up into the village for the first time with the help of a steam engine.
- Folk Art and Tradition Museum. This is located in the buildings of a former oil mill and an old cork factory directly on the D588.
- Multiple art galleries
- Port-Grimaud , a kind of modern Venice , now a tourist attraction, also belongs to the municipality ; this place was built in 1968 by the Alsatian architect François Spoerry in La Foux at the inner end of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez.
economy
The main source of income for the municipality is tourism. Further branches of business are: viticulture (viticulture domains; winegrowers' cooperative: wines with the AOC “ Côtes de Provence ” quality seal ), cork, flowers, beekeeping. Agricultural cooperative. Sand and porphyry extraction.
Forest fires
For centuries there have been devastating forest fires in summer in the parched, pine-covered area near Grimaud.
Celebrations and events
- Wool Festival ( Foire de la Laine ), Ascension Day
- Mill Festival ( Fête du Moulin ), June
- Michael's Festival ( Fete de la Saint-Michel ), September
- Hubertus Festival ( Fête de la Saint-Hubert ), November
- Art exhibition by Les Peintres de Grimaud in the Salle Beausoleil, April and September
- Les Grimaldines music festival , music of the world, in July / August. During the day, mini-concerts, parades, etc. take place in the village, followed by music evenings in the open-air theater at the castle.
- Flea market, ( Brocante ), 1st Sunday of the month. Another flea market takes place every Sunday morning at Jas de Robert (towards Sainte-Maxime).
- Market day ( Place Vieille ), Thursdays
literature
- Jeanne Carmagnolle: Monograph de Grimaud. 1981.
- Bernard Rondeau (ed.): Grimaud, Village Médiéval des Maures. Sainte-Maxime 1997, ISBN 2-9511022-0-8 .
- Philippe Sénec: Provence et Piraterie Sarrazine. Maisonneuve & Larose, 1982.
- Le Guide Vert. Côte d'Azur, Principauté de Monaco. Michelin, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-06-032005-4 .
Web links
- Mairie de Grimaud (French)
- Office de Tourisme de Grimaud (French)
- Aerial video of the castle and town
Individual evidence
- ↑ Allgemeine Geographische Ephemeriden Volume 25, published in 1808, accessed on August 5, 2017.
- ↑ Forest fires: three firefighters burned on the Côte d'Azur FAZ September 2, 2003, accessed on August 5, 2017.
- ↑ Un départ de feu à Grimaud détruit 1.5 hectare Var Matin, July 26, 2017, accessed on August 5, 2017.