Porto-Vecchio

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Porto-Vecchio
Portivechju
Coat of arms of Porto-Vecchio
Porto-Vecchio (France)
Porto-Vecchio
region Corsica
Department Corse-du-Sud
Arrondissement Sartène
Canton Bavella (main town)
Grand Sud (main town)
Community association South Corse
Coordinates 41 ° 35 '  N , 9 ° 17'  E Coordinates: 41 ° 35 '  N , 9 ° 17'  E
height 0-1,316 m
surface 168.65 km 2
Residents 12,042 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 71 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 20137
INSEE code 2A247
Website http://www.porto-vecchio.fr/

Porto-Vecchio port

Porto-Vecchio (pronunciation: [pɔrtɔvɛkjɔ]) ( Corsican : Portivechju or Portuvechju ) - formerly also written as Porto Vecchio ( Italian for old port ) - is a French municipality with 12,042 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in Corsica . It belongs to the Corse-du-Sud department and the Sartène arrondissement . Porto-Vecchio is the capital of the Grand Sud canton . In Roman times the place was called Portus Syracusinus and in Genoese times Ventimiglia la nova .

Porto-Vecchio is located in the center of a basin landscape, at the end of the widely branched river catchment area of ​​the Stabiacciu . The Gulf of Porto-Vecchio of the same name is 8 km long and 1.5 to 2.5 km wide.

To the north of Porto-Vecchio lies the L'Ospédale forest area .

history

View from the Torre de Ceccia on the old town of Porto-Vecchio
The marina of Porto-Vecchio with the old town in the background

The Genoese bank of St. George , also called Casa di San Giorgio , was the first public bank in Europe and owned the island. She wanted to fortify her property (the island of Corsica) and in 1539 built a fortress in the south after Bonifacio , Bastia , Saint-Florent , Ajaccio and Calvi . The location was chosen with care, as the bastion was not visible from the sea due to the mountain in front of the southern peninsula. However, from the outset the city did not have the characteristic features of the other Genoese city foundations in Corsica. It was limited to four bastions, three of which are still preserved today. These were inserted into the fortress walls. Otherwise there was only one palace for the Genoese colonel.

The Corsican mercenary leader Sampiero Corso , who fought for the Medicis from Florence , Pope Clement VII and above all for the French King Francis I , decided in 1564 to liberate Corsica from the Genoese single-handedly and conquered the city on July 30, 1564 He could not look forward to his victory for long. The fleet of King Philip II of Spain under the command of the Genoese Stefano Doria was switched on, and so he had to surrender on November 26th. On January 17, 1567, he was killed in an ambush set up by his wife's cousins ​​after he had stabbed his wife to death in 1563 for attempting to flee to Genoa.

For a long time, not much happened in Porto-Vecchio. Malaria constantly tortured and decimated residents. During the First World War, numerous farm boys had to go to the Marne Front. Porto-Vecchio and the island of Corsica were spared from the Second World War for a long time, as the status of the island was unclear. Hitler wanted a new order only after a peace treaty with France. But when Hitler ordered the occupation of southern France in November 1942 under the code word " Anton ", Mussolini saw his chance and on November 11, 1942 occupied the island of Corsica with 80,000 soldiers from the VII Corps of the Italian Army. Previously, on June 16, 1940, the Italian Air Force had already deployed Caprone u. a. bombed the train station and some school buildings, but no people were harmed. After the collapse of the German-Italian troops in Africa, especially in Tunisia , the remnants of the 90th Panzer Grenadier Division withdrew to mainland Italy via Sicily , Sardinia and Corsica, where they formed the so-called Gothic Line . In September Italy signed an armistice with the allies already in Sicily and in front of Naples. The Germans began to evacuate Corsica on September 12, 1943 and formed a remaining landing head in Bastia by October 3, 1943. Up until the end there were still losing fights on both sides. On October 4, 1943, all of the approximately 30,000 German soldiers had evacuated the island.

The American Air Force successfully fought the malaria mosquito Anopheles from the air as early as 1944 , thus making subsequent tourism possible.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2016
Residents 4494 5148 7510 8095 9307 10,326 9484 11,813
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Historical buildings

Parts of the old city fortifications and the Bastion de France are still preserved from the time of Genoa's rule. From the old city gate (Porte Génoise) you have a wide view over the harbor and the entire gulf.

economy

Town Hall ( Hôtel de ville )
Gulf of Porto-Vecchio as seen from L'Ospédale

Today Porto-Vecchio is the third largest port in Corsica. Ferry and cruise ships moor here. The ferry connections with Marseille and Palau (Sardinia), which are offered several times a week, should be mentioned in particular . At the mouth of the Stabiacciu there are salt marshes and a sandy beach.

health

The occurrence of schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis) in Corsica has been proven with certainty since 2011 . This affects locals and tourists who have had contact with the water of the Cavu / Cavo river near the village of Sainte-Lucie-de-Porto-Vecchio (north of Porto-Vecchio). Cases have been diagnosed in tourists from France , Germany and Austria .

Northern beaches of Porto-Vecchio

Southern beaches of Porto-Vecchio

Palombaggia beach

Personalities

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robert Koch Institute : Schistosomiasis: Increase in cases of illness among travelers to South Corsica . In: Epidemiological Bulletin . No. 20, 2014. Short message from the RKI on the occurrence of schistosomes in southern Corsica from May 19, 2014, last accessed on June 17, 2014.
  2. ↑ Marton Szell: Schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis) on Corsica . On: dietropenordination.at of July 11, 2014, last accessed on July 17, 2014.

Web links

Commons : Porto-Vecchio  - collection of images, videos and audio files