Saint-Pierre-la-Mer
Saint-Pierre-la-Mer , also Saint-Pierre-sur-Mer , is a seaside resort in France on the Mediterranean Sea . It is part of the commune of Fleury in the Aude department of the Occitania region .
geography
St-Pierre-la-Mer is the seaside resort of the historic wine-growing community of Fleury, which still includes Cabanes-de-Fleury, the old fishing village at the mouth of the Aude . Fleury is about the same distance from the cities of Narbonne and Béziers and the A9 “La Languedocienne” motorway touches the town to the north.
The sand-colored houses of St-Pierre-la-Mer stretch on the slope of the coastal mountain range La Clape between the beach, the Regional Nature Park Narbonnaise en Méditerranée and extensive vineyards northeast of the seaside resort of the city of Narbonne , Narbonne-Plage.
climate
Languedoc-Roussillon is characterized by the balanced Mediterranean climate , which means both warm spring and hot summer as well as mild autumn and winter. In spring and autumn, a strong inland wind often blows over the coastal mountains, the Tramontane . Major droughts are to be expected in this region every summer and it is not uncommon for forest fires, which the Tramontane repeatedly fomented, with which the residents have to struggle. The average daytime temperatures in the Aude department in January are 14 degrees Celsius, in summer average temperatures of 25 to 28 degrees Celsius are common.
history
Extensive finds of ancient ruins under today's Hôtel des Pins show that the center of Saint-Pierre-la-Mer was a popular place with the Romans 2000 years ago. In the Middle Ages, the Vice Count of Narbonne, Pedro Manrique de Lara († 1202), had the first church built and the small settlement secured against the then frequent attacks by a watchtower.
At the same time, Saint-Pierre became a commanderie of the Order of St. John and thus one of its economic and strategic bases like so many settlements of that time on the shores of the Mediterranean. The legend tells of a foundation that the Knights Templar excavated under their chapel, but today we no longer know exactly where it should have been.
The first house, which has been proven to have served to protect the Johanniter , is located on the idyllic square that is still called St-Pierre-la-Garrigues today.
As early as 1846, a municipal plan documents the existence of a "Hôtel des Bains". In the period before the Second World War, simple dwellings were built along the beach, but the German troops evacuated the coast, destroyed the buildings and built defensive positions against a possible invasion, the remains of which can still be seen on the beach and in the garrigue. The main street of St-Pierre is named after Pierre Brossolette , one of the heads of the Resistance, who died in captivity by the Gestapo. After the end of the war, the place was rebuilt and grew steadily. In the 1960s, the first "wild" campers with tents or caravans found themselves on the beach and an almost equally wild construction boom soon set in.
In 1963, on the initiative of President de Gaulle, the PLAN RACINE ended and regulated the uncontrolled development of the coastal zones in Languedoc, the structural interventions in the garrigue of the Massif de la Clape down to the beach were delimited and nature reserves were designated.
Today there is a modern hotel, a campsite and many residences with simple, functional and exclusive holiday homes and apartments, harmoniously embedded between the long, gently sloping sandy beach and the extensive nature reserve consisting of the salt flats of the Etangs and the evergreen hills of the Garrigue. In addition, nature lovers and naturists will find a nudist campsite Grande Cosse just outside, with modern equipment and an approx. 1.5 km long sandy beach.
Saint-Pierre-la-Mer developed into a seaside resort that not only offers guests a 6.5-kilometer-long beach of fine sand, but also everything that is desirable for a relaxing holiday on the Mediterranean.
economy
Saint-Pierre-la-Mer offers a full supply with various craftsmen, bank branches, restaurants and bistros, supermarkets and boutiques, wine, fish and real estate dealers, post office, gas station, car repair shop, laundromat, newsagent, hardware store and pharmacy. In summer there is also a beach bar and the large daily market.
Sports
In addition to swimming in the Mediterranean Sea or in one of the numerous pools in the holiday complexes, St-Pierre-la-Mer offers many opportunities to do sports. The garrigue is ideal for hiking, the Mediterranean for surfing , motor boating or sailing. On the Etangs you can learn to sail or windsurf or take a course in kite surfing . You can play beach volleyball on the beach, fish at the mouth of the Aude or in the sea. Well-developed bike paths invite you to ride a bike, everything you need for tennis can be rented on the tennis court for a small fee. There is a riding stables nearby where horses can be rented.
Natural monuments
- Etang de Pissevache
- Gouffre de l'Œil-Doux
- Beaches of Saint-Pierre-la-Mer and Cabanes-de-Fleury
Movies
- La Tulipe Noir ( The Black Tulip ), 1963, director: Christian-Jaque , actor: Alain Delon
- Un Village en Campagne , 2008, directed by Yves Jeuland, documentary
literature
- De Pérignan à Fleury, Chroniques Pérignanaises, 2009;
- Caboujolette, François Dedieu, Dedieu éditeur, 2008, ISBN 978-2-9528885-0-9 .
- Le Carignan, Jean-François Dedieu, Dedieu éditeur, 2008, ISBN 978-2-9528885-1-6
Web links
Coordinates: 43 ° 11 ' N , 3 ° 11' E