Grasse
Grasse is a French town in the Alpes -Maritimes with 51 631 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011).
Grasse is considered the world capital of perfume, and reached as Handlungsort of the novel Perfume by Patrick Süskind wide notoriety.
Geography
Grasse extends in the hill country of Alpensüdausläufer to an average of 306 m above sea level ( altitude between 80 and 1,061 m), about 20 km north of Cannes on the Cote d' Azur. Here, the route starts 85 national, called the Route Napoléon ( Napoleon road ) in the direction of Digne -les- Bains, which follows the route which Napoleon in 1815 after his return from Elba embarking on his march to Paris.
History
In 1040, Grasse was first mentioned. 1227 conquered Count Ramon Berenguer V of Provence, the city, and it became part of Provence.
Grasse was from the 13th to the 18th century bishop 's seat.
In the creation of the department in 1790 Grasse still belonged to the department of Var, whose headquarters it was from 1793 to 1795.
1860 the district was merged together with the county of Nice to the Alpes - Maritimes.
In the 19th century, Grasse became a health resort, but lost its importance in the 20th century back to the preferred coastal cities.
Coat of arms
Blazon: " Azure, a rear -looking goldnimbiertes silver Agnus Dei, with the raised right foreleg one shouldered, concluding with a cross red rod with a silver, ending in two lobes banner with red cross ( banner of victory ) reserved, accompanied by two in the upper corners and a center in the sign down red slices. "
Twinning
In addition, the city is a member of the Federation of European cities Napoleon.
Economy and infrastructure
In the Middle Ages, Grasse was a city-state of ancient trade tradition, particularly the tanning trade was very common. When around 1600 came up the fashion to perfume gloves, were moved to here to the distillation of perfumes. Since the 17th century, the perfumers from Grasse who specializes in the extraction of the flower juice, especially orange blossom and jasmine. The main business was from the sideline, and has remained so.
The former characteristic flower plantations to Grasse are rare today because the flowers are mostly imported from low- growing countries such as Morocco, Bulgaria, India or Turkey. The fragrances gained in the perfume industry are used in addition to perfume for cosmetic, detergent, washing powder, but also for food flavorings. 2004 were employed in the perfume industry in Grasse, about 4,000 people. Every year, 10 000 tonnes of flowers were processed.
Today ( as of 2010) are maintained especially the international economic relations in Grasse. The treated in Grasse raw materials are imported from many parts of the world and refined here qualitatively. About thirty perfume factories in Grasse and to send their products after in the world.
Established businesses
The most famous perfume factories, who offer free tours in different languages by their historical production, the perfumery Fragonard, Galimard, Molinard, fleuron de Grasse and Guy Bouchara.
Attractions
- Notre- Dame-du -Puy from Grasse: The cathedral dates from the 12th century. It has a simple style, its structure reflects the Lombard influences. There are paintings by Rubens, Charles Nègre and a triptych by Louis Bréa, and the only religious painting by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, " The Washing of the Feet " in it.
- Gardens: Grasse is famous for its gardens, which were even more extensive in the past. One of the most famous garden is the vegetable garden ' Jardin des Plantes '. Vegetable garden Jardin des Plantes: The garden owes its fame to the sister of Napoleon, who used to recover there in winter. The garden offers a good view over the old town and the sea.
Leisure and Tourism
- Guided Old Town: The tourist office offers every day ( all year) tours of the old town with different themes.
- Guides perfume factories: the perfume factories (see above) offer free year-round guided tours in several languages.
- Day trips, for example, by Cabris, Cannes, Saint -Paul -de- Vence
- Hiking in the Alps
Regular events
- Expo Rose: The Exhibition, Expo Rose ' shows annually in mid-May 40,000 different roses and products made therefrom
- Jasmine Festival ( Fête du Jasmin ): The Jasmine Festival is a popular festival at the beginning of the jasmine harvest. It takes place every year in early August.
Specialty
Specialties for Grasse and the surrounding area are:
- Lou Fassum ( Chou farci ), a cabbage pie
- Les beignets de fleurs de courge, a pumpkin pie, which is a dessert portion of the thirteen current Christmas menus
- Le fougassette, a yeast cake with orange flavor
Traffic
Available is a bus system that offers a round course in Grasse itself and various connections to nearby towns and cities, such as Cannes and Nice. There is also a railway station on the route to Cannes- Grasse.
Personalities
Sons and daughters
- Jean- Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), French painter
- Honoré Fragonard (1732-1799), French anatomist
- Marguerite Gérard (1761-1837), French painter
- Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan de la Peyrière (1765-1845), French general of the Napoleonic Wars
- Alexandre- Évariste Fragonard (1780-1850), French painter and sculptor
- Charles Pasqua (* 1927), French politician
- Didier Malherbe ( born 1949 ), French saxophonist
- Michèle Mouton ( born 1951 ), French rally driver
- Pierre -Louis Lions ( born 1956 ), mathematician
- Marion Bertrand ( born 1984 ), French alpine skier
- Eugénie Le Sommer (* 1989), French football player
People with relationship to the city
- Hans Arp (1886-1966), German - French painter, sculptor and poet, was along with his wife Sophie Taeuber in Grasse 1940-1943 refuge from the Nazis
- Kay Boyle (1902-1992), American journalist and writer, lived and worked together in 1926 with Ernest Walsh, editor of "This Quarter ", in Grasse, until the latter died a year later
- Ivan Bunin (1870-1953), Russian writer and Nobel laureate, spent several years of his exile (1939-1945) in Grasse, where he wrote his collection of love stories "dark alleys "
- Augustin Grimaldi († 1532), Bishop of Grasse, later Prince of Monaco
- Ferdinand Springer (1907-1998), German painter and graphic artist, lived, worked and died in Grasse
- Sophie Taeuber -Arp (1889-1943), Swiss painter, sculptor and dancer, spent with her husband, Hans Arp, on the run from the Nazis, in Grasse her final years