Mougins

Mougins is a French town in the Alpes -Maritimes with 18,516 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011). Mougins is located 30 km from Nice and nine kilometers north of Cannes. The city is best known as the last longtime residence of Pablo Picasso as well as for its art galleries and its gastronomy. Together with Antibes, Biot, Vallauris and Valbonne Mougins forms of technology and science park Sophia Antipolis.

Culture and sights

Museums

• The Musée de la Photographie - André Villers photographs by contemporary photographers will be exhibited, depict Picasso.
• The Musée d' Histoire locale presents local history.
• In the Musée Maurice Gottlob one has a permanent exhibition, the works of Maurice Gottlob (1855-1970), a former gendarme country in Mougins.

Churches

• The church of Saint -Jacques -le- Majeur is located in the historic town center, was built in the 11th century.
• The chapel Notre Dame de Vie is situated near the nature reserve La Valmasque, not far from the house where Picasso lived.
• The Chapel of Saint Barthelemy is one of the few church buildings in an octagonal shape.

Nature

About 1.3 km southeast of Mougins extends La Valmasque, one for the most part uninhabited wooded nature reserve and recreation area of ​​approximately 560 hectares expansion. Adjacent to its northwest edge is the Etang de Font Merle, a vast shallow lake, which is characterized by a diverse flora and fauna. So you can find here the largest Lotus colony in Europe (Indian lotus, Nelumbo nucifera ), which was planted in the 1970s. At the Etang de Font Merle over 70 species of birds are counted.

Gastronomy

In Mougins, there are more than 40 restaurants offering a wide selection of gastronomic, traditional and Provencal cuisine.

Every year in September takes place the International Festival of Gastronomy "Les étoiles de Mougins " ( The stars of Mougins ) here.

Personalities

• The French officer Amédée -François Lamy is a son of the city. He went through expeditions to Chad a name.
• Christian Dior created some fashion collections in the old town of Mougins.
• Francis Picabia lived here from 1925 to 1935 in his " Château de mai".
• Pablo Picasso lived here from June 1961 until his death on 8 April 1973.

Twinning

Mougins is twinned with Aschheim in the Bavarian district of Munich ( Germany ) and of Lerici in Liguria (Italy).