Narbonne
Narbonne ( in Occitan Narbona [ narβunɔ ] ) is a town with 51 546 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the Aude department in the Région Languedoc -Roussillon.
Narbonne is the capital of the arrondissement of Narbonne.
Etymology
The name probably comes from the Iberian or Basque stem * grainy.
Geography
Narbonne is located on the Canal de la Robine in the south of France over which it has a connection to the nearby Mediterranean at Narbonne- Plage district. About the Canal de Jonction, of the Canal de la Robine continues at the other end is connected to the Canal du Midi.
History
Narbonne was the first Roman colony outside Italy. It was built around 118 BC in what was then Gaul as Colonia Narbo Martius. By Narbonne led the Via Domitia, the first Roman road in Gaul, whose construction falls approximately in the founding years of the colony, and Italy with the Spanish colonies combined. In Narbonne, the Via Domitia connected to the Via Aquitania, which led to the Atlantic Ocean across Toulouse and Bordeaux.
Later, the Province of Southern Gaul was named as Gallia Narbonensis after its capital. As the administrative seat of the Roman province, so archaeologists were able to demonstrate, Narbonne prospered economically and housed architectural masterpieces.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire was Narbonne to the 8th century the capital of the province of Septimania the Visigoths ( 413-720 ). Narbonne was 719 the first city in the Frankish Empire, which, held by the Moors, was Islamic. By 759 it was retaken by King Pippin, see Islam in France. In 793 it was destroyed, pillaged and depopulated by Hisham I of Andalusia.
In the Middle Ages Narbonne was known for being the home of the Cathars. From 1272 to 1332 the cathedral Saint -Just was built in Narbonne, one of the highest in France with a choir height of 41 meters.
Narbonne has about 50,000 inhabitants, is one of the larger cities of the historical province of Languedoc.
Attractions
- La Cathédrale de Narbonne Cathedral Saint Just: Start of construction 1272
Next to the cathedral, the Roman remains are particularly worth seeing, including:
- Roman Horreum: a granary, which was introduced as a so cryptoporticus into the ground
- Remains of the Via Domitia: in front of the town hall
- Pont des Marchands: houses a Roman bridge
- Regional Nature Park Narbonnaise en Méditerranée: which also includes parts of the community of Narbonne
Personalities
Sons and daughters
- Carus (c. 223-283 ), Roman emperor
- Jean -Joseph de Cassanéa Mondo Ville (1711-1772), French violinist and composer
- Paul Raynal (1885-1971), French dramatist
- Crémieux Benjamin (1888-1944), French writer
- Joë Bousquet (1897-1950), French writer
- Charles Trenet (1913-2001), a French chanson singer, composer, poet and painter
- Joseph Gonzales ( born 1941 ), boxer
- Alex Antor (* 1979), Andorran alpine skier
- Dimitri Szarzewski ( b. 1983 ), French rugby player
- Benjamin Lariche (* 1987), French race car driver
Twinning
The partnership with Weilheim arose from an incident in 1965, when French camped scouts from Narbonne near Weilheim and were then surprised by the flood. Weilheim citizens helped, and it originated in the French town of friendly contacts that were established with the signing of a partnership deed in 1971 in Narbonne, 1974 in Weilheim. This partnership is celebrated on the initiative and organization by the Trade Association Weilheim since 1988 " French Week " with every first weekend of July of the year in the Weilheim Marienplatz. Every two years, the Bavarian week in the twin city held in Narbonne. The respective festivals are accompanied by appropriate high-level delegations of each partner city.