Tende
Tende ( until 1947 Italian Tenda ) is a municipality with 2114 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) in southeastern France in the Alpes -Maritimes approximately 30 kilometers north of Ventimiglia. The town is located at about 820 m height at the Roya in the outer zone of the Mercantour National Park on the transalpine Tendabahn.
Geography
Tende is located in the extreme southeast of the department of Alpes- Maritimes on the border to the Italian region of Piedmont, a few kilometers south of the Col de Tende ( German: Tenda Pass, Italian Colle di Tenda ) in the upper reaches of the Roya in the Maritime Alps.
Tende is the largest city in the upper Royatals and west, north ( Maritime Alps ) and East ( Ligurian Alps) surrounded by mountains. About 20 of these summits, including the fabled Mont Bégo, are higher than 2000 meters.
History
The first mention of Tende dates from the 11th century when the place still belonged to the county of Ventimiglia. Pierre -Guillaume de Ventimiglia, the lord of Tende, married in 1261 the sister of the young Byzantine Emperor Giovanni di Lascaris and reasoned with her sex and county of Ventimiglia - Lascaris (later, County Tende ').
1581 falls the county by marriage to Savoy, which allowed the expansion of the leading over the Col de Tende Road between Turin and Nice. 1627 Tende coaching at this important trade route for that time. As for 1860, the Kingdom of Sardinia belonging County of Nice will be transferred together with Savoy to France, Tende is (together with the neighboring village of La Brigue ) are excluded from this assignment and part of Italy.
1947 voted in the two villages of the upper Royatals in a referendum successfully for the annexation to France.
Attractions
- Vallée des Merveilles
- Ruins of, Château des Lascaris ', the built for the Counts of Ventimiglia and Tende in the 14th / 15th century castle, which was destroyed in 1692 by the troops of Louis XIV.
- Notre- Dame de l' Assomption (also: Collegiate Church Sainte Marie du Bois ) from the year 1506 with organ of Serassi from 1807
- Grotto of the heretics '. Persecuted Protestants used this cave above Tende in the 15th and 16th centuries as a meeting place.
- Porte de Lombard ( Northern Gate ) and Porte de Nice (southern gate )
- Chapelle de L' Annonciade with frescoes from the 15th century, which are attributed to Giovanni Baleison
- Musée des Merveilles, amused by the department museum with a standing exhibition on the Vallée des Merveilles (including original engravings ) and more annually changing exhibition.
Tourism
Remote / distance trails
Tende is a major stage in the French GR 52A, the Sentier Panoramique du Mercantour.
Traffic
- Tendabahn
- Train des Merveilles
- Historical salt route Turin - Nice ( mules, donkeys )