LOCATION

Nîmes most prestigious history dates from the time when it was a colony under Latin law. The Emporer Octavius, who later became Augustus, defeated Cleopatra and Marc-Anthony at Actium in 30 BC. He ordered a special coin to be minted representing his victories in Egypt and the accession of the emperor to the colony of Nemausus. The crocodile and palm tree became the symbol of the Roman town of Nîmes at this time.

The status of colony under Latin law, gave the town its own authority. Ramparts were constructed and from the 1st century AD, prestigious monuments were built : Tour Magne, the Maison Carré, the theatre, the Temple of Diane, an aqueduct for channelling water from the Eure spring near Uzes. (See Home Page)

The maison Carrée

Les Arènes (The Arenas)

Nîmes was in the kingdom of the Francs. Insecurity, commercial decline and the break down of the feudal system emptied the town of its population. In the 11th to 12th centuries, the town enjoyed a period of recovery, along with other towns on the plains of the Languedoc. The economy developed around multiple cottage industries and farming activities. Wheat, olives and vines were grown on the estates of land owning families. Sheep rearing developed. Weavers in Nîmes used the wool to make the red cloths upon which their fortunes were made. In the 12th century, the town built a consulate for its administration.

The ideas of the Reform advanced hand in hand with the renewed urban dynamism. In 1560, the Reform community in Nîmes was composed of gentlemen, magistrates, lawyers, solicitors, merchants and craftsmen. The consulate was dominated by protestants.

The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV brought the progression of Reformist ideas to a stop. The protestants converted or emigrated. Merchants and cloth manufacturers moved to Genoa, the centre of the textile trade. The most fervent Protestants had to meet secretly.
The age of Enlightenment brought an end to this intolerance. A pastor from Nîmes, Rabaut Saint Etienne, became President of the National Assembly in 1790.
The wool industry gave way to that of silk. Two thirds of the active population in Nîmes were employed by manufacturers for silk stocking production. This activity embraced the export market and became the town's economic backbone. The Protestants, who were isolated from public office, injected all their energy into this industry. Flamboyant mansions dotted the flourishing town centre.
The esplanade, boulevards, paths and gardens opened the town towards the exterior.

The textile industry branched out in the early 19th century into the manufacturing of gloves, headscarves, scarves and above all, shawls, thanks to the first Jacquard looms.
In the middle of the 19th century, the railway came to Nîmes. This brought with it a new economic boom. First of all for the wine sector, enabling large scale transport of wines from the region and also for livestock and other sectors such as barrel making, liquorice, tannery, shoe making, etc… Moreover, thanks to the new railway, Nîmes became a transit centre for coal from the Cevennes being sent to Beaucaire and the river Rhône.

Les jardins de la fontaine

The area around the station was consequently the scene of intense urban development. A wide double lane avenue was built linking the station to the town centre. Rich private mansions and town houses border the station, giving it a certain ‘Haussmann' style (Police station, Prefecture).

The town's rapid expansion is pushing its boundaries further south. The ‘Allées Jean Jaurès' are a continuation from the Jardins de la Fontaine and have recently opened out onto the plains to the south by crossing under the railway viaduct.

The southern sector has become a favoured ground for modern architecture: the Costières stadium and the Colisée by Kisho Kurokawa, the "steamliner" buildings by Jean Nouvel. However, ‘old Nîmes' is not left out: opposite the Maison Carré, Norman Foster has designed the Carré d'Art, Jean Michel Willmotte has renovated the fruit and vegetable market, the town hall and the museum of fine arts, Martial Raysse developed Place d'Assas and as a crowning technical feat, a dome has been installed to cover the Arena, when necessary, replacing the antique ‘velum' or canopy.

Le carré d'art

GETTING TO NIMES ?

By plane, flights from Paris (Roissy/Charles de Gaulle) to Nîmes airport (15 min from Nîmes centre) or Montpellier airport (35 min from Nîmes centre).
Montpellier-Méditérrannée International Airport
Paris International Airports

By train, TGV (high speed train) between Paris (Gare de Lyon) and Nîmes (3 hours). In Paris, take the RER from the airport to the station.
Train Reservation

Several rooms have been booked in Hôtel ATRIA (Place of the conference) with a discount price of (single) 85 € and (double) 51,5 € per person, breakfast included.
Hotel ATRIA is downtown, very close to the railway station and the Roman Arena
Atria Hotel Website
Hotel Booking: http://www.nimesiwa.ema.fr/mail/writemail.php?a=H0985-FO@accor-hotels.com
Phone : (33) 4 66 76 56 00
Fax : (33) 4 66 76 56 01

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