Salon-de-Provence
Salon-de-Provence (French pronunciation: [salɔ̃ də pʁɔvɑ̃s(ə)]; Provençal: Selon de Provença, [seˈlu de pʀuˈvɛnsɔ]) is a commune located about 44 km (27.3 mi) from Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is the home of an important French Air Force air base.
Salon-de-Provence | |
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 A view of Salon-de-Provence, with the church and clock tower | |
.svg.png) Coat of arms | |
Location of Salon-de-Provence 
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  Salon-de-Provence  Salon-de-Provence | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Bouches-du-Rhône |
| Arrondissement | Aix-en-Provence |
| Canton | Salon-de-Provence-1 and 2 |
| Intercommunality | Aix-Marseille-Provence |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2014-2020) | Nicolas Isnard (UMP) |
| Area 1 | 70.3 km2 (27.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2017-01-01)[1] | 45,528 |
| • Density | 650/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 13103 /13300 |
| Elevation | 53–325 m (174–1,066 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
History
Salon was a Gallo-Roman oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, hence its name. This region was under the Phocaean influence since the sixth century BC, and stretches of the Via Aurelia can still be recognized just outside the town, but the earliest mention of the place under its familiar name is of the ninth century, as Villa Salone. The archbishops of Arles controlled the site.
Its principal claim to fame today is as the place where Nostradamus spent his last years and is buried. His dwelling is maintained as a museum, and for four days every June or July, the city celebrates its history during the time of Nostradamus, attracting tourists.
The historic center still lies within its circuit of walls, entered through two seventeenth-century gateways, the Porte de l'Horloge and the Port Bourg Neuf.
In 1559 the engineer Adam de Craponne opened the Canal de Craponne to bring fresh water from the river Durance to the town and the surrounding plain of Crau. Inexpensive freight brought commerce to Salon, and the town prospered.
Sights
Château de l'Emperi
The castle, which was the biggest in Provence during the 12th and 13th centuries and was mentioned as early as the tenth, still dominates the old town. It was the preferred residence of the bishops of Arles, when Provence was part of the Holy Roman Empire, hence its name. It became the property of the city after the French Revolution. After damage caused by the 1909 earthquake, it has been restored and now hosts a museum of military history. Every summer, it hosts an international classical music festival.
Fontaine Moussue
The fountain in Place Crousillat has existed since the 16th century. During the 20th century, limestone concretions and vegetation developed, giving the familiar mushroom aspect.
St Michel Chapel
Built during the 13th century, this chapel boasts a remarkable Romanesque tympanum featuring the paschal lamb.
Collégiale Saint Laurent
The current edifice was erected during 15th century by Cardinal Louis Aleman, who was then bishop of Arles.
Salon-de-Provence Air Base
Salon-de-Provence Air Base is the site of the French Air Force Academy, as well as the home of the French Aerial Demonstration team, the Patrouille de France.
Market
Every Wednesday the Place Morgan is host to a Provençal market.
Culture
Each summer, the Château de l'Empéri hosts a festival of chamber music.
Some years the Château is the venue for Nostradamiques – an historical re-enactment of the time of Nostradamus which includes processions and a transformation of the old medieval downtown. One such re-enactment was performed by the television presenter Jean-Pierre Foucault. In 2006 Robert Hossein compered the closing ceremony of the re-enactment.
Personalities
- Abba Mari ben Eligdor (fl.1335), distinguished Talmudist, philosopher, resident 14th Century
- Nostradamus (1503-66), resident 1547–66, place of death
- Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet (1720-78), French botanist and explorer, birthplace
- Joan Montseny (1864-1942), Catalan anarchist, place of death
- Charles Trenet (1913-2001), French singer, resident for military reasons, 1939-40
- Romain Gary (1914-80), French novelist and pilot, learnt to fly with military in Salon-de-Provence before Nazi occupation of France
- Patrick Baudry (1946-), and Léopold Eyharts (1957-), French astronauts, military training
- Daniel Goossens (1954-), Cartoonist, birthplace
- Christine Boisson (1956-), French actor, birthplace
- Franck Esposito (1971-), French swimmer, birthplace
- Michaël N'dri (1984-), footballer, birthplace and early Football career
- Simon Porte Jacquemus (1990-), Fashion Designer[2]
Twin towns - sister cities
Salon-de-Provence is twinned with:[3]
Gallery
Château de l'Empéri courtyard
Fontaine Moussue by night
St Michel, inside
Tympanum, Eglise St-Michel
Collégiale Saint Laurent, after 2008/2009 restorations
Jardin de la République
Sausages, market at Place Morgan
Mushrooms, market at Place Morgan
Paella, market at Place Morgan
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1793 | 6,787 | — |
| 1800 | 5,100 | −24.9% |
| 1806 | 5,167 | +1.3% |
| 1821 | 5,864 | +13.5% |
| 1831 | 5,987 | +2.1% |
| 1836 | 5,793 | −3.2% |
| 1841 | 5,617 | −3.0% |
| 1846 | 6,355 | +13.1% |
| 1851 | 6,564 | +3.3% |
| 1856 | 7,057 | +7.5% |
| 1861 | 6,533 | −7.4% |
| 1866 | 6,714 | +2.8% |
| 1872 | 7,522 | +12.0% |
| 1876 | 7,021 | −6.7% |
| 1881 | 7,503 | +6.9% |
| 1886 | 8,598 | +14.6% |
| 1891 | 9,152 | +6.4% |
| 1896 | 10,936 | +19.5% |
| 1901 | 12,872 | +17.7% |
| 1906 | 14,050 | +9.2% |
| 1911 | 14,019 | −0.2% |
| 1921 | 13,155 | −6.2% |
| 1926 | 12,900 | −1.9% |
| 1931 | 13,193 | +2.3% |
| 1936 | 13,482 | +2.2% |
| 1946 | 15,826 | +17.4% |
| 1954 | 17,597 | +11.2% |
| 1962 | 21,393 | +21.6% |
| 1968 | 30,722 | +43.6% |
| 1975 | 34,576 | +12.5% |
| 1982 | 34,846 | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 34,064 | −2.2% |
| 1999 | 37,079 | +8.9% |
| 2008 | 41,411 | +11.7% |
Climate
| Climate data for Salon-de-Provence (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1939–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.8 (69.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.7 (78.3) |
29.2 (84.6) |
34.4 (93.9) |
43.4 (110.1) |
39.7 (103.5) |
39.3 (102.7) |
34.8 (94.6) |
30.1 (86.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
43.4 (110.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
26.9 (80.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.7 (85.5) |
25.3 (77.5) |
20.6 (69.1) |
14.6 (58.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
7.0 (44.6) |
9.9 (49.8) |
12.6 (54.7) |
16.7 (62.1) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.2 (73.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.8 (44.2) |
14.3 (57.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) |
1.6 (34.9) |
4.1 (39.4) |
6.8 (44.2) |
10.6 (51.1) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
10.2 (50.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
2.2 (36.0) |
8.7 (47.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −14.3 (6.3) |
−18.5 (−1.3) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
4.2 (39.6) |
7.6 (45.7) |
7.7 (45.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−18.5 (−1.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 51.1 (2.01) |
35.1 (1.38) |
35.9 (1.41) |
57.5 (2.26) |
48.9 (1.93) |
26.3 (1.04) |
10.6 (0.42) |
33.7 (1.33) |
77.8 (3.06) |
85.2 (3.35) |
66.5 (2.62) |
50.7 (2.00) |
579.3 (22.81) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 5.2 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 56.6 |
| Average snowy days | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 2.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 75 | 73 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 65 | 61 | 64 | 72 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 70.2 |
| Source 1: Meteo France[4][5][6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity, snowy days 1961–1990)[7] | |||||||||||||
References
- "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- "Simon - JACQUEMUS | Official website". JACQUEMUS | Official website. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
- "Villes jumelles". visitsalondeprovence.com (in French). Salon-de-Provence. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
- "Données climatiques de la station de Salon-de-Provence" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- "Climat Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
- "Salon de Provence (13)" (PDF). Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- "Normes et records 1961-1990: Salon de Provence (13) - altitude 59m" (in French). Infoclimat. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
External links
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Salon. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salon-de-Provence. |
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