Coordinates: 43°50′16″N 4°21′39″E / 43.8377777778°N 4.36083333333°E
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Commune of Nîmes |
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 The Maison Carrée in Nîmes |
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| Location | |
 
Nîmes
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Department | Gard |
| Arrondissement | Nîmes |
| Canton | 6 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Nîmes Métropole |
| Mayor | Jean-Paul Fournier (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 21–215 m (69–710 ft) (avg. 39 m/130 ft) |
| Land area1 | 161.85 km2 (62.49 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 144,600 (2005) |
| - Density | 893 /km2 (2,310 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 30189/ 30000 and 30900 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Nîmes (Provençal Occitan: Nimes in both classical and Mistralian norms) is a city in southern France. It is the capital of the Gard department. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and it is a popular tourist destination.
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The city derives its name from that of a spring, Nemausus, in the Roman village. The contemporary symbol and shield of the city of Nîmes includes a crocodile chained to a palm tree with the inscription 'COLNEM', an abbreviation of 'Colonia Nemausus', meaning the 'colony' or 'settlement' of Nemausus. Veterans of the Roman legions who had served Julius Caesar in his Nile campaigns, at the end of fifteen years of soldiering, were given plots of land to cultivate on the plain of Nîmes.[1]
Nîmes was located on the Via Domitia, a Roman road constructed in 118 BC which connected Italy to Spain.
The site on which the built-up area of Nîmes has become established in the course of centuries is part of the edge of the alluvial plain of the Vistrenque River which butts up against low hills: to the northeast, the Mt. Duplan; to the southwest, Montaury; to the west, Mt. Cavalier and the knoll of Canteduc.
The site known as Serre Paradis belongs to the New Stone Age (Neolithic). It reveals the presence of semi-nomadic cultivators in the period 4000 to 3500 BC on the future site of Nîmes. The population of the site increased during the thousand-year period of the Bronze Age. The menhir of Courbessac (or La Poudriere) stands in a field, near the airstrip. This limestone monolith of over two metres in height dates to about 2500 BC, and must be considered the oldest monument of Nîmes.
The Bronze Age has left traces of a village of huts and branches.
The Warrior of Grezan is considered to be the most ancient indigenous sculpture in southern Gaul. The hill named Mt. Cavalier was the site of the early oppidum, which gave birth to the city. During the third and second centuries BC a surrounding wall was built, closed at the summit by a dry-stone tower, which was later incorporated into the masonry of The Tour Magne. The Wars of Gaul and the fall of Marseille (49 BC) allowed Nîmes to regain its autonomy under Rome.
Nîmes became a Roman colony sometime before 28 BC, as witness the earliest coins which bear the abbreviation NEM. COL, "Colony of Nemausus".[2] Some years later a sanctuary and other constructions connected with the fountain were raised on the site. Nîmes was already under Roman influence, though it was Augustus who made the city the capital of Narbonne province, and gave it all its glory.
Augustus gave the town a ring of ramparts six kilometres long, reinforced by fourteen towers, with gates of which two remain today, the Porta Augusta and the Porte de France. The city had an estimated population of 60,000. He had the Forum built. An aqueduct was built to bring water from the hills to the north. Where this crossed the River Gard between Uzes and Remoulins the spectacular Pont du Gard was built. This is 20 km north east of the city. Nothing remains of certain monuments, the existence of which is known from inscriptions or architectural fragments found in the course of excavations. It is known that the town had a civil basilica, a curia, a gymnasium and perhaps a circus. The amphitheatre dates from the end of the 2nd century AD. The family of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius came from Nemausus.
The town was prosperous until the end of the third century. During the fourth and fifth centuries the nearby town of Arles enjoyed more prosperity. Emperor Constantine endowed the city with baths. It became the seat of the Diocesan Vicar, the chief administrative officer of southern Gaul. In the early fifth century the Praetoritan Prefecture was moved from Trier in northeast Gaul to Arles. The city was finally captured from the Romans by the Visigoths in 473 A.D.
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After the Gallo-Roman period, in the days of invasion and decadence, the Christian Church, already established in Gaul since the 1st century AD, appeared be the last refuge open to civilization. Remarkably organized and directed by men of great worth, it took an increasingly important place in the march of time. After the barbarian invasions the population had to face incursions by Moors from Spain (AD 710). The occupation came to an end in 754 under Pepin the Short. The town, ruined by so many troubles and invasions was now only a shadow of the opulent Gallo-Roman city. The local powers installed themselves in the amphitheatre.
Carolingian rule brought relative peace, but feudal times in the twelfth century brought local troubles which lasted until the days of St. Louis. During this period Nîmes was jointly administered by a lay power resident in the old amphitheatre, where lived the Viguier and the Knights of the Arena, and the religious power based in the Bishop's palace complex, around the cathedral, its chapter and the Bishop's house; meanwhile the city was represented by four Consuls who sat in the Maison Carrée.
Despite incessant feudal squabbling, Nîmes saw a certain progress both in commerce and industry as well as in stockbreeding and associated activities.
After the last effort by Raymond VII of Toulouse, St. Louis managed to base Royal power in the region which became Languedoc. Nîmes thus entered finally into the hands of the King of France.
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the Rhone Valley underwent an uninterrupted series of invasions which ruined the economy and caused famine. Customs were forgotten, religious troubles developed (see French Wars of Religion) and epidemics, all of which affected the city. Nîmes, which was one of the Protestant strongholds, felt the full force of repression and fratricidal confrontations (including the Michelade massacre) which continued until the middle of the seventeenth century, adding to the misery of periodic outbreaks of plague.
In the middle of the seventeenth century Nîmes experienced a period of prosperity. Population growth caused the town to expand, and slum housing to be replaced. Also to this period dates the reconstruction of Notre-Dame-Saint-Castor, the Bishop's palace and numerous mansions (Hotels). This 'renaissance' strengthened the manufacturing and industrial vocation of the city, the population rising from 21,000 to 50,000 inhabitants.
Also in this period the Fountain gardens, the Quais de la Fontaine, were laid out, the areas surrounding the Maison Carrée and the Amphitheatre were cleared of encroachments, whilst the entire population benefited from the atmosphere of prosperity.
Following a European economic crisis which hit Nîmes with full force, the Revolutionary period awoke slumbering demons of political and religious antagonism. The White Terror added to natural calamities and economic recession, produced murder, pillage and arson until 1815. Order was however restored in the course of the century, and Nîmes became the metropolis of Bas-Languedoc, diversifying its industry towards new kinds of activity. At the same time the surrounding countryside adapted to market needs and shared in the general increase of wealth.
The population of Nîmes by year:[3][4]
| 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1936 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2005 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63,552 | 71,623 | 80,605 | 80,437 | 82,774 | 89,213 | 93,736 | 89,107 | 99,775 | 123,292 | 127,933 | 124,220 | 128,471 | 133,406 | 144,600 | 149,000 |
Nîmes may have been one of the richest and finest Roman cities of Gaul. Several important remains of the Roman Empire can still be seen in and around Nîmes:
Later monuments include:
There is modern architecture at Nîmes too: Norman Foster conceived the Carré d'art (1986), a museum of modern art and mediatheque; Jean Nouvel the Nemausus, a post-modern residential ensemble, and Kisho Kurokawa a building in the form of a hemicycle to reflect the Amphitheatre.
Tree-shaded boulevards trace the foundations of its former city walls.
Nîmes is historically known for its textiles. Denim, the fabric of blue jeans, derives its name from this city (Serge de Nîmes).
The asteroid 51 Nemausa was named after Nîmes, where it was discovered in 1858.
Nîmes-Arles-Camargue Airport serves the city.
Ligue 2 soccer team Nîmes Olympique is based in Nîmes.
Rugby team is RC Nîmes.
Metallica recorded their live DVD entitled Francais Pour Une Nuit at the Roman Coliseum in July 2009 [4]
Nîmes twinned with:
Preston, United Kingdom,
since 1955.
Verona, Italy, since 1960.
Braunschweig, Germany, since 1962.
Prague, Czech Republic, since 1967. Frankfurt, Germany, since 1976.
Salamanca, Spain, since 1979.
Rishon LeZion, Israel, since 1986.
Meknes, Morocco, since 2005.
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Nîmes [1] is a city with about 137,000 citizens in the Departement Gard. It has a stunning Roman Coliseum that is second only to Rome's. There are a few other fine Roman relics and Diana's Palace.
You can access Nîmes via Autoroute A9 or A54. The SNCF connects Nîmes to Montpellier and Avignon by TER (regional train) and Paris, Valence, Lyon, Lille and Spain with the TGV. The airport Nîmes-Garons is 20km outside the city, but only offers connections to/from Liverpool and London-Luton in England, and Bruxelles-Charleroi in Belgium.
The Office de Tourisme [3] prints a 50 page English booklet entitled "Bienvenue" each year, which isn't available off the shelf, unless you specifically ask for it. It contains lists of Hotels, Camp Sites, Restaurants and bars. They also print a Travel Guide with descriptions of the sights to see in Nimes.
Late night bars along Ave Victor Hugo. Lulu is a popular gay bar at 10 Impasse Carutarie, open Tuesday till Saturday from 11 pm.
A beautiful and expensive hotel is The Imperator.
The FUAJ youth hostel has very friendly and informative local staff.
The Holiday Inn [5], Mercure [6], Ibis [7], Kyriad [8], Nimotel [9], Balladins [10] and the Hotel Formule 1 [11] are all located in the retail park Parc Hotelier Ville Active, about 30 minutes walk from the town centre (and over the main road from Carrefour hypermarket).
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![[1]](http://www.andygilham.com/nimes/nimes%20076.jpg){kind=link}
![[2]](http://www.nimausensis.com/Nimes/Diaporama/Cathedrale/orgues.jpg){kind=link}
![[3]](http://www.nimausensis.com/Nimes/Diaporama/Cathedrale/frise009.jpg){kind=link}