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Nimes
Nîmes, Centre ville.jpg
Coat of arms of Nimes
Coat of arms
Country France
Region Occitanie
Department Gard
Arrondissement Nimes
Intercommunality Communauté d'agglomération Nîmes Métropole
Area
1
 164.2 km2 (63.4 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)
 146,709
 • Density 893.48/km2 (2,314.1/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
30189 /30000
Elevation 21–215 m (69–705 ft)
(avg. 39 m or 128 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Nîmes is a commune. It is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Nîmes dates back to Ancient Rome.

History

Nîmes was an important Roman town. Many sites have been discovered, including:

  • The temple of Diane
  • The Maison Carrée
  • The Nîmes amphitheatre, the best-preserved in France.

The town was supplied with water by the Pont du Gard.

Sights

Nimes-TourMagne
Tour Magne.
NimesJardins
The Jardins de la Fontaine.

Several important remains of the Roman Empire can still be seen in and around Nîmes:

  • The elliptical Roman amphitheatre, of the 1st or 2nd century AD, is the best-preserved Roman arena in France. It was filled with medieval housing, when its walls served as ramparts, but they were cleared under Napoleon. It is still used as a bull fighting and concert arena.
  • The Maison Carrée (Square House), a small Roman temple dedicated to sons of Agrippa was built c. 19 BC. It is one of the best-preserved Roman temples anywhere. Visitors can watch a short film about the history of Nîmes inside.
  • The 18th-century Jardins de la Fontaine (Gardens of the Fountain) built around the Roman thermae ruins.
  • The nearby Pont du Gard, also built by Agrippa, is a well-preserved aqueduct that used to carry water across the small Gardon river valley.
  • The nearby Mont Cavalier is crowned by the Tour Magne ("Great Tower"), a ruined Roman tower.

Later monuments include:

  • The cathedral (dedicated to Saint Castor of Apt, a native of the city), occupying, it is believed, the site of the temple of Augustus, is partly Romanesque and partly Gothic in style.
  • The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nîmes

There is modern architecture at Nîmes too: Norman Foster conceived the Carré d'art (1986), a museum of modern art and mediatheque, and Jean Nouvel designed the Nemausus, a post-modern residential ensemble.

Tree-shaded boulevards trace the foundations of its former city walls.

Economy and infrastructure

Nîmes is historically known for its textiles. Denim, the fabric of blue jeans, derives its name from this city (Serge de Nîmes).

Population

The population of nimes increased from 128,471 in 1990 to 146,709 in 2012, yet the biggest growth the city ever experienced happened in 1968, with a growth of +23.5% compared to 1962.

Culture

From 1810 to 1822, Joseph Gergonne published a scientific journal specializing in mathematics from Nîmes called Annales de Gergonne.

The asteroid 51 Nemausa was named after Nîmes, where it was discovered in 1858.

Two times per year, Nîmes hosts one of the main French bullfighting events, Feria de Nîmes (festival), and several hundreds of thousands gather in the streets.

In 2005 Rammstein filmed their #1 live Album Völkerball in Nîmes, and are returning in 2017.

Metallica's live DVD Français Pour une Nuit (English: French for One Night) was recorded in Nîmes, France, in the Arena of Nîmes on July 7, 2009, during the World Magnetic Tour.

Sister cities

Nîmes is twinned with:


Images for kids

  • Les Quais de la Fontaine

    Les Quais de la Fontaine, the embankments of the spring that provided water for the city, the first civic gardens of France, were laid out in 1738–55.

  • Arena de Nimes

    Amphitheatre used today for concerts and bullfights

  • 2015-Arena-of-Nîmes-Interior

    Amphiteatre Interior

  • Nîmes-Temple de Diane-2

    Temple of Diana

  • Maison Carree in Nimes (16)

    Roman temple, the "Maison Carrée"

  • Nimes, Roman wall foundations

    Roman wall foundations

  • Nîmes La porte Auguste

    The Augustan Gate

  • Mosaic Nimes 1

    Mosaic of Europa and Zeus

  • Mosaic Nimes 2

    Mosaic of still life

  • Mosaic Pentheus Nimes

    Pentheus mosaic

  • Fresco Nimes 2

    Fresco of war galleys

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Nimes para niños

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