Grasse (Provençal Provençal is a dialect of Occitan spoken by a minority of people in southern France, mostly in Provence. In the English-speaking world, "Provençal" is often used to refer to all dialects of Occitan, but it actually refers specifically to the dialect spoken in Provence Occitan Occitan is a Romance language spoken in parts of Southern France, the Occitan Valleys of Italy, Monaco, and in the Aran Valley of Spain, the regions sometimes known informally as Occitania. It is also spoken in the linguistic enclave of Guardia Piemontese . It is a co-official language in Catalonia, Spain (known as Aranese in Aran Valley). Modern: Grassa in classical norm or Grasso in Mistralian norm) is a commune The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or cities in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany. French communes have no exact equivalent in the United Kingdom, having a status somewhere in between that of English districts and civil in the Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France department The departments of France and many of its former colonies are administrative divisions. The 100 French departments are grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas regions, all of which have identical legal status as integral parts of France. The departments are subdivided into 342 arrondissements, which in turn, are divided into cantons. Each (of which it is a sub-prefecture Subprefectures are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. Subprefecture is also the name given to the building which houses the administrative headquarters for the arrondissement), on the French Riviera The Côte d'Azur, often known in English as the French Riviera, is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, extending, according to different sources, from Menton near the Italian border in the east to either Hyères or Cassis in the west.
The town is considered as the world's capital of perfume Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent . The odoriferous compounds that make up a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted from plant or animal sources.[1] It obtained two flowers in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris contest [2] and was made "Ville d'Art et d'Histoire" (town of art and history) [3].
It is also called by some Internet The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by a broad array of electronic and town.[4]
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Main sights
View of Grasse at night. (photo by Caroline Culler)Grasse's main attraction is the Cathedral, dedicated to Notre Dame du Puy and founded in the 11th century. In the interior, are three works by Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a prolific seventeenth-century Flemish Baroque painter, and a proponent of an extravagant Baroque style that emphasized movement, color, and sensuality. He is well-known for his Counter-Reformation altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects and one by Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings (not counting drawings and etchings), of which only five are dated, a French painter native of the town.
Other sights include:
- Saracen Tower, standing at 30 m.
- monumental gate of the Hôtel de ville.
- Fragonard Museum, established in 1921.
- International Museum of Perfume
- Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence
- Church of Placassier, built in 1644
Perfume
Bronze parfumeur in old Grasse.Grasse has had a prospering perfume Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent . The odoriferous compounds that make up a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted from plant or animal sources industry since the end of the 18th century.
Grasse is the center of the French perfume Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant scent . The odoriferous compounds that make up a perfume can be manufactured synthetically or extracted from plant or animal sources industry and is known as the world's perfume capital (la capitale mondiale des parfums). Many "noses" are trained or have spent time in Grasse. It produces over two-thirds of France's natural aromas (for perfume and for food flavourings). This industry turns over more than 600 million euros The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU). It is also the currency used by the EU institutions. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. Estonia is a year.[citation needed]
Grasse's particular microclimate encouraged the flower farming industry. It is warm and far enough inland to be sheltered from the sea air. There is an abundance of water, thanks to its situation in the hills and the 1860 construction of the Siagne canal for irrigation Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall. Additionally, irrigation also has a few other uses in crop production, which include protecting plants purposes. The town is 350 m (1,148.29 ft A foot is a non-SI unit of length in a number of different systems including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. Its size can vary from system to system, but in each is around a quarter to a third of a meter. The most commonly used foot today is the international foot. There are three feet in a yard and 12 inches in a) above sea level The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio (both in broadcasting and other telecommunications uses) by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach. It is also used in aviation, and 20 km (12 mi) from the Coast (Côte d'Azur The Côte d'Azur, often known in English as the French Riviera, is the Mediterranean coastline of the south eastern corner of France, extending from Menton near the Italian border in the east to either Hyères or Cassis in the west).
Jasmine Jasmine is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae), with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. Most species grow as climbers on other plants or are trained in gardens on chicken wire, trellis gates or fences, or made to scramble through shrubs of open texture. The leaves can be either, a key ingredient of many perfumes, was brought to southern France by the Moors The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Berber, Black African and Arab descent from Northern Africa, some of whom came to conquer and occupy the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed other religions. They called the territory Al, in the 16th century. Twenty-seven tonnes of jasmine are now harvested in Grasse every year.
There are numerous old 'parfumeries' in Grasse such as Molinard, Fragonard, Galimard each with tours and a museum.
Festivals
There is an annual Fête du Jasmin or La Jasminade, at the beginning of August. The first festival was on the 3 August–4 August 1946. These days, it is a big event; decorated floats drive through the town, with young women in skimpy costumes on board, throwing flowers onto the crowds. This is known as the 'flower battle' and everyone gets soaked by the natural perfume of the flowers. There are also fireworks, free parties, folk music groups and street performers. There is also an annual international exhibition of roses ("Expo Rose").
Personalities
Grasse was the birthplace of:
- Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings (not counting drawings and etchings), of which only five are dated, painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects may be used. In art the term describes both the act and the result which is called a painting. Paintings may have for their support such surfaces as walls, paper,
- Gazan de la Peyrière Honoré Théodore Maxime Gazan de la Peyrière was a French general who fought under Napoleon, general who fought under Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte was a military and political leader of France and Emperor of the French as Napoleon I, whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century
- Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard Alexandre-Évariste Fragonard , son of Jean-Honoré Fragonard, was a French painter and sculptor in the troubadour style. He received his first training from his father and drew from him his piquant subjects and great facility, perfecting them under David, painter and sculptor Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials, typically stone such as marble, metal, glass, or wood, or plastic materials such as clay, textiles, polymers and softer metals. The term has been extended to works including sound, text and light
- Charles Pasqua, businessman and politician
- Michèle Mouton Michèle Mouton is a former French rally driver. She is the most successful and well-known female rally driver of all time, as well as arguably the most successful female in motor racing as a whole, rally driver
- Thomas Pinault Pinault's favoured position is central midfield. His career started in the 1998–99 season when he was promoted to the first team squad with French club Cannes. After only one season in his native country, Pinault moved to England with Colchester United. After five seasons at Layer Road, the tough tackling, flash central midfielder moved to, professional footballer
- Albert Charpin Albert Charpin, born in Grasse, France in 1842, died in Asnières-sur-Seine in 1924. A pupil of Charles-François Daubigny, Charpin was a painter of natural landscapes with, typically, a shepherdess and her guardian-dog taking care of animals, cows or sheep. Characteristic of his paintings are the natural poses and serenity of his actors, in a, painter
- Gilles Marini, actor in Sex and the City, and season 8 contestant on American Dancing With the Stars Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to more than 30 countries, Australia was the first country to adapt the BBC show, and
Grasse was the death place of:
- Christian Calmes Christian Calmes was a Luxembourgian civil servant, lawyer, and historian. He served as Secretary-General of the precursor to the Council of the European Union from its inception as part of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1952 until 1973
- Édith Piaf, French singer
- Prince Eugen of Bavaria Prince Eugen of Bavaria (July 16, 1925 - January 1, 1997) was a member of the Bavarian Royal House of Wittelsbach
- Jean-Honoré Fragonard Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings (not counting drawings and etchings), of which only five are dated French artist (1732–1806)
International relations
- Kazanlak Kazanlak is a Bulgarian town located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley. Kazanlak is the 10th biggest industrial center in Bulgaria, with a population of 79,464 people as of 2007.[citation needed] The town is the center of rose oil extraction in Bulgaria and, Bulgaria
- Ingolstadt Ingolstadt is a city in the Free State of Bavaria, Germany. It is located along the banks of the Danube River, in the center of Bavaria. As of December 31, 2005, Ingolstadt had 121,801 residents. It is part of the Munich Metropolitan Area with a population of more than 5 million, Germany
- Opole Opole [ɔˈpɔlɛ] (German: Oppeln ( listen), Silesian: Uopole) is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River (Odra). It has a population of 125,992 (June 2009) and is the capital of the Opole Voivodeship, and also the seat of Opole County. It is the historical capital of Upper Silesia. Today, many German Upper Silesians and Poles of German, Poland [5]
- L'Ariana Aryanah is a coastal city in northeastern Tunisia. It is located at around 36°51′45″N 10°11′44″E / 36.8625°N 10.19556°E. It is the capital city of Ariana Governorate, Tunisia
- Carrara Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , famous for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) west-northwest of Florence, Italy
- Murcia Murcia , a city in south-eastern Spain, is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country, with a population of 436,870 inhabitants in 2009 (about one third of the total population of the Region). The population of the metropolitan area was 638,217 in 2008. It is, Spain
- Marblehead Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,377 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. A town with roots in both commercial fishing and yachting, locals purport that Marblehead is both the birthplace of the American Navy and a yachting capital of the United States, USA ^ b. English is the de facto language of American government and the sole language spoken at home by 80% of Americans age five and older. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language
Cultural references
The town is the setting in the final chapters of the novel Perfume Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a 1985 literary historical cross-genre novel by German writer Patrick Süskind. The novel explores the sense of scent, and its relationship with the emotional meaning that scents may carry. Above all this is a story of identity, communication and the morality of the human spirit. In 2006 it was turned into a by Patrick Süskind He was born in Ambach am Starnberger See, near Munich in Germany. His father was writer and journalist Wilhelm Emanuel Süskind. He studied Medieval and Modern History at the University of Munich and in Aix-en-Provence from 1968-1974. In the 1980s he worked as a screenwriter, for "Kir Royal" and "Monaco Franze" among others.
Also the final chapters of the feature film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), based on the novel.
See also
- Route Napoléon Route Napoléon is the route taken by Napoléon in 1815 on his return from Elba. It is now a 325-kilometre section of the Route nationale 85
- Ancient Diocese of Grasse The former French Catholic diocese of Grasse was, from the fourth century until 1244, the diocese of Antibes. With its see at Grasse Cathedral, it then existed until the French Revolution. It was suppressed by the Concordat of 1801, its territory passing to the diocese of Nice
- Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department The following is a list of the 163 communes of the Alpes-Maritimes département in France
References
- ^ Page Tourisme sur le site de la ville de Grasse (in French)
- ^ Palmarès du Concours des villes et villages fleuris dans les Alpes-Maritimes (in French)
- ^ Ministère de la Culture. "Fiche de Grasse appartenant aux villes du réseau ville d'art et d'histoire" (in French). http://www.vpah.culture.fr/vpah/paca/grasse-pr.htm. Retrieved 03/06/2007.
- ^ Site officiel du réseau des villes internet. "Fiche de la ville de Grasse" (in French). http://www.villes-internet.net/UPLOAD/villes/pages/358/index.php. Retrieved 03/06/2007.
- ^ "Opole Official Website - Twin Towns". (in English and Polish Polish is a West Slavic language and the official language of Poland. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet which corresponds basically to the Latin alphabet with a few additions. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner throughout most of Poland) © Copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does not protect ideas, only their expression or fixation. In most jurisdictions copyright arises upon fixation and does not need to be registered. Copyright owners have the exclusive 2007-2009 Urząd Miasta Opola. http://www.opole.pl/miasto/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=20&Itemid=108. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
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Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:14:18 GMT+00:00
Broadway World 1775) at Grasse in Provence. The exhibition is the seventh in the Metropolitan's series of solo exhibitions of the work of contemporary artists at ...
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Chacune de ces fleurs mythiques a marque de son empreinte olfactive a la fois les collines grassoises et les plus belles creations de la parfumerie et de la cosmetique contemporaine
justinmoss
ue, 08 Jun 2010 20:02:51 GM
From . Grasse. up the hill to Saint-Vellier-de-Theiy was yet another one of those grueling hot and lonely rides from 500 to 1000m, all the while with brilliant, albeit distant,views sweeping from Cannes to Nice. From here on though, ...
