Nice

Nice
Location of
Country	France
Government
• Mayor	Jacques Peyrat (UMP)
Population	347,100
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)

This article is about the French city. For other uses, see Nice (disambiguation).

Nice (IPA: [nis]; Nissard Occitan: Nissa or Niça [classical norm], Italian and German: Nizza, Greek:Νίκαια) is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille and Genoa, with 986.903 inhabitants in the metropolitan area at the 2007 estimate. The city is a major tourist centre and a leading resort on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur). It is the historical capital city of the County of Nice.

History

View of the city and the port of Nice

For the ecclesiastical history, see bishopric of Nice There were settlements in the Nice area approximately 2,000 years ago: the site of Terra Amata shows one of the earliest uses of fire and construction of houses. Nice (Nicaea) was founded probably around 350 BC by the Greeks of Massilia (Marseille) and received the name of Νικαία ("Nikaia") in honor of a victory over the neighbouring Ligurians (Nike being the Greek goddess of victory). It soon became one of the busiest trading ports on the Ligurian coast; but as a city it had an important rival in the Roman town of Cemenelum, which continued to exist as a separate city till the time of the Lombard invasions, and has left its ruins at Cimiez, which is now a quarter of Nice.

In the 7th century Nice joined the Genoese League formed by the towns of Liguria. In 729 it repulsed the Saracens; but in 859 and 880 they pillaged and burned it, and for most of the 10th century remained masters of the surrounding country.

During the Middle Ages Nice had its share in the wars and disasters of Italy. As an ally of Pisa it was the enemy of Genoa, and both the King of France and the Emperor endeavoured to subjugate it; but in spite of all it maintained its municipal liberties. In the course of the 13th and 14th centuries it fell more than once into the hands of the Counts of Provence; and at length in 1388 the commune placed itself under the protection of the Counts of Savoy.

The maritime strength of Nice now rapidly increased until it was able to cope with the Barbary pirates; the fortifications were largely extended and the roads to the city improved. During the struggle between Francis I and Charles V great damage was caused by the passage of the armies invading Provence; pestilence and famine raged in the city for several years. It was in Nice that the two monarchs in 1538 concluded, through the mediation of Pope Paul III, a truce of ten years.

In 1543 Nice was attacked by the united forces of Francis I and Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha; and, though the inhabitants repulsed the assault which succeeded the terrible bombardment, they were ultimately compelled to surrender, and Barbarossa was allowed to pillage the city and to carry off 2,500 captives. Pestilence appeared again in 1550 and 1580.

In 1600 Nice was taken by the duke of Guise. By opening the ports of the countship to all nations, and proclaiming full freedom of trade, Charles Emmanuel in 1626 gave a great stimulus to the commerce of the city, whose noble families took part in its mercantile enterprises. Captured by Catinat in 1691, Nice was restored to Savoy in 1696; but it was again besieged by the French in 1705, and in the following year its citadel and ramparts were demolished.

The treaty of Utrecht in 1713 once more gave the city back to Savoy; and in the peaceful years which followed the "new town" was built. From 1744 till the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) the French and Spaniards were again in possession. In 1775 the king of Sardinia destroyed all that remained of the ancient liberties of the commune. Conquered in 1792 by the armies of the First French Republic, the County of Nice continued to be part of France until 1814; but after that date it reverted to Sardinia.

By a treaty concluded in 1860 between the Sardinian king and Napoleon III, the County was again ceded to France as a territorial reward for French assistance in the Second Italian War of Independence against Austria, which saw Lombardy unified with Piedmont-Sardinia. The cession was ratified by over 25,000 electors out of a total of 30,700. Savoy was also transferred to the French crown by similar means.

The dawn of the 20th century was the arrival of a modern mode of transport. In 1900, the Tramway de Nice electrified its horse drawn tramway and spread its network to Menton and Cagnes-sur-Mer, equipping the city of a modern mode of transport.

In the second half of the 20th century, Nice bore the influence of mayor Jean Médecin (mayor for 33 years from 1928 to 1943 and 1947 to 1965) and his son Jacques (mayor for 24 years from 1966 to 1990). On October 16 1979 23 people died when the coast of Nice was hit by a tsunami. As accusations of political corruption against Jacques Médecin grew, he fled France in 1990 and was arrested in Uruguay in 1993, leading to his extradition in 1994. He was then convicted of several counts of corruption and associated crimes and sentenced to prison.

Jacques Peyrat, the mayor of Nice since 1995, is a member of the UMP party and former member of the Front National.

In 2003, local head prosecutor Éric de Montgolfier alleged that some judicial cases involving local personalities had been suspiciously derailed by the local judiciary, which he suspected of having unhealthy contacts, through Masonic lodges, with the very people that they are supposed to prosecute or judge. A controversial official report stated that de Montgolfier had made unwarranted accusations.

Administration

Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région, Nice is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Alpes-Maritimes département. However, it is also the largest city in France that is not a regional capital; the much larger Marseille is its regional capital.

Climate

View of the old town

Promenade des Anglais

Before referring to climate tables, one should be aware that the official Nice temperatures are recorded at the airport, which is a climatically much different place than the rest of the town, being more vulnerable to marine air and winds from the Var valley. Airport temperatures are therefore different than town ones : daytime airport temperatures are slightly higher, while nighttime temperatures are significantly lower. For example, the 24th of January 2007, a minimum of 0.9°C was recorded at the airport while the temperature didn't go below 6°C in the city itself. The following statistics and descriptions use official temperatures.

Nice has a mediterranean climate : the city enjoys mild temperatures most of the year; rainfall is very moderate and mainly concentrated in the darkest part of the year (September to March).

Winters, starting in December, are cool to mild with daytime temperature generally remaining between 10°C and 17°C and colder overnight lows, however rarely freezing; once or twice a year perhaps. During Winter, overcast skies are common and sporadic rain falls.
As winter ends in March, weather becomes more unstable and unpredictable : warm, sunny days (26°C the 2nd of March 2007) can be followed by sudden hailstorms and cold fronts (7°C the 1st of April 2007). However, generally, the weather becomes increasingly sunny as summer approaches.
Summers start quite late because of a notable season lag. Drought starts in July, and really hot temperatures become common in August, which is the warmest month with daytime highs frequently reaching 30°C. Summer heat is however often moderated by a cool and pleasant sea breeze.
Autumn, starting in late September, is generally warm until mid-November, and rainy (especially October with an average rainfall of 140mm).

Nice is a windy city, especially in Spring.

Snow is so rare that it is remembered by inhabitants as special events.

Climate Table

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	13	13	15	17	20	24	27	28	25	21	16	14
Mean daily minimum temperature (°C)	6	6	8	10	14	17	20	20	17	14	9	6
Source: MSN Meteo

Economy

Menton

Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

Nice is the seat of Chambre de commerce et d'industrie Nice Côte d'Azur. It manages both the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport , theCannes-Mandelieu Airport as well as the Port of Nice.

Nice has the second market of national interest of France, the first port cement-manufacturer of France as well as great number of museums and hotels (second town of France after Paris)

Nice is the second city touristic French after Paris, which, combined with the difficulties of the terrestrial communications at long distance (because of the Alpes), allows him to have the second airport of France in terms of frequentation (close to 10  000  000 passengers in 2005).

Two palais des congrès Acropolis and palais des congrès de nice.. Several Parks of businesses, l' Arenas, Nice the Plain, Nice Méridia, Saint Isidore, Northern Forum. Several shopping Centres, like Nice Star, Nice TNL, Nice Lingostière, Northern Forum, St-Isidore, the Trinity (around the Auchan hypermarket) and Cape 3000 with Saint-Laurent-du-Var

• Sophia Antipolis

Sophia Antipolis is a technology park northwest of Antibes and southwest of Nice, France. Much of the park falls within the commune of Valbonne. Created in 1970~84, it houses primarily companies in the fields of computing, electronics, pharmacology and biotechnology. Several institutions of higher learning are also located here, along with the European headquarters of W3C.

Sophia Antipolis is named after Sophie Glikman-Toumarkine, the wife of French Senator Pierre Laffitte, founder of the park, and incidentally, Sophia, the goddess of wisdom, and Antipolis, the ancient Greek name of Antibes.

Port of Nice

View of the port of Nice

The port of Nice bears also the name of Lympia port. This name comes from the Lympia source which fed a small lake in a marshy zone where into 1745 work of the port ¹ was started. It constitutes today the principal harbour installation of Nice - there is also a small port in the Carras district. The port of Nice is the first port cement manufacturer of France in connection with the treatment plants of the rollers of the valley of Paillon.

A actitivity of fishing remains but the number of professional fishermen is now lower than 10. Nice being the point of continental France nearest to Corsica, the connections with the island developed with the arrival of NGV or navires at high speed. Two companies ensure the connections: SNCM, a partially public company and Corsica Ferries - Sardinia Ferries, an entirely private company. Located in front of the port, the place Cassini was renamed place of Corsica.

Nice Côte d'Azur Airport

The Côte d'Azur International Airport or Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (French: Aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur) (IATA: NCE, ICAO: LFMN) is an airport in Nice, in the Alpes-Maritimes department of France. It is the third most important airport in France after Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Orly Airport, both in Paris. It is on the Promenade des Anglais, near l'Arénas and has two terminals. Due to its proximity to the Principality of Monaco, it also serves as that city-state's airport, with helicopter service linking the city and airport.

It is run by the Chamber of Commerce and the Nice Côte d'Azur industry. Its director is Hervé de Place, director of the Côte d'Azur airports, which includes Côte d'Azur International Airport's cousin airport, Cannes-Mandelieu. In 2006, 9,948,035 passengers travelled through the airport.

Places of interest

Promenade des Anglais

Hotel Negresco

File:La Cathedrale Orthodoxe Russe Saint-Nicolas.jpg

Saint Nicolas Orthodox Cathedral

The Promenade des Anglais ("Walk of the English") is a celebrated promenade along the Mediterranean at Nice, France. Before Nice was urbanized, the coast at Nice was just bordered by a deserted band of beach covered by large pebbles. The first houses were located on higher ground well away from the sea.

Starting in the second half of the 18th century, the English took to spending the winter in Nice, enjoying the panorama along the coast. When a particularly harsh winter up north brought an influx of beggars to Nice, some of the rich Englishmen proposed a useful project for them: the construction of walkway (chemin de promenade) along the sea.

The city of Nice, intrigued by the prospect of a pleasant promenade, greatly increased the scope of the work. The Promenade was first called the Camin dei Anglès (the English Way) by the Niçois in their native dialect Nissart. After the annexation of Nice by France in 1860 it was rechristened La Promenade des Anglais, replacing the former Nissart name with its French translation.

The Hotel Negresco on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France was named for Henri Negresco (1868-1920) who had the palatial hotel constructed in 1912. In keeping with the conventions of the times, when the Negresco first opened in 1913 its front opened on the side opposite the Mediterranean.

• Château
• Monument aux morts
• The port
• Cours Saleya
• Marché aux fleurs
• Old Nice
• Grand Hôtel Impérial
• Fort du Mont Alban

Religious

• Sainte-Réparate Cathedral, 17th century
• Saint-Jacques Church, 17th century
• The Saint Nicolas Orthodox Cathedral
• Sainte Jeanne d'Arc Church, 20th century

Sports and entertainment

• Stade du Ray
• Stade Charles-Ehrmann
• Palais Nikaia

Demography

According to the estimates of INSEE, the population of the town of Nice east of 347.900 habitants to the January 1 2005. Nice thus asserts the place of fifth town of France, behind Paris, Marseilles, Lyon and Toulouse. Agglomeration, defined by INSEE, understands 888.784 inhabitants (fifth of France) and it urban surface adds up 933.080 of them what makes the sixth of France of it.

The city knew a big demographic rise in second half of XIXe century, period when the population made more than to double, mainly thanks to Italian immigration. At the beginning of the XX, this rise intensified with the arrival of populations come from common the close relations (of the County of Nice itself).

After First World War, the city found a strong increase in population. It is again the immigration which constitutait the essence of this growth. The hotel activity and that of constructions, in full rise in the years 1920, attracted world more and more and thus made it possible in Nice to become a town of national importance. In 1921, Nice then became the eleventh town of France, then in 1931, the eighth, before being classified with the sixth rank in 1946. The population increased then very quickly in the years 1950 with in particular the arrival of sixty thousand people. Thereafter, the city reached its current demographic level thanks to the repatriates of old French colonies, in particular of Algeria.

Since the years 1970, the number of inhabitants does not evolve/move practically any more: migratory balance, the relatively high one, being compensated by natural increase the negative one, having with the strong proportion of old people.

Currently the population of the city is growing again, the reason of which is undoubtedly heliotropism. It is projected besides 350,000 citizens for 2005, 360,000 for 2008, 370,000 for 2012.

Places

View of the Masséna Place

Place du Palais view of the Rusca palace

Like any Mediterranean city, the town of Nice has several places, forums or course; thus allowing to gather, organize great demonstrations, or to assoir themselves with a terrace.

• Place Masséna

The greatest place of the city, before the covering of the river of the spangle, the Pont-Neuf was the only access between the hurdy-gurdy-city and the modern one, the place was thus divided into two parts (North and South) in 1824. Today ventilated since the destruction of the Masséna Casino in 1979 it is bordered of buildings of Italian architecture of a red blood stone.

Work of the tram returned this place to the pedestrians, it is not thus more one kind of rectangular roundabout, but well a Mediterranean place with the clean direction of the term, broadside of umbrella pines and palm trees. The Masséna place with always be since its construction the place of the great demonstrations, like concerts during all the year and particularly the festivals of summer, the corso Carnavalesque, military procession of July 14, like various feasts and local traditional festivals.

Situation: With two steps of the Promenade des Anglais, hurdy-gurdy-city and themodern one, gardens Albert 1st. It is also a large crossroads between the avenues Jean-Doctor, Felix-Faure, Jean-Jaurès (Boulevard), Verdun and of Ponchettes.

• Place Garibaldi

The Garibaldi place is also characterized by its architecture and its history, it owes its name to the saver of the city Giuseppe Garibaldi. In the center of this rectangular place the statue of this man is. Work of the tram, made it possible this place to become semi-pedestrian, and to be clearing.

Situation: Also place of meeting between old man-Nice and Nice-City, it is close to the districts is of Nice, the Lympia port, and the TNL. The Garibaldi place is also the crossroads of the avenues Jean-Jaurès (boulevard), République, Cassini, and Catherine-Ségurane.

• Place Rossetti

Entirely closed and pedestrian, this place is located in the middle of Old man-Nice, of these frontages of colors ochres, with her fountain, and the church of the Jesus, it is a place impossible to circumvent of the “Old man”. The day, the place is occupied by the terraces of traditional restaurants and the largest glaciers niçois. The night environment changes, young people and the tourists take it by storm, the music resounds between the quatres walls of this tightened place, and lighting gives him a magic aspect.

Situation: Nice old man, streets of the Jesus, Rossetti, Mascoïnat, and of the Bridge-Old man.

• Saleya

In the past place of the upper middle classes, it acts of the most traditional place of the city, with its flower market and its old Municipal Palate (Lou Municipio). Today the Saleya Course is especially a high place of entertainment, between good addresses S to eat Niçois, and the Pubs multiples and Clubs of the city. The Saleya course remains one of the most alive places of Nice.

Situation: Parallel with the Quays of the United States (Prolongation Is Walk of the English), gives on the streets St François of Paule, Louis Gassin, Benoit Bunico.

• Place du Palais

As its name indicates it, it is in this place that the Law courts of Nice are located (and the Rusca Palace, head office of the T.I.), emblematic place due to the presence of the clock of the city. Today the place of the palate, alive day and night, is especially appreciated by the young people who assoient themselves the night fallen on the steps from the Palace, alcohol bottles in hand, of course this place is not that a “large aired bar”, but is also the place in concerts and urban animations.

Situation: Communicate with the Saleya Course and the Masséna place

Nice Observatory

View of the entrance of the Nice Observatory

The Observatoire de Nice (Nice Observatory) is located in Nice, France on the summit of Mont Gros. The observatory was initiated in 1879 by the banker Raphaël Bischoffsheim. The architect was Charles Garnier, and Gustave Eiffel designed the main dome.

The 76-cm (30-inch) refractor telescope that became operational in 1888 was at that time the world's largest telescope. It was outperformed one year later by the 36-inch (91-cm) refractor at the Lick Observatory.

As a scientific institution, the Nice Observatory no longer exists. It was merged with CERGA in 1988 to form the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur.

Culture

Overview of the Nice Observatory

Memorial to Catherine Ségurane folk heroine of the city of Nice

Nice is one of the oldest hearths of settlement in the world. It is in particular on its grounds, on the site of Terra-Amata, which was discovered the the remainders of oldest human fire of planet. Greek city then Roman, the hill of Cimiez abounds, moreover, of archaeological treasures of which only one small part is updated today (thermal baths, arenas, Roman way…).

Since two centuries, the light of the city attracted the most famous painters (Chagall, Matisse, Niki de Saint Phalle, Ben, Arman…) and inspired by many artists and intellectuals in different dommaines (Berlioz, Nietzsche, Rossini…).

Nice also counts a dense network of museums of all kinds: museums Chagall, Matisse, of Art schools ( Jules Cherret ), of Naïve arts, of Prehistory ( Terra-Amata ), of Arts Asian, Mamac ( Musée of Modern art and Contemporary art which devotes a broad place to famous “the Ecole of Nice ”), Museum of Natural History, Musée Massena… It is thus about the city which has the most museums in France after Paris.

Vacation resort throughout the year, Nice proposes, in addition, with its inhabitants and its many tourists, various festivals whatever the season: Carnival pluricentenaire, Festivals of but, Festival of Jazz. Nice has a distinct culture due to its unique history. The local language Niçard (Nissart) is an Occitan dialect, still spoken by a minority. Strong Italian and (less) Corsican influences make it more intelligible than other non-extinct Provençal dialects.

Localpie with onions and anchovies sauce; socca, a type of pancake made from chickpea flour; bouillabaisse and various fish soups; "Stockfish" (traditionally pronounced as "Stoquefiche" (French spelling) with special emphasis on the first "e"), farcis niçois, vegetables stuffed with breadcrumbs; and salade niçoise, a tomato salad with green peppers of the "Corne" breed, baked eggs, tuna or anchovies and olives.

In the past Nice welcomed many immigrants from Italy (who continue to make a large proportion of the population), as well as Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. However, in the past few decades immigration has been opened to include immigrants from all over the world particularly immigrants from other parts of the world, mainly former Northern and Western African colonies, as well as southeastern Asia. Traditions are still alive, especially in the folk music and the dances. The most famous is the farandole.

• Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret
• Musée Masséna
• Museum of Natural History
• Naval Museum
• Galerie des Ponchettes
• Musée Chagall Cimiez
• Musée Matisse (arenas of Cimiez where one can also see Roman ruins)
• Musée Terra-Amata

Gastronomy

The kitchen niçoise is a kitchen which uses the resources of the County (olive oil, alevins, fruit and vegetables, etc…) but also of more remote regions, in particular from Northern Europe because the ships which came to seek olive oil arrived the holds full with food products. Thus one finds specialities such as the stockfish starting from dried haddock.

The meat comes from the neighbouring valleys such as the sheep of Sisteron or the fish of rocks the such mullets, the anchovy alevins (for the poutine), so much is so that the proverb is known: “the fish are born in the sea and die in oil”, one will of course have understood that it is about the olive oil of the hills niçoises. Lastly, the seafood such bugs, sea urchins and nonats also is very snuffed in this at the same time delicate and healthy kitchen.

• Beignets de fleurs de courgettes
• Ratatouille
• Pichade
• Pissaladière
• Pan-bagnat
• Socca
• Soupe au pistou
• Tourte de blettes

Education

• University of Nice Sophia Antipolis
• Université Pierre et Marie Curie
• EDHEC Business School
• WLE French Language Immersion Program (USD)
• CERAM Sophia Antipolis - ESC Nice

Nice is home to many preparatory schools which prepare students for entrance to the Grandes Ecoles (e.g. the Ecole Normale Supérieure).

Sister cities

Nice's town twins are:

• Active twinnings:
  • Cuneo, Italy
  • Edinburgh, Scotland
  • Gdańsk, Poland
  • Hangzhou, China
  • Laval, Canada
  • Louisiana (State), United States
  • Nuremberg, Germany
  • Saint Petersburg, Russia
  • Szeged, Hungary
  • Thessaloniki, Greece
  • Yalta, Ukraine
  • Yerevan, Armenia

• Other twinnings:
  • Alicante, Spain
  • Cartagena, Colombia
  • Antananarivo, Madagascar
  • Cape Town, South Africa
  • Houston, United States
  • Kamakura, Japan
  • Libreville, Gabon
  • Manila, Philippines
  • Miami, United States
  • Netanya, Israel
  • Nouméa, France
  • Phuket, Thailand
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • Saint Denis, France
  • Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
  • Sorrento, Italy

• Pact of friendship:
  • Xiamen, China
  • Khemisset, Morocco since 2003

See also

• County of Nice
• Albert Spaggiari
• Bishopric of Nice
• Nice Carnival
• Catherine Ségurane
• Cimetière du Château
• Cimiez
• European Institute of High International Studies
• Nice Observatory
• OGC Nice
• Rugby Nice Côte d'Azur Université-Racing
• Paris-Nice
• Sophia Antipolis
• Treaty of Nice
• Hotel Negresco
• Le Méridien
• Nissa La Bella

Sources and references

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Template:En icon & Template:Fr icon NiceRendezVous official site
• Template:En icon & Template:Fr icon Nice Carnaval
• Template:En icon & Template:Fr icon Dances and traditional musics from Nice
• Template:En icon Feature article all about Nice in AMB Cote d'Azur
• Template:En icon Article all about Nice's Jazz festival published in AMB Cote d'Azur
• Template:En icon Special article all about Nice Cours Saleya and its market in AMB Cote d'Azur
• Template:En icon Independent Nice museum guide
• Template:Wikitravel
• Template:Fr icon Nice official site