Nîmes

Nîmes is a city and commune of southern France, préfecture (capital) of the Gard département. Population (1999): 133,424.

Sights

Nîmes may have been one of the richest and finest Roman cities of Gaule. Several important remains of the Roman Empire can still be seen in and around Nîmes:

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• 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 today 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.
• The 18th-century Jardins de la Fontaine (Gardens of the Fountain)
• 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:

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• The cathedral (Saint Castor), occupying, it is believed, the site of the temple of Augustus, is partly Romanesque and partly Gothic in style.

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.

Related Topics:
Norman Foster - Jean Nouvel - Post-modern - Kisho Kurokawa

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

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