Martigues
Martigues is a commune northwest of Marseille. It is part of the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the eastern end of the Canal de Caronte.
A direct translation from the Martigues Tourisme website states the following about Martigues:
Nicknamed the "Provençale Venice", Martigues is a point of passage between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Martigues, close to the Côte d'Azur. The charm of its canals, its docks and bridges made it "The Venice of Provence". Martigues possesses also its cooperative winery "La Venise provençale": Coteaux d'Aix en Provence, rosé, red and white wines, fruit juices and natural oils in the region. Main varietals: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Clairette.
History
Martigues was founded by Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Provence in 1232 on the likely site of the Roman camp Maritima Avaticorum.The Hôtel de Ville was built on the former salt marshes and completed in 1983.
Population
Transport
The Gare de Martigues railway station is served by regional trains between Miramas and Marseille.The nearest airport is Marseille Provence Airport, which is 14.52 km away.
CroisiEurope runs river cruises between Martigues and either Lyon or Chalon-sur-Saône.
People
- Gerard Thom, founder of the Knights Hospitaller
- Etienne Auteman / Authement, City Attorney 1700
- Étienne Richaud, Principal private secretary, Governor of La Réunion, Governor General for Inde française
- Charles Maurras, poet and political theorist
- Éric Bernard, Formula-1 driver
- Jimmy Abdou, footballer
- Ali Ahamada, footballer
- Maurice Dalé, footballer
- Rod Fanni, footballer
- Foued Kadir, footballer
- André-Pierre Gignac, footballer
- Clara Luciani, singer
- Amor Kehiha, footballer
- Imany, singer
- Giacomo and Gilles Coustellier, both multiple mountainbike trials world champions
- Yusuf Sari, footballer
- Philippe Didier Prout, firefighter
Sport