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Salon-de-Provence
Commune
A view of Salon-de-Provence, with the church and clock tower
Coat of arms
Location of Salon-de-Provence
Salon-de-Provence Show map of France Salon-de-Provence Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: Coordinates: 43°38′26″N 5°05′50″E / 43.6406°N 5.0972°E / 43.6406; 5.0972
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Aix-en-Provence
Canton	Salon-de-Provence-1 and 2
Intercommunality	Aix-Marseille-Provence
Government
• Mayor .mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal} (2014-2020)	Nicolas Isnard (UMP)
Area 1	70.3 km2 (27.1 sq mi)
Population (2012)2	43,771
• Density	620/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	13103 /13300
Elevation	53–325 m (174–1,066 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Salon-de-Provence (Occitan: Selon) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. It is the location of an important air base.

History

Salon was a Gallo-Roman oppidum well positioned on the salt trade routes between Adriatic, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas, hence its name. This region was under the Phocaean influence since the sixth century BC, and stretches of the Via Aurelia can still be recognized just outside the town, but the earliest mention of the place under its familiar name is of the ninth century, as Villa Salone. The archbishops of Arles controlled the site.

Its principal claim to fame today is as the place where Nostradamus spent his last years and is buried. His dwelling is maintained as a museum, and for four days every June or July, the city celebrates its history during the time of Nostradamus, attracting tourists.

The historic center still lies within its circuit of walls, entered through two seventeenth-century gateways, the Porte de l'Horloge and the Port Bourg Neuf.

In 1559 the engineer Adam de Craponne opened the Canal de Craponne to bring fresh water from the river Durance to the town and the surrounding plain of Crau. Inexpensive freight brought commerce to Salon, and the town prospered.

Sights

Nostradamus house

Château de l'Emperi

The castle, which was the biggest in Provence during the 12th and 13th centuries and was mentioned as early as the tenth, still dominates the old town. It was the preferred residence of the bishops of Arles, when Provence was part of the Holy Roman Empire, hence its name. It became the property of the city after the French Revolution. After damage caused by the 1909 earthquake, it has been restored and now hosts a museum of military history. Every summer, it hosts an international classical music festival.

Fontaine Moussue

The fountain in Place Crousillat has existed since the 16th century. During the 20th century, limestone concretions and vegetation developed, giving the familiar mushroom aspect.

St Michel Chapel

Built during the 13th century, this chapel boasts a remarkable Romanesque tympanum featuring the paschal lamb.

Collégiale Saint Laurent

The current edifice was erected during 15th century by Cardinal Louis Aleman, who was then bishop of Arles.

Salon-de-Provence Air Base

Salon-de-Provence Air Base is the site of the French Air Force Academy, as well as the home of the French Aerial Demonstration team, the Patrouille de France.

Market

Every Wednesday the Place Morgan is host to a Provençal market.

Culture

Each summer, the Château de l'Empéri hosts a festival of chamber music.

Some years the Château is the venue for Nostradamiques – an historical re-enactment of the time of Nostradamus which includes processions and a transformation of the old medieval downtown. One such re-enactment was performed by the television presenter Jean-Pierre Foucault. In 2006 Robert Hossein compered the closing ceremony of the re-enactment.

Personalities

• 
  Abba Mari ben Eligdor (fl.1335), distinguished Talmudist, philosopher, resident 14th Century


• 
  Nostradamus (1503-66), resident 1547-66, place of death


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  Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet (1720-78), French botanist and explorer, birthplace


• 
  Joan Montseny (1864-1942), Catalan anarchist, place of death


• 
  Charles Trenet (1913-2001), French singer, resident for military reasons, 1939-40


• 
  Romain Gary (1914-80), French novelist and pilot, learnt to fly with military in Salon-de-Provence before Nazi occupation of France


• 
  Patrick Baudry (1946-), and Léopold Eyharts (1957-), French astronauts, military training


• 
  Daniel Goossens (1954-), Cartoonist, birthplace


• 
  Christine Boisson (1956-), French actor, birthplace


• 
  Franck Esposito (1971-), French swimmer, birthplace


• 
  Michaël N'dri (1984-), footballer, birthplace and early Football career


• 
  Simon Porte Jacquemus (1990-), Fashion Designer^[1]
  

International relations - Twin towns

Salon-de-Provence is twinned with:

• 
  Aranda de Duero, Castile and León, Spain
  


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  Wertheim am Main, Germany
  


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  Huntingdon, England, United Kingdom
  


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  Gubbio, Italy
  


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  Szentendre, Hungary
  

Gallery

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  Château de l'Empéri courtyard
  

  
  

  
  


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  Fontaine Moussue by night
  

  
  

  
  


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  St Michel, inside
  

  
  

  
  


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  Tympanum, Eglise St-Michel
  

  
  

  
  


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  Collégiale Saint Laurent, after 2008/2009 restorations
  

  
  

  
  


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  Jardin de la République
  

  
  

  
  


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  Sausages, market at Place Morgan
  

  
  

  
  


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  Mushrooms, market at Place Morgan
  

  
  

  
  


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  Paella, market at Place Morgan
  

  
  

  
  

Population

Climate

See also

• Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department

References

• INSEE

External links

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Salon.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salon-de-Provence.

• Official website


• International Salon-de-Provence Music Festival : 'Musique à l'Emperi'