Montpellier
Over 1,000 years old, MONTPELLIER today is a pleasing mixture of old and new, an historical yet thoroughly modern city.
It has approximately 230,000 inhabitants and boasts of having the oldest European university, which, along with other tertiary institutions and centres of advanced research, welcomes over 60,000 students annually.
Its medieval streets and beautiful 17th and 18th century town houses provide an atmospheric backdrop to an animated café life and Montpellier's renowned modern and classical cultural events. And, only a few kilometers away, lie miles and miles of uncrowded Mediterranean beaches.
Website: http://www.alliance-montpellier.org/indexang.htm
To see in Montpellier:
- Musée Atger: Installed in the Faculté de Médecine, the Atger Museum is a unique collection of some 500 drawings that were left to the Medical School in the 19th century by Xavier Atger (1758-1833), a great art lover. Landscapes, historical scenes and even caricatures - the extensive collection includes every genre. There are works by French artists from the region, as well as by artists of the Italian and Flemish schools, from the Renaissance up to the 19th century. Among the masters included are Giambattista Tiepolo, Van Dyck, Rubens and Fragonard.
- Musée Fabre: This museum is the city's cultural showpiece and holds one of France's richest
collections. Founded in 1825 by the Montpellier artist François-Xavier Fabre, its collection is highly diverse and includes Flemish, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and French works and paintings from all of the great European schools from the 16th to the 18th century.
You will find the works of Zubaran, Reynolds, Tenier, Veronese, as well as Greuze, Ingres, Delacroix, Bazille - among many others. One room is entirely devoted to Gustave Courbet. The Pavillon du Musée Fabre, located on the esplanade, houses contemporary art as well as temporary exhibitions.
Undergoing radical renovation, it's expected to reopen in 2007.
- Musée Languedocien: The Museé Languedocien displays the area's rich archaeological finds as well as objets d'art from the 16th to 19th centuries. The collection began with objects given, donated or sold by members of the Archaeological Company of Montpellier.