Nîmes has a population of 150,000. As a result of deliberate efforts, the old districts are being renovated and the city is spreading towards the south. Architectural and town planning projects have been undertaken. Completed in 2013, the ‘AEF’ project is aimed at enlarging the historic center by creating a continuous 8-hectare urban area covering the arena, Esplanade Charles de Gaulle and the railway station, making a twenty-first century forum.
The city of Nîmes is a fascinating construction, built around and with the existing Roman monuments. The city owes its identity, personality and singularity to this ancient architecture developed over the centuries…infusing it with exceptional universal value. The city evokes the image of the ultimate Roman city, with both the rich collection of classical monuments and the originality of its urban network.
The founding of Nîmes goes back to the sixth century BC. The Volcae Arecomici, a Celtic tribe, settled around a generous spring and built a sanctuary in its honor. Primitive shelter was gradually replaced by drystone buildings including the Tour Magne, a tall tower built on a hill and that later became part of the Roman ramparts. In 120 BC, the Volcae, who had a vast territory with 24 oppida, accepted the Roman legions without resistance. The Gallo-Roman town of Nemausa was about to come into existence.
The Romanization of Nîmes truly began in the first century BC. The town became a ‘colony under Latin law’ and magnificent monuments were built. The Emperor Augustus and his successors made it a town for the promotion of Romanity in Gaul. Nîmes grew and its 7 km of ramparts enclosed 220 hectares. It was at it greatest in the second century, a perfect stopping place on the Via Domitia that ran from Rome to Spain. The population is estimated to have been 25,000. Successive invasions in the third and fifth centuries AD and the arrival and settling of the Visigoths put an en to the prosperity of the town.
Roman Amphitheater
The amphitheater (or arena) is the best-conserved of the Roman world. It was used for hunting wild animals and for gladiator combats from the end of the first century AD onward. Many events are held here today.
The amphitheater is 133 m long and 101 m wide. The outer facade is 21 meters high, made up of two levels of arcades and divided into 60 spans. Numerous staircases and five circular galleries provide optimum circulation. Divided according to their social rank among the 34 tiers of seats, more than 23,000 Gallo-Romans watched combats between gladiators or animals.
The monument was turned into a fortress in the Middle Ages, forming a refuge for the population in case of danger. The inner part was later filled by private houses until the nineteenth century. In 1809, houses, chapels and the chateau of the viscounts of Nîmes were demolished to give the monument its initial appearance. Today, the amphitheater forms a fine venue for many occasions—bullfights, congresses, concerts and sports events.
Middle Ages
The town shrank and in the eighth century was a tenth of the size that it had been in Roman times. The population took refuge in the amphitheater and made it a fortress because of increasing insecurity. The Roman ramparts were used as a quarry where everyone helped himself to stone. Some districts, like that of La Fontaine, were abandoned. From 1,000 AD onward, new city walls were built. Trade started again, thanks to vineyards, olives and sheep farming. For several centuries the water flowing through the town resulted in prosperity for tanners, dyers and sellers of cloth.
Renaissance to Age of Enlightenment
The Wars of Religion were violent in the 16th century. Protestants were kept out of public life and turned to trading. Their cloth production was soon exported within Europe and to the Spanish Indies. The city became prosperous and its looks improved.
A contrast between superb mansions and urban refurbishment. During the Age of Enlightenment, the Roman sanctuary of the Source was fortuitously discovered. It was decided to make it a major urban project. The silk industry converted to shawl production thanks to the first Jacquard looms introduced by Turion, a local Nîmes worker.