Banyuls-sur-Mer (; ) is a
commune in the
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales (; ca, Pirineus Orientals ; oc, Pirenèus Orientals ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in southern
France. It was first
settled by Greeks starting in 400 BCE.
Geography
Location
Banyuls-sur-Mer is located in the
canton of La Côte Vermeille
The canton of La Côte Vermeille is a canton of France, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. Its chief town is Argelès-sur-Mer (before 2015: Port-Vendres).
Composition
At the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 20 ...
and in the
arrondissement of Céret
The arrondissement of Céret is an arrondissement of France in the Pyrénées-Orientales department (Northern Catalonia) in the Occitanie region. It has 64 communes. Its population is 129,464 (2016), and its area is .
Composition
The communes of ...
.
Banyuls-sur-Mer is neighbored by
Cerbère
Cerbère (; ca, Cervera de la Marenda) is a commune and railway town in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.[Port-Vendres
Port-Vendres (; ca, Portvendres) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, southwestern France.
A typical Mediterranean fishing port, situated near the Spanish border on the Côte Vermeille in southwestern France, Port-Vendres is re ...]
,
Argelès-sur-Mer and
Collioure
Collioure (; ca, Cotlliure, ) is a commune in the southern French department of Pyrénées-Orientales.
Geography
The town of Collioure is on the Côte Vermeille (Vermilion Coast), in the canton of La Côte Vermeille and in the arrondissement ...
on its French borders, and by
Espolla
Espolla is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, Girona, Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Stat ...
,
Rabós,
Colera
Colera is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Empordà, Girona, Catalonia
Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its St ...
and
Portbou
Portbou () is a town in the Alt Empordà Comarques of Catalonia, county, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It has a population of people ().
Portbou is located near the France, French France–Spain border, border in the Costa Brava r ...
on its Spanish borders. The foothills of
Pyrenees, the ''Monts Albères'', run into the
Mediterranean Sea in Banyuls-sur-Mer, creating a steep cliff line.
Toponymy
Banyuls-sur-Mer was first mentioned in 981 as ''Balneum'' or ''Balneola''. In 1074, the town started being called ''Bannils de Maritimo'' in order to distinguish it from
Banyuls-dels-Aspres
Banyuls-dels-Aspres (; ca, Banyuls dels Aspres) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.
Geography Localisation
Banyuls-dels-Aspres is located in the canton of Les Aspres and in the arrondissement of Céret.
...
, which lies away. In 1197, the town was mentioned as ''Banullis de Maredine'' and in 1674. In Catalan, it has been called ''Banyuls de la Marenda'' since the 19th century.
The name Banyuls indicates the presence of a
pond. In fact, a pond did exist in Banyuls-sur-Mer until the creek ''Vallauria'' was drained in 1872. The term ''Marenda'' in Catalan or ''sur Mer'' in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
merely indicates the proximity to the coast.
History
In the 20th century Banyuls-sur-Mer was the site of a camp housing
Republican escapees from
Spain at the end of the
Spanish Civil War.
Government and politics
Mayors
International relations
Banyuls-sur-Mer is
twinned with
Settle
Settle or SETTLE may refer to:
Places
* Settle, Kentucky, United States
* Settle, North Yorkshire, a town in England
** Settle Rural District, a historical administrative district
Music
* Settle (band), an indie rock band from Pennsylvania
* ''S ...
,
North Yorkshire,
United Kingdom and also with the town of
Kralupy nad Vltavou in the
Central Bohemian Region of the
Czech Republic.
Demography
Sports
* Banyuls-sur-Mer is at the eastern end of the
GR 10 long-distance footpath.
* Banyuls is a centre for scuba diving. The main dive site of the area is the marine reserve at Cap Rederis. Local dive schools offer excellent facilities.
*
Sea kayaking is also available here.
Economy
For nearly two centuries, the
smuggling
Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.
There are various ...
of goods to and from Spain was a major activity in Banyuls-sur-Mer. Depending on the needs of the time, salt, tobacco, silver, sugar, rice, textiles, and leather were smuggled through this city, almost always with impunity. Otherwise the inhabitants lived mainly from fishing and
viticulture. Nowadays, tourism stemming from the wine industry plays a significant economic role in the town, notably for delicious and rare red dessert wines. Under the
Collioure appellation, the town is also a centre of quality dry reds, rosés and whites, with a number of producers of naturally sweet wines.
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
and his wife
Eileen
Eileen ( or ) is an Irish feminine given name anglicised from Eibhlín and may refer to:
People Artists
*Eileen Agar (1899–1991), British Surrealist painter and photographer
*Eileen Fisher (born 1950), clothing retailer and designer
*Eileen ...
had a holiday in Banyuls-sur-Mer directly after leaving Spain, then in the throes of its
civil war, in July 1937. Their holiday was not a success. As he noted, Orwell found the place 'a bore and a disappointment'. It was chilly weather, a persistent wind blew off the sea, the water was dull and choppy....
Sites of interest
*
Musée Maillol Banyuls-sur-Mer, a private museum at the farm of the sculptor
Aristide Maillol where he is buried.
Notable people
*
Aristide Maillol (1861-1944), French
sculptor and
painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
, born and died in Banyuls-sur-Mer. Maillol was very much part of the turn of the century art scene, friends with Matisse, Derrain, Picasso, Dali. A sculpture of
Dina Vierny, aged 17, his last muse, model, and member of the French Resistance, stands beneath the huge jacaranda tree behind the town hall.
*
Emil Racovita (1868-1947), Romanian polar explorer, former co-director of the Arago laboratory.
*
Jean de La Hire
Jean de La Hire (pseudonym of the Count, Comte Adolphe-Ferdinand Celestin d'Espie de La Hire) (28 January 1878 – 5 September 1956) was a prolific French author of numerous popular adventure, science fiction and romance novels.
Adolphe d'Espie ...
(1878-1956), writer born in Banyuls-sur-Mer.
*
Marc Eyraud
Marc Eyraud (1 March 1924 – 15 February 2005) was a French film actor. He appeared in 60 films between 1956 and 1995.
Partial filmography
* ''Plucking the Daisy'' (1956) - Un photographe (uncredited)
* ''The Man in the Raincoat'' (1957) ...
(1924-2005), actor, died in Banyuls-sur-Mer.
*
Nils Seethaler
Nils Seethaler (born August 18, 1981, in Berlin) is a German cultural anthropologist. He researches historical collections of ethnological objects and human remains.
Personal life
Nils Seethaler was born in Berlin-Lichterfelde and spent his yout ...
(*1981), German cultural anthropologist, spent parts of his childhood in Banyuls-sur-Mer.
See also
*
Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banuylssurmer
Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales
Northern Catalonia
Populated coastal places in France