Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and commune in

southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

, about north of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. A former capital of

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

, it is the

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

of the

arrondissement of Aix-en-Provence The arrondissement of Aix-en-Provence is an arrondissement of France in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. It has 48 communes. Its population is 460,747 (2021), and its area is . Composition The communes ...

, in the department of

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

, in the region of

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

. The population of Aix-en-Provence is approximately 145,000. Its inhabitants are called ''Aixois'' or, less commonly, ''Aquisextains''.

History

Aix (''Aquae Sextiae'') was founded in 123 BC by the

Roman consul The consuls were the highest elected public officials of the Roman Republic ( to 27 BC). Romans considered the consulship the second-highest level of the ''cursus honorum''an ascending sequence of public offices to which politicians aspire ...

Sextius Calvinus, who gave his name to its springs, following the destruction of the nearby Gallic

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

at Entremont. In 102 BC its vicinity was the scene of the

Battle of Aquae Sextiae The Battle of Aquae Sextiae (Aix-en-Provence) took place in 102 BC. After a string of Roman defeats (see: the Battle of Noreia, the Battle of Burdigala, and the Battle of Arausio), the Romans under Gaius Marius finally defeated the Teutones ...

, where the Romans under

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbrian War, Cimbric and Jugurthine War, Jugurthine wars, he held the office of Roman consul, consul an unprecedented seven times. Rising from a fami ...

defeated the

Ambrones The Ambrones () were an ancient tribe mentioned by Roman authors. They are believed by some to have been a Germanic tribe from Jutland; the Romans were not clear about their exact origin. In the late 2nd century BC, along with the fellow Cimbri ...

and

Teutones The Teutons (, ; ) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with the Roman Republic in the late secon ...

, with mass suicides among the captured women, which passed into Roman legends of Germanic heroism. In the 4th century AD it became the metropolis of

Narbonensis Secunda Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in Occitania and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the first Ro ...

. It was occupied by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

in 477. In the succeeding century, the town was repeatedly plundered by the

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

and

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

, and was occupied by the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

in 731 and by

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

in 737. Aix, which during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

was the capital of

, did not reach its zenith until after the 12th century, when, under the houses of Barcelona/Aragon and

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France ** Du ...

, it became an artistic centre and seat of learning. Aix passed to the crown of France with the rest of Provence in 1487, and in 1501

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

established there the parliament of Provence, which existed until 1789. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the town was the seat of the Intendance of Provence. Current archeological excavations in the Ville des Tours, a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Aix, have unearthed the remains of a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

. A deposit of fossil bones from the Upper Continental Miocene gave rise to a Christian dragon legend.

Geography and climate

Aix-en-Provence is situated in the south of France, in a plain overlooking the Arc river, about from the right bank of the river. The city slopes gently from north to south and the

Montagne Sainte-Victoire Montagne Sainte-Victoire ( Provençal according to classical orthography and according to Mistralian orthography) is a limestone mountain ridge in the south of France which extends over between the départements of Bouches-du-Rhône and ...

can easily be seen to the east. Aix's position in the south of France gives it a warm climate, though more extreme than

due to the inland location. It has an average January temperature of and a July average of . It has an average of 300 days of sunshine and only 58 days of rain. While it is partially protected from the Mistral, Aix still occasionally experiences the cooler and gusty conditions it brings. Like most of the south of France, Aix-en-Provence has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

Csa).

Sights

The Cours Mirabeau is a wide thoroughfare, planted with double rows of

plane trees ''Platanus'' ( ) is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. The type ...

, bordered by fine houses and decorated by fountains. It follows the line of the old city wall, and divides the town into two sections. The new town extends to the south and west; the old town, with its narrow, irregular streets, and its old mansions dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, lies to the north. Situated on this avenue, which is lined on one side with banks and on the other with cafés, is the Deux Garçons, the most famous

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the brewing busine ...

in Aix. Built in 1792, it was frequented by the likes of

Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter whose work introduced new modes of representation, influenced avant-garde artistic movements of the early 20th century a ...

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, ; ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of Naturalism (literature), naturalism, and an important contributor to ...

and

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

. On 3 November 2019, Les Deux Garçons was devastated by a fire that engulfed the entire building, leaving the much loved establishment just a shell. The Cathedral of the Holy Saviour (

Aix Cathedral Aix Cathedral () in Aix-en-Provence in southern France is a Roman Catholic church and the seat of the Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence and Arles. The cathedral is built on the site of the 1st-century Roman forum of Aix. Built and re-built from the ...

) is situated to the north in the

part of Aix. Built on the site of a former

Roman forum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, alon ...

and an adjacent basilica, it contains a mixture of all styles from the 5th to the 17th century, including a richly decorated portal in the

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

with doors elaborately carved in

walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

. The interior contains 16th-century tapestries, a 15th-century

triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

depicting King René and his wife on the side panels, as well as a

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...

, its

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

dome supported by original Roman columns. The archbishop's palace (Palais de l'Archêveché) and a Romanesque

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

adjoin the cathedral on its south side. The

Archbishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

of Aix is now shared with

Arles Arles ( , , ; ; Classical ) is a coastal city and Communes of France, commune in the South of France, a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Reg ...

Among its other public institutions, Aix also has the second most important

Appeal Court An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appellate ...

(Palais de Justice) outside of Paris, located near the site of the former Palace of the Counts (Palais des Comtes) of

. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall), a building in the classical style of the middle of the 17th century, looks onto a picturesque square (Place de l'Hôtel de Ville). It contains some fine woodwork and tapestries. At its side rises a handsome clock-tower, erected in 1510. Also on the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville is the former

Corn Exchange A corn exchange is a building where merchants trade grains. The word "corn" in British English denotes all cereal grains, such as wheat and barley; in the United States these buildings were called grain exchanges. Such trade was common in towns ...

(1759–1761) (Halle de Grains). This ornately decorated 18th-century building was designed by the Vallon brothers. Nearby are the remarkable

thermal springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by cir ...

, containing lime and

carbonic acid Carbonic acid is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . The molecule rapidly converts to water and carbon dioxide in the presence of water. However, in the absence of water, it is quite stable at room temperature. The interconversion ...

, that first drew the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

to Aix and gave it the name ''Aquae Sextiae''. A

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

was built in 1705 near the remains of the

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

baths of Sextius. South of the Cours Mirabeau is the

Quartier Mazarin The quartier Mazarin is a district in the centre of Aix-en-Provence, directly to the south of the cours Mirabeau, the principal boulevard in Aix. On the initiative of Archbishop Michel Mazarin, brother of the Cardinal Jules Mazarin and Archb ...

. This residential district was constructed for the gentry of Aix by

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Michele Mazzarino Michele Mazzarino, or Mazzarini, also known as Michel Mazarin, (1 September 1605 – 31 August 1648) was an Italian Cardinal and statesman in the service of France. Early life Mazzarino was born in Pescina, Italy, then part of the Kingdom of N ...

brother of

Cardinal Jules Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...

in the last half of the 17th century and contains several notable ''hôtels particuliers''. The 13th-century church of Saint-Jean-de-Malte contains valuable pictures and a recently restored organ. Next to it is the Musée Granet, devoted to European painting and sculpture. Aix is often referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. Among the most notable are the 17th-century Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins (Fountain of the Four Dolphins) in the Quartier Mazarin, designed by Jean-Claude Rambot, and three of the fountains down the central Cours Mirabeau: at the top, a 19th-century fountain depicts the "good king"

René René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name ( Renée being the feminin ...

holding the Muscat grapes that he introduced to

in the 15th century; halfway down is a natural hot water fountain (34 °C), covered in moss, dating back to the Romans; and at the bottom, at la Rotonde, the hub of modern Aix, stands a monumental fountain from 1860 beneath three giant statues representing art, justice and agriculture. In the older part of Aix, there are also fountains of note in the Place d'Albertas and the Place des Trois-Ormeaux. Aix is the birthplace of Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne. A walking trail links sites including his childhood home, Jas de Bouffan, and his former studio, Atelier Cézanne. The white limestone mountain Sainte-Victoire overlooks the city and was a frequent subject of Cézanne's works.

Education

Aix-en-Provence Institut etudes politiques 20061227

Aix has long been a university town:

Louis II of Anjou Louis II (5 October 1377 – 29 April 1417) was Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1384 to 1417; he claimed the Kingdom of Naples, but only ruled parts of the kingdom from 1390 to 1399. His father, Louis I of Anjouthe founder of the House o ...

granted a

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

for a university in 1409. Today Aix-en-Provence remains an important educational centre, with many teaching and research institutes: *

Arts et Métiers ParisTech Arts et Métiers ParisTech () is a French engineering and research institute of higher education. It is a ''grande école'', recognized for leading in the fields of mechanics and industrialization. Founded in 1780, it is among the oldest French i ...

, an engineering graduate school that settled a campus in the city in 1843. This teaching and research center (CER) let the students attend courses focused on industrial and mechanical engineering. *

Aix-Marseille University Aix-Marseille University (AMU; ; formally incorporated as ) is a Public university, public research university located in the Provence region of southern France. It was founded in 1409 when Louis II of Anjou, List of rulers of Provence, Count of ...

, consisting of the faculty and former campuses of: ** University of Provence Aix-Marseille I, specialising in the humanities. **

Université de la Méditerranée Aix-Marseille II The University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II was a French university in the List of public universities in France by academy#Academy of Aix and Marseille, Academy of Aix and Marseille. Historically, it was part of the University of Aix-M ...

, specialising in economics. ** Université Paul Cézanne Aix-Marseille III, specialising principally in law, economics, political science and administration. * Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence (IEP) is part of France's network of political studies universities, often referred to as "Sciences Po". * Institut de l'Aménagement Régional, an institute in the Université Paul Cézanne for town and country planning. * The American College of the Mediterranean (ACM), an American-style degree-granting institution with programs in art, art history, business, communication, French language and culture, international relations, psychology and many others. ACM also includes a study abroad institute for undergraduates,

IAU College IAU (IAU, French language, French: Institut Américain Universitaire) is an American institution for higher learning situated in southern France. Its main campus is located in Aix-en-Provence, France, and it operates satellite programs in Spai ...

. Aix also has several training collèges, lycées, and a college of art and design. It has also become a centre for many international study programmes. Several lycées offer CPGE.

Culture

Music

Aix holds two significant musical events each year. These are:

Festival d'Aix-en-Provence

An important opera festival, the ''

Festival international d'Art Lyrique The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumenta ...

'', founded in 1948, now ranks with those in

Bayreuth Bayreuth ( or ; High Franconian German, Upper Franconian: Bareid, ) is a Town#Germany, town in northern Bavaria, Germany, on the Red Main river in a valley between the Franconian Jura and the Fichtel Mountains. The town's roots date back to 11 ...

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

and

Glyndebourne Glyndebourne () is an English country house, the site of an opera house that, since 1934, has been the venue for the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera. The house, located near Lewes in East Sussex, England, is thought to be about six hundre ...

. The director until 2018 was Bernard Foccroulle, organist and director of

la Monnaie The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie (, ; , ; both translating as the "Royal Theatre of the Mint") is an opera house in central Brussels, Belgium. The National Opera of Belgium, a federal institution, takes the name of this theatre in which it is ho ...

in Brussels. The festival takes place in late June and July each year. The main venues in Aix itself are the outdoor Théâtre de l'Archévêché in the former garden of the archbishop's palace, the recently restored 18th-century Théâtre du Jeu de Paume, and the newly built

Grand Théâtre de Provence The Grand Théâtre de Provence (GTP) is a venue located in the new Aix-en-Provence in district "Sextius Mirabeau". A symbol of the Aix region was used for the design of the volumes of this room: the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, recalled in particul ...

; operas are also staged in the outdoor Théâtre du Grand Saint-Jean outside Aix. Linked to the festival is the Académie européenne de musique, a summer school for young musicians with master classes by celebrated artists. Over the four-year period from 2006 until 2009,

Sir Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British conductor with German citizenship. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Ratt ...

's version of Wagner's

Ring Cycle (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compos ...

with the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

was performed at the Aix festival. The current director of the festival is

Pierre Audi Pierre Audi (9 November 1957 – 3 May 2025) was an English-Lebanese theatre director and artistic director. Early life Audi was born on 9 November 1957, the eldest of three children born to Lebanese banker Raymond Audi and Andrée Michel Fatt ...

Musique dans la Rue

This takes place each year in June to coincide with the national '

Fête de la Musique The Fête de la Musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day, or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June. On Music Day, citizens and residents are urged to play music outside in their neighborho ...

.' There is a week of classical, jazz, and popular concerts held in different street venues and courtyards in the city. Some of these events are held in the Conservatoire

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

, named in honour of the French composer, a native of Aix.

Dance

The dance company ''Ballet Preljocaj'' of the French dancer and choreographer

Angelin Preljocaj Angelin Preljocaj (; born 19 January 1957) is a French dancer and choreographer of contemporary dance. Early life Angelin Preljocaj was born in 1957 in Sucy-en-Brie, France. He is of Albanians, Albanian descent. His father was born in Vermosh bu ...

has been located in Aix since 1996. In 2007 it took up residence in the Pavillon Noir, a centre for dance performance, designed in 1999 by the architect

Rudy Ricciotti Rudy Ricciotti (born 22 August 1952) is a French architect and publisher.Lanie GoodmanGround Breaker ''The New York Times'', September 17, 2012

. The centre is one of nineteen of its kind in France, designated ''Centre chorégraphique national''.

European Capital of Culture

Aix-en-Provence was part of Marseille-Provence 2013, the year-long cultural festival when the region served as the

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

. Aix hosted several major cultural events including one half of the Grand Atelier du Midi gala exhibition and an episode of the Révélations pyrotechnical performance. The city also unveiled major new cultural infrastructure to coincide with Marseille-Provence 2013, including the Darius Milhaud Conservatory designed by

Kengo Kuma is a Japanese architect and emeritus professor in the Department of Architecture (Graduate School of Engineering) at the University of Tokyo. Frequently compared to contemporaries Shigeru Ban and Kazuyo Sejima, Kuma is also noted for his prolif ...

Museums and libraries

Aix has several museums and galleries: *Le Musée du Vieil Aix (Museum of Old Aix), housed in two period "hôtels particuliers" and devoted to the history and provencal heritage of Aix. *Le Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle (Natural History Museum). *Le Musée de Tapisseries (Tapestry Museum), housed in the Archbishop's Palace and with a collection of tapestries and furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries. *Le Musée Paul Arbaud (Faïence/Pottery). *Le

Musée Granet The Musée Granet is a museum in the quartier Mazarin, Aix-en-Provence, France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French G ...

, a museum devoted to painting, sculpture and the archeology of Aix. It recently underwent significant restoration and reorganization, prior to the international exhibition in 2006 marking the centenary of Cézanne's death. Due to lack of space, the large archeological collection, including many recent discoveries, will be displayed in a new museum, still in the planning stages. The museum contains major paintings by Jean-Dominique Ingres (among which the monumental " Jupiter and Thetis"), an authentic self-portrait by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

, and works by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, Drafter, draftsman and Printmaking, printmaker, who was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced ...

and

Nicolas de Staël Nicolas de Staël (; January 5, 1914 – March 16, 1955) was a French painter of Russian origin known for his use of a thick impasto and his highly abstract landscape painting. He also worked with collage, illustration and textiles. Early li ...

. In June 2011, the first part of the collection of the ''Fondation Jean et Suzanne Planque'' opened at the Musée Granet, containing over 180 artworks. This legacy of the Swiss painter, dealer and art collector Jean Planque, a personal friend of

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

, has been donated to the city for an initial period of 15 years. The collection contains over 300 works of art, including paintings and drawings by

Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French people, French Impressionism, Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, Print ...

Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that ...

Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...

Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

, Cézanne,

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

, Picasso,

Pierre Bonnard Pierre Bonnard (; 3 October 186723 January 1947) was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color. A founding member of the Post-Impressionist gr ...

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...

Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...

, Giacometti and Dubuffet. The full collection will be housed in a specially constructed annex in the ''Chapelle des Pénitents Blancs'', situated nearby: the expected opening is in 2013. *Le Pavillon de Vendôme, a 17th-century mansion housing permanent and touring art exhibitions. *The Fondation Vasarely, a gallery dedicated to the works of the Hungarian-born French

abstract painter Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non-objective art'', and ''non ...

Victor Vasarely Victor Vasarely (; born Győző Vásárhelyi, ; 9 April 1906 – 15 March 1997) was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the Op art movement. His work titled ''Zebra'', created in 1937, i ...

. *Le Camp des Milles * L'atelier Cézanne, the former studio of Paul Cézanne, now a museum, located in the northern outskirts of Aix. It has been preserved as it was at the time of the painter's death and contains many of his personal items and props used in his paintings. *Jas de Bouffan, the house and grounds of Cézanne's father, now partially open to the public. Prior to 1989 Aix had several libraries, for example in the Parc Jourdan and the Town Hall. In 1989, many of these were moved to the Méjanes, an old match factory. In 1993, the "Cité du Livre" was opened around the library. This has media spaces for dance, cinema and music, and a training facility for librarians. Adjacent to the Cité du Livre are the Grand Théâtre de Provence and the Pavillon Noir (see above).

Montagne Sainte-Victoire

To the east of Aix rises

(), one of the landmarks of the Pays d'Aix. It is accessible from the centre of Aix by road or on foot, taking the wooded footpath of Escrachou Pevou to the

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

of Bibemus. It dramatically overshadows the small dam built by

's father and was a favourite subject and haunt of

throughout his lifetime. In the village of Le Tholonet on the precipitous southern side of Mont Sainte-Victoire, there is a

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

that he used, and beyond that a mountain hut, the ''refuge Cézanne'', where he liked to paint. To the north, the mountain slopes gently down through woodland to the village of Vauvenargues. The

Château of Vauvenargues The Château of Vauvenargues () is a fortified bastide in the village of Vauvenargues, situated to the north of Montagne Sainte-Victoire, just outside the town of Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. Built on a site occupied since Roman times ...

overlooking the village was formerly occupied by the

counts of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

(including

René of Anjou René of Anjou (; ; 16 January 1409 – 10 July 1480) was Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence from 1434 to 1480, who also reigned as King of Naples from 1435 to 1442 (then Aragonese conquest of Naples, deposed). Having spent his last years in Aix ...

) and the Archbishops of Aix before it became the family home of the marquis de Vauvenargues. It was acquired by the Spanish artist

in 1958, who was resident there from 1959 until 1962, when he moved to

Mougins Mougins (; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southeastern France. It is located on the heights of Cannes, in the arrondissement of Grasse. Mougins is a 15-minute drive from Ca ...

. He and his wife Jacqueline are buried in its grounds, which are not usually open to the public. From 2009 onwards, the château, which now belongs to Jacqueline's daughter Catherine Hutin, has been open to the public from June to September. Mont Sainte-Victoire has a complex network of paths, leading to the priory and ''Croix de Provence'' at the summit, to the large man-made reservoir of Bimont and to the

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

above le Tholonet.

Sport

*Association football is represented in the city by Pays d'Aix Football Club, until 2014 known as AS Aix-en-Provence. Their best result was playing in French Division 1 in the 1967–68 season, but recent years see the team playing in amateur levels of the French football league system. *Rugby union club Provence Rugby (previously known as Aix Rugby Club and Pays d'Aix Rugby Club) is based in the city. , they play in

Rugby Pro D2 The Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was introduced in 2000. It ...

, the second-tier French league. *

Pays d'Aix Université Club Handball In France, a ''pays'' () is an area whose inhabitants share common geographical, economic, cultural, or social interests, who have a right to enter into communal planning contracts under a law known as the Loi Pasqua or LOADT (''Loi d'Orientation ...

is a handball club competing in the top-level French First League of Handball. *American football team Les Argonautes Aix-en-Provence has won the top-level

Ligue Élite de Football Américain The Catholic League of France (), sometimes referred to by contemporary (and modern) Catholics as the Holy League (), was a major participant in the French Wars of Religion. The League, founded and led by Henry I, Duke of Guise, intended the erad ...

a total of eight times and is one of the most successful teams in the country. They were finalist of the 1996

Eurobowl The Eurobowl, first played in 1986, was the championship final game of a tournament style playoff to determine the champion of all of the American football leagues in Europe. The tournament featured the top or champion clubs from each country ...

. *The city hosts a professional tennis tournament on the

ATP Challenger Tour The ATP Challenger Tour (known until the end of 2008 as the ATP Challenger Series) is a series of international men's professional tennis tournaments. It was founded in 1976 as a replacement for the ILTF Satellite Circuit (founded in 1971) as ...

. It is held every May at the Country Club Aixois. *Former world number one squash player

Grégory Gaultier Grégory Gaultier (born 23 December 1982, in Épinal, France) is a former professional squash player from France. He has won the 2015 World Open Squash Championship, the British Open three times, in 2007, 2014 and 2017, the Qatar Classic in ...

lives in Aix-en-Provence. *The city hosted

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

's football base camp during

Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...

. *The city holds a junior

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

World Cup event for men's foil in January of each year. Local fencer

Erwann Le Péchoux Erwann Le Péchoux (born 13 January 1982) is a French left-handed foil fencer. Le Péchoux is a four-time team European champion and four-time team world champion. A five-time Olympian, Le Péchoux is a 2016 team Olympic silver medalist and 202 ...

was part of the team that won the gold medal in men's team foil at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Economy

Industries formerly included flour-milling, the manufacture of confectionery, iron-ware, hats, matches and the extraction of

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

. Current economic activities include: * Tourism. * Entertainment, particularly opera and dance. * The

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...

and

electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...

industry in Rousset, to the south of Mont Ste.-Victoire, specializing in

microchip An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...

technology for credit cards. * Education and research. In Aix the University of Aix-Marseille specializes in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

, law and economics. * The computer software industry. * The manufacture of santons, traditional hand-crafted figurines, often associated with provencal Christmas creches. * The manufacture of

. * The manufacture of ''

calisson Calissons are a traditional French candy consisting of a smooth, pale yellow, homogeneous paste of candied fruit (especially melons and oranges) and ground almonds topped with a thin layer of royal icing. They have a texture similar to that of ...

s'', a lozenge-shaped

confection Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somew ...

made from

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

s, orange peel, sugar, and crystallized melon. Each year in early September, there is a mass in French and Provençal in the

church of St Jean de Malte to bless the calissons – '' la bénédiction des calissons''. This ceremony has been held since the 17th century to mark the deliverance of Aix from the plague. It is currently accompanied by a colourful provencal

pageant Pageant(s) or The Pageant(s) may refer to: Events * Procession or ceremony in elaborate costume * Beauty pageant, or beauty contest * List of pageants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Medieval pageant, a narrative medieval pro ...

, involving most of the local calisson manufacturers and their wares. About calissons, Provençal novelist

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (, also ; ; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the . Pagnol is generally regarded as one of France's ...

wrote that, to make true calissons "You need one-third almonds, one-third fruit confits, one-third sugar, and a quarter savoir faire''.'' *

Viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

: the local

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

is Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence AOC, with many vineyards between Aix and the River Durance to the north. The reputed appellation of Palette AOC is represented by the estates of Château Simone in

Meyreuil Meyreuil (; ) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France, about from Aix en Provence. Geography Located from Aix-en-Provence, the commune of Meyreuil is sheltered in the northeast by the mountain Montagne Sainte-V ...

and Château Crémade in Le Tholonet, to the east of Aix. There is a fair of local wine producers every year on the last Sunday in July on the Cours Mirabeau. Grape varieties include

grenache Grenache (; ) or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry condi ...

syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

cabernet sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

, and notably

vermentino Vermentino is a light-skinned wine grape variety, primarily found in Italian wine. It is widely planted in both Sardinia and Liguria, to some extent in Corsica, in Piedmont under the name Favorita, and in increasing amounts in Languedoc-Roussillo ...

. * Chocolate: the well known

Chocolaterie A chocolaterie is a type of business which both manufactures chocolate confections and sells them, at the same location. It is usually a small family business, often operating at only one location. The word is of French origin, and shops named a ...

de Puyricard is situated in the hills to the north of Aix. * Saffron: The Safranière de Provence is an organic saffron producer situated near Aix-en-Provence. The airline

Twin Jet Twin Jet is a French regional airline based in Aix-en-Provence. History Twin Jet was founded in May 2001 and operated its first scheduled flight in March 2002. The company operates 250 flights a week mainly on domestic routes within France a ...

has its head office in Aix-en-Provence. From 1990 to 2000, criminal organizations established complex

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...

rings in

extending to Aix-en-Provence and the greater

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

. Since 2002, ''Le Milieu'' is known for, in addition to its extortion rings, large

counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

ing and white-collar crime operations. Due to increased financial regulation, ''Le Milieu'' has collectively pushed to integrate their crime profits into the legal economy.

Demographics

Politics

The current mayor of Aix-en-Provence is

Sophie Joissains Sophie Joissains (born 25 October 1969) is a French politician who has served as Mayor of Paris since 2021. She was previously a member of the French Senate. She represents the Bouches-du-Rhône department and is a member of the Radical Party ...

, elected on September 24, 2021. Presidential Elections Second Round:

Transport

A set of ancient roads radiate out from Aix to the surrounding countryside, the Pays d'Aix. There are also a large number of modern autoroutes connecting Aix to nearby towns. There are autoroutes northwards to Avignon and to the

Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mounta ...

; southwards to

; and eastwards to

Aubagne Aubagne (; according to the classic norm or according to the Mistralian norm) is a Commune in France, commune in the southern French Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône. In 2020, the commune was awarded three flowers by the ...

and the Mediterranean coast of Provence; and to

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

. Aix and Marseille are equidistant from the

Marseille Provence Airport Marseille Provence Airport () is an international airport located 27 km (17 miles) northwest of Marseille, on the territory of Marignane, both '' communes'' of the Bouches-du-Rhône ''département'' in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regi ...

(MRS) at

Marignane Marignane (; ) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France. Geography It is a component of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, and the largest suburb of the city of Marsei ...

on the Étang de Berre which features domestic and international scheduled passenger service. There is another airport at Les Milles, which is mostly used by general aviation. There is a frequent bus shuttle service from the main bus station in Aix which also serves the nearby TGV station at l'Arbois, in the middle of the countryside about from Aix. At Aix, the line from Paris branches to Marseille and Nice; it takes about 3 hours to get from Paris to Aix by TGV. Aix also has a railway station near the centre, Gare d'Aix-en-Provence, with connections to Marseille,

Pertuis Pertuis (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in Vaucluse, a Departments of France, department in the southeastern Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, south of the Luberon. Pertuis has existed since at least 981, and a castle was first b ...

and

Briançon Briançon (, ) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an a ...

in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

. A frequent and rapid shuttle bus service for commuters operates between the bus station in Aix and Marseille. There are many other long distance and local buses from the bus station. The city also offers a "city pass" available in 24, 48, and 72-hour packages for visiting tourists. The "pass tourisitque" is offered at the Aix-en-Provence Tourist Office, the Atelier de Cézanne, and the official Aix tourism website. In the town itself, there is an inexpensive municipal bus service, including a dial-a-bus service ("proxibus"), a

park-and-ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system ( ...

service and tiny electrified buses for those with mobility problems – these are six-seater vehicles that circulate at a speed of . The central old town of Aix is for the most part pedestrianised. There are large underground and overground parking structures placed at regular intervals on the "boulevard exterieur", the predominantly one-way

ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...

that encircles the old town. Access to the old town is by a series of often narrow one-way streets that can be confusing to navigate for the uninitiated. As well as overland routes, two "rivers" flow through Aix, the Arc and the Torse, but neither of which can remotely be described as navigable.

Miscellaneous

2016 Aix-en-Provence - Le cours Mirabeau

The local Aix dialect, rarely used and spoken by a rapidly decreasing number of people, is part of the provencal dialect of the

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

language. The provencal for "Aix-en-Provence" is "Ais de Prouvènço" . Most of the older streets in Aix have names in both Provençal and French. Aix hosted the ninth International Congress of Modern Architecture in 1953. Aix is the home town of the

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

team Provence Rugby. It played host to the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

during the early stages of the

2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup () was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by F ...

. ''

Ysabel ''Ysabel'' is a fantasy novel by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay. It was first published in January 2007 by Viking Canada. It is Kay's first urban fantasy and his first book set outside his fantasied Europe milieux since the publication of his ...

'', the tenth novel of the best-selling Canadian author

Guy Gavriel Kay Guy Gavriel Kay (born November 7, 1954) is a Canadian writer of fantasy fiction. The majority of his novels take place in fictional settings that resemble real places during real historical periods, such as Constantinople during the reign of Ju ...

, was set and written in Aix. Italian electroacoustic artist Giuseppe Ielasi's album ''Aix'' was produced in Aix-en-Provence, hence the title. This is also the site of an alleged sighting and landing of a UFO in 1981 that is taken seriously by

GEIPAN GEIPAN (an acronym in French for , or Unidentified Aerospace Phenomenon Research and Information Group) () is a unit of the French space agency CNES based in Toulouse, whose brief is to investigate unidentified aerospace phenomena (UAP) and make ...

, the department within the French Space Agency responsible for investigating aerospace phenomena.

Twin towns – sister cities

Aix-en-Provence is twinned with:

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, England, United Kingdom (1977) *

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

, Tunisia (1993) *

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

, Portugal (1982) *

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

, Spain (1979) *

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

, Italy (1970) *

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

, Germany (1960)

Friendship and cooperation

Aix-en-Provence also cooperates with: *

Baalbek Baalbek (; ; ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...

, Lebanon (2003) *

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

, Mali (2003) *

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

, United States (1999) *

Coral Gables Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Cora ...

, United States (1997) *

Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2. had a populat ...

, Japan (2013) *

Oujda Oujda (, ) is a major city in northeast Morocco near the Algeria–Morocco border, border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental (Morocco), Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of 506,224 people (2024 censu ...

, Morocco (1998) *

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

, Hungary (2011) *

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States (1998) *

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, United States

Notable people

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence ( 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a Provence, Provençal noblewoman who became List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III of England, Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served ...

(died 1291),

queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

of King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...

Charles Annibal Fabrot Charles Annibal Fabrot (15 September 1580 – 16 January 1659) was a French jurisconsult. Biography He was born in Aix-en-Provence. At an early age he made great progress in the ancient languages and in the civil and the Canon law, and in 1602 ...

(1580–1659), jurist * David-Augustin de Brueys (1640–1723), theologian and playwright *

Joseph Pitton de Tournefort Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (5 June 165628 December 1708) was a French botanist, notable as the first to make a clear definition of the concept of genus for plants. Botanist Charles Plumier was his pupil and accompanied him on his voyages. Li ...

(1656–1708), botanist *

André Campra André Campra (; baptized 4 December 1660 – 29 June 1744) was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several '' trag ...

(1660–1744), composer and conductor *

Jean-Baptiste van Loo Jean-Baptiste van Loo (14 January 1684 – 19 December 1745) was a French people, French subject and portrait painter. Life and career He was born in Aix-en-Provence, and was instructed in art by his father Louis-Abraham van Loo, son of Jac ...

(1684–1745), painter * Laurent Belissen (1693–1762), composer *

Joseph Lieutaud Joseph Lieutaud (; 21 June 1703 – 6 December 1780) was a French physician. Biography Early life Joseph Lieutaud was born on 21 June 1703 at 31 Rue Cardinale in Aix-en-Provence. His father was Jean-Baptiste Lieutaud, a lawyer, and his mother, ...

(1703–1780), doctor to

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

* Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues (1715–1747), writer and moralist * Joseph Sec (1715–1794), carpenter and architect *

Jean-François Pierre Peyron Jean-François Pierre Peyron (15 December 1744 – 20 January 1814) was a French Neoclassical painter, printmaker, and art collector. Biography Peyron was born on 15 December 1744 in Aix-en-Provence in Southern France to a wealthy family. ...

(1744–1814), painter * Jean-Baptiste Giraud (1752–1830), sculptor * Toussaint-Bernard Éméric-David (1755–1839), archeologist and arts writer *

Antoine Balthazar Joachim d'André Antoine Balthazar Joachim, baron d'André (2 July 1759 – 16 July 1825) was a French royalist politician. Biography Early life He was born in Aix-en-Provence on 2 July 1759. Career At the onset of the French Revolution he was a ''conseiller'' ...

(1759–1825), member of the National Constituent Assembly of 1789 *

François Marius Granet François Marius Granet (17 December 1775 – 21 November 1849) was a French painter. Biography François Marius Granet was born on 17 December 1775 in Aix-en-Provence; his father was a small builder. As a boy his strong desires led his parents ...

(1775–1849), painter * Charles-Joseph-Eugene de Mazenod (1782–1861),

bishop of Marseille The Archdiocese of Marseille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Massiliensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Marseille'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France.Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816, by Eugène de Mazenod, a French priest later recognized as a Catholic saint. The congregation wa ...

* Eliza Courtney (1792–1859), illegitimate daughter of the Prime Minister

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. As prime minister, Grey w ...

and

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer; ; 7 June 1757 – 30 March 1806), was an English aristocrat, socialite, political organiser, author, and activist. Born into the Spencer family, married into the Cavendish family, she wa ...

François Mignet François Auguste Marie Mignet (, 8 May 1796 – 24 March 1884) was a French journalist and historian of the French Revolution. Biography He was born in Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), France. His father was a locksmith from the Vendé ...

(1796–1884), historian *

François Vincent Latil François Vincent Mathieu Latil (born 2 February 1796 in Aix-en-Provence - deceased on 4 March 1890 in Saint-Girons), was a French painter. Biography In 1818 he joined the École des Beaux-Arts. He then went on to study in Paris Paris ...

(1796–1890), painter * Achille Emperaire (1829–1898), painter * François Vidal (1832–1911), Occitan poet and activist *

(1839–1906), painter * Philippe Solari (1840–1906), sculptor *

Baptistin Baille Baptistin Baille () was born as Jean-Baptiste Baille in France, in 1841 and he died in 1918. He was initially a lecturer at École polytechnique, and then a professor of optics and acoustics at ESPCI Paris; a close friend of Paul Cézanne, the imp ...

(1841–1918), professor of

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of optical instruments, instruments that use or Photodetector, detect it. Optics usually describes t ...

and

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

Maurice Rouvier Maurice Rouvier (; 17 April 1842 – 7 June 1911) was a French statesman of the "Opportunist" faction, who twice served as the Prime Minister of France. He is best known for his financial policies and his unpopular policies designed to avoid a r ...

(1842–1911), politician *

Alfred Capus Alfred Capus (25 November 18581 November 1922) was a French journalist and playwright, who was born in Aix-en-Provence and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine. Biography Son of a lawyer from Marseille, Alfred Capus went to university in Toulon. After fai ...

(1858–1922), journalist and playwright * Henri Brémond (1864–1933), theologian * Armand Lunel (1892–1977), last known speaker of Shuadit *

Paul Veyne Paul Veyne (; 13 June 1930 – 29 September 2022) was a French historian and a specialist of Ancient Rome. A student of the École Normale Supérieure and member of the École française de Rome, he was honorary professor at the Collège de Franc ...

(1930–2022), historian and archeologist *

Jacques Pellegrin Jacques Pellegrin (12 June 1873 – 12 August 1944) was a French zoology, zoologist. Biography Pellegrin was born in Paris on 12 June 1873. He worked under zoologist Léon Vaillant (chair of reptiles and fishes) at the ''Muséum national d'hi ...

(1944–2021), painter *

Henri Michel Henri Louis Michel (28 October 1947 – 24 April 2018) was a French football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for Nantes and the France national team, and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the world ...

(1947–2018), football player and coach * Jean-Pierre Bréhier (born 1952), chef * Didier Delsalle (born 1957), pilot * Frédéric Fekkai (born 1958), celebrity hairstylist * Tristan-Patrice Challulau (born 1959), classical composer * Jean-Paul Delfino (born 1964), writer *

Julia Zemiro Julia Zemiro () (born 14 April 1967) is a French-born Australian television presenter, radio host, actress, singer, writer and comedian. She is best known as the host of the music quiz and live performance show ''RocKwiz''. Zemiro is a fluent E ...

(born 1967), Australian television presenter and actress *

Hélène Grimaud Hélène Rose Paule Grimaud (born 7 November 1969) is a French classical pianist and the founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York. Early life and education Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, the daughter of te ...

(born 1969), concert pianist *

Franck Cammas Franck Cammas (born 22 December 1972 in Aix-en-Provence) is a French yachtsman. He has lived in Brittany since his victory in the Challenge Espoir Crédit Agricole in 1994. After completing a two-year maths course for the ‘Grandes écoles’, ...

(born 1972), yachtsman * Marc Béziat (born 1975), music composer *

Arnaud Clément Arnaud Clément (; born 17 December 1977) is a French former professional tennis player and Davis Cup captain. Clément reached the final of the 2001 Australian Open and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 10 in April 2001. He ...

(born 1977), tennis player * Célimène Daudet (born 1977), classical pianist *

Mylène Jampanoï Mylène Jampanoï (; born Lena Jam-Panoï; 12 July 1980) is a French actress, model, and visual artist. Her first leading role was in the drama film '' The Chinese Botanist's Daughters'' (2006). She subsequently garnered international attention ...

(born 1980), actress * Ouissem Belgacem (born 1988), former football player, writer *

Paris Laxmi Myriam Sophia Lakshmi Quinio (born 16 July 1991), known professionally as Paris Laxmi is a dancer and actress born in France and settled in Kerala, India. With her husband Kathakali dancer Pallippuram Sunil, she runs the Kalashakti School of Art ...

(born 1991), Indian dancer

Notable residents

* Maximinus of Aix, saint, first bishop of Aix, who according to provencal tradition evangelised Aix with

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

Saint Mitre Mitre (433–466) was a Catholic saint, who was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and died in Aix-en-Provence. Biography According to the legend,martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

, died here and his

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

are preserved in the Cathedral *

(1409–1480), Duke of Anjou, Count of Provence *

Barthélemy d'Eyck Barthélemy d'Eyck, van Eyck or d' Eyck ( 1420 – after 1470), was an Early Netherlandish artist who worked in France and probably in Duchy of Burgundy, Burgundy as a painter and manuscript illuminator. He was active between about 1440 to about ...

(c. 1420 – after 1470), painter *

Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1 December 1580 – 24 June 1637), often known simply as Peiresc, or by the Latin form of his name, Peirescius, was a French astronomer, antiquary and savant, who maintained a wide correspondence with scienti ...

(1580–1637), scientist best known for his correspondence * Jean Daret (1613–1668), painter, died here *

Pierre Joseph Garidel Pierre Joseph Garidel (; 1 August 1658 – 6 June 1737) was a French botanist. Early life Pierre-Joseph Garidel was born on 1 August 1658 in Manosque. His father was Pierre Garidel, a lawyer, and his mother, Louise de Barthelemy. He studied medi ...

(1658–1737), botanist *

Claude Arnulphy Claude Arnulphy (1697 - 22 June 1786), also spelt Arnulphi, was a French painter, chiefly of portraits, based at Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. Early life Arnulphy is claimed to have been born either at Grenoble or at Lyons, but Aix i ...

(1697–1786), painter * Jean-Baptiste Marie de Piquet, Marquis of Méjanes (1729–1786), who bequeathed to the town his collection of between 60 and 80 thousand books, which later became the municipal library, the Bibliothèque Méjanes *

Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de Boisgelin Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de Boisgelin (27 February 1732 – 22 August 1804) was a French prelate, statesman and cardinal. The Boisgelin of Cucé are the Cadet branch of the maison de Boisgelin). His cousin is the famous author Louis de Boi ...

(1732–1804), Archbishop of Aix *

Victor d'Hupay Joseph Alexandre Victor d'Hupay (1746–1818) was a French writer and philosopher. He is known for being perhaps the first writer to use the term ''communism'' in its modern sense. He wished to transform the ideals of the Enlightenment philosophe ...

(1746–1818), writer and philosopher * Jean-Antoine Constantin (1756–1844), painter * Antoine de L'Hoyer (1768–1852), composer, guitarist and soldier * Ambroise Roux-Alphéran (1776–1858),

clerk of court A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court and administering oaths ...

and historian *

(1840–1902), novelist, spent his childhood here * Émile Dufresne (1861–1942), inventor and engineer, died here *

Joseph Ravaisou Joseph Ravaisou (11 November 1865 – 22 December 1925) was a French landscape painter. Ravaisou was born on 11 November 1865, in Bandol, Var. In 1878, he moved to Aix-en-Provence to work as a school teacher, and subsequently became a mus ...

(1865–1925), painter, died here *

Louise Germain Louise Germain (née Louise Richier; 1874 – 1939) was a French painter. Biography Richier was born in 1874, in Gap, Hautes-Alpes, but lived much of her childhood and adolescence in Algeria, returning to France by the time she was twenty. By ...

(1874–1939), painter, died here *

Joseph d'Arbaud Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

(1874–1950), poet, died here *

(1892–1984), composer and teacher * Roland de Pury (1907–1979), Swiss minister, died here *

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

(1933–2003), American singer, songwriter, pianist, civil rights activist, lived here in 1993–2003 *

Christophe Rousset Christophe Rousset (; born 12 April 1961) is a French harpsichordist and conducting, conductor, who specializes in the performance of Baroque music on Authentic performance, period instruments. He is also a musicologist, particularly of opera and ...

(born 1961), conductor and harpsichordist, grew up here *

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These songs inclu ...

(1942–2001), poet, painter and singer, wrote several evergreens here *

Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...

(born 1975), American actor, spent 6 months as an exchange student here whilst studying an English major and French minor at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. *

(born 1982), 2015 squash world champion * Majid Rabah (born 1980), footballer

Gallery

File:Aix-en-Provence Thermes Sextius 2 20061227.jpg, Medieval

town wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with to ...

near Roman baths File:Aix-en-Provence-Fountain-Oct-2001.jpeg, Place des Tanneurs File:Aix-en-Provence Rene Ier de Naples 4 20061227.jpg, Statue of le Roi René File:Aix - le roi René.jpg, Detail of le Roi René File:Aix-en-Provence Fontaine des Quatre-Dauphins 20061227.jpg, Place des Quatre Dauphins, towards the Boulevard extérieur File:Aix-en-Provence Musee des tapisseries 2 20061227.jpg, The archbishop's palace, opera house and tapestry museum File:Aix-en-Provence Hotel de ville 2 20061227.jpg, Clock tower, Hotel de Ville File:Aix-en-Provence Hotel de ville 3 20061227.jpg, Detail of mechanical clock File:Aix-en-Provence Bureau de Poste 20061227.jpg, Bureau de Poste File:Dome-Saint-Sauveur-Aix.jpg, Aix Cathedral, Dome File:Aix-en-Provence Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur 1 20061227.jpg, Aix Cathedral File:Aix-en-Provence Saint-Jean-de-Malte 1 20061227.jpg, St Jean de Malte, rue Cardinale File:Aix-en-Provence Eglise de la Madeleine 20061227.jpg, Église de la Madeleine, place des Precheurs File:Paul Cézanne 079.jpg, Jas de Bouffan, Paul Cézanne File:Paul Cézanne 083.jpg, Jas de Bouffan, Paul Cézanne File:Pavillon de Vendome Aix-en-Provence 01.jpg, The

Pavillon Vendôme The Pavillon Vendôme is a historic pavilion surrounded by a French formal garden located 32 rue Celony in Aix-en-Provence, France. History It was built by architect Pierre Pavillon (1612-1670) between 1665 and 1667.''Aix en provence, pays A ...

File:Aix-en-Provence Publicite murale 20061227.jpg, Mural advertisement File:Atlante-Aix-license.jpg,

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

on a doorway in Aix File:Place-Albertas-Aix.jpg, The place d'Albertas File:Fontaine-Albertas.jpg, Fountain in the place d'Albertas File:Aix-en-Provence Hotel Estienne de Saint-Jean 20061227.jpg, Door carving in Aix File:Clock-Precheurs-Aix.jpg, Mechanical clock, place des Precheurs File:Marche-Richelme-Aix.jpg, Daily vegetable market, place Richelme File:Provence - Confiseries.jpg, Provençal confectionery File:Les-Fontetes-Aix.jpg, Baroque fountain in Aix File:Holiday home, Provence, France (6052487203).jpg, Provençal House File:Aix - marché traditionnel .jpg, Provençal market File:Aix-en-Provence-Les-Bains-Oct-2001.jpeg, The modern spa in Aix File:Fondation Vasarely, Aix-en-Provence.jpg, The Vasarely Foundation File:Aix-en-Provence 2013.JPG, Rue des Cordeliers File:Aix-en-Provence-Place de la Mairie.jpg, alt=Flower market on Place de l'Hôtel de Ville and the Clock Tower in Aix-en-Provence., Flower market on Place de l'Hôtel de Ville and the Clock Tower in Aix-en-Provence. File:Cezanne casa Aix-en-Provence.jpg, alt=House where painter Paul Cézanne died in 1906 in Aix-en-Provence, House where painter Paul Cézanne died in 1906 in Aix-en-Provence

Notes

Explanatory footnotes

References

* ;Attribution *

Bibliography

External links

Aix en Provence Tourist office website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aixenprovence Landforms of Bouches-du-Rhône Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône Subprefectures in France 123 BC 120s BC establishments Spa towns in France Populated places established in the 2nd century BC Roman sites in Provence Salyes Cities in France