Montpellier is the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region and also its largest city. Mostly found in the town centre, Montpellier acts as a reminder of the great periods of history and the ordeals that the city has witnessed, from the Middle Ages to modern times. It also shows the city's early vocation for medicine and trade, the daring and genius of some of the lords, bishops and worthy citizens who have shaped its destiny, and the enthusiasm and courage of its inhabitants.
A thousand years of trade and intellectual activity have made Montpellier a teeming, energetic city. Benjamin of Tudela, the tireless twelfth-century Jewish traveler, reported its streets crowded with traders from every corner of Egypt, Greece, Gaul, Spain, Genoa and Pisa. A few hiccups - like being sold to France in 1349, almost total destruction for its Protestantism in 1622, and depression in the wine trade in the early years of the last century - have done little to dent this progress. Today it vies with Toulouse for the title of most dynamic city in the south. The reputation of its university especially, founded in the thirteenth century and most famous for its medical school, is a long-standing one: more than 60,000 students still set the intellectual and cultural tone of the city - the average age of whose residents is said to be just 25.
Montpellier has grown since the last war from a lazy provincial town to a commercial metropolis, with a major wine trade as well as being the home for many technology-based companies, including IBM. The Montpellier University is one of France 's largest and oldest, founded in 1289 and is especially noted for medicine and chemistry. The wide central square, the Place de la Comedie, with its paved piazza, is a smart meeting place and close by is a modern shopping centre - the Polygone. Modern Montpellier however has not lost its old seigneurial charm: on a hill within the inner ring boulevard, the delightful narrow streets are lined with elegant 17th and 18th century residences. The Rue Foch leads to the Arc de Triomphe, built in 1691 in honor of Louis XIV. Just beyond is a formal garden, the Promenade du Peyrou, which affords wonderful views of the mountains and coast. On the Montpellier Tourist Office site you'll find a host of information about upcoming attractions and activities. |
