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Fifteen years ago, Nimes was some dull city, having its
popularity only because of the Roman ruins. Only once a year, the city awoke, in
July during the Fiesta. After the election of a new, not young, but dynamic
mayor, a former president of a fashion empire, all this changed. Like the French
have the secret, a series of modern architectures were born, the inner city was
freshened up in a pedestrian area. The city is now not only interesting but also
pleasant.
Some history: despite the Romans are the stars of their history, here the Celts
founded also the city. The Romans chose for the capitals of their provinces
often between the main places of a tribe. The very first Nimes was the city of
Volcae Arecomici. They honored the source god Nemausus. After him and Emperor
Augustus, the Romans called the city Colonia Augusta Nemausus. The new city was
one where Roman money could be minted. As a reminder of the victory of Augustus
on Marcus Antonius, Cleopatra and Egypt, a crocodile and a palm tree were
printed on the mints. Since then, the palm tree and crocodile is used as Logo
for Nimes.
Because of its location along the Via Domitia, the city blossomed and the
building, indispensable for a Roman city, were set in a high tempo. The
amphitheatre, a theatre, a forum, temples and a large city wall. The summit of
its glory was in the 2nd century after Christ. Antonius Pius, one of
the emperors at that time even came from Nimes.
During the crusade against the Cathars, Nimes was first at the side of the
Albigeois (citizens of Albi) But after the bloodbath in Beziers the city changed
sides and preferred to surrendered, avoiding a massacre.
The Reformation shot deep into the city. You could call it a small Geneva. In
1570, more than half of the inhabitants were protestant. Bals and other
festivities were forbidden, and the dames put a
black veil on their mirrors so they could not enjoy their own image (pretty or
not!) After the Edit de Nantes, the city was free for Protestants. The catholic
party didn’t always agree and the power changed often between heretics and
papists.
In the 18th and 19th century, the local silk and garment
industry bloomed, also thanks to an indigo blue fabrics imported from Egypt.
This solid “bleu de Nimes” was very popular with the peasants and shepherds of
the harsh Garrigues. Exporting it to the United States it came one day in 1848
into the hands of a certain LEVI-STRAUSS who used it fir his own invention: the
jeans trouser: Bleu de Nimes became “blue denim”. So jeans come from the way
Americans pronounce” toile de Genes” That’s’ how it was named in Nimes, because
the fabrics was send via Genua. |
