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Béziers
lies midway between Montpellier, and Perpignan on the A9 motorway.
The Mediterranean coast is just a short away. It is located on a
hill that slopes down to the River Orb. A fine view of the River and
surrounding countryside can be had from the terrace of the
Cathedral. Throughout the Languedoc, Béziers is known for two things in particular: wine and bullfighting. Undoubtedly the best time to visit this town, which overlooks the plain of the Hérault département, is during the four-day long feria when the town erupts into carnival atmosphere. Béziers is perfectly situated for excursions into the Haut Languedoc, a rugged mountainous region of picturesque stone villages and mountain streams. A stroll through the old town, bordered on three sides by the River Orb and a canal, is very pleasant.
CHEAP CITY BREAKS ALL YEAR ROUND
Exploring the town of Béziers is like walking through a real life history book.Important and extensive remains came to light during the excavations for the town’s northern bypass, which show that the history and the population of Béziers are even more ancient than originally believed. Today, we know that it has been home to a settled population for the past 6,500 years.
BEZIERS HISTORY The first historic remains da The production of grapes and olives developed here and the surrounding oak forests were cleared. When Rome fell, Gaul Narobonnais, was invaded by warriors from the East, especially the Visigoths, who pillaged the region and established their capital in Narbonne.
13th century The Crusades against the Cathars July 22, 1209 • Massacre at BeziersOne date in particular holds an important place in the history of Béziers: the 22nd July 1209. On this day, the Crusade against the Cathars led to the pillage and burning of Béziers and the massacre of its residents in the church of The Madeleine. Béziers was home to heretics, known as “Cathars”. The pope's representative seemed untroubled by the massacre when he wrote to the Pope, Innocent III, that "neither age, nor sex, nor status had been spared." In fact, a popular account said that Arnald-Amaury, the pope's legate, was asked at the height of the butchery how the killers should distinguish Catholic from heretic. He was said to have replied."Kill them all; God will recognize his own." Although this cannot be verified, it indicates how contemporaries felt about the event. The King’s army – led by Simon de
Montfort together with the Pope’s Legate, Arnaud Amaury had set off
against Languedoc, a very rich and completely independent region to
put down the Cathars.
So how was a crusade taking place
there? So far from the Middle East where we associate the Crusades The pope decided to undertake a crusade against the heretics, and many wicked men, excited by the prospect of loot, joined the army. The crusaders arrived at Beziers, on July 21, 1209. The city was well-provisioned and Catholic and heretic alike joined to defend it against the crusaders. On July 22, 1209, the crusaders unexpectedly attacked, but the walls were not properly manned. Defenders fled. Within three hours, the crusaders had taken the city. When the poor soldiers began to loot, the knights stepped in. The plunder was for them. Some of the looters, angry at being cheated out of their share of the spoils, set buildings on fire. Soon much of the town was ablaze, and within a few hours the crusaders had to pull out, the heat was so intense. Many valuables perished in the blaze.
The fall of Beziers was
the start of the downfall of the Cathar movement.
12th/14th centuries Troubadours and the Commune Following this terrible period,
Béziers obtained its Communal Charter: administered by the Consuls,
who set up their Communal house on the site of the former Roman
forum where the Hôtel de ville (Town Hall) stands today. The city developed a love of liberty, and tolerance, with an opposition to central power, from which emerged an unruly attitude and a taste for rebellion.…groups of Troubadours toured the region and this brought about a more gentle way of life and a cultural boom, but through the 14th century huge problems ensued with locust swarms and famines and then the Great Plague, which, from 1345, killed almost one third of the French population… 17th/18th centuries
After becoming Farmer General for
the salt tax in Languedoc (tax inspector), he obtained the
authorisation of Louis XIV to build the Canal du Midi, which he had
conceived and designed. He was the only one who had been able to
find the solution for the permanent supply of water to this canal
which links the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. He therefore ensured,
developed and secured trade between the two seas. This led to a
period of great prosperity for Béziers. 19th century Wine-making fortunes and southern prosperity
The most prosperous period in the
history of Béziers came during the 19th century, when the boom in
winemaking, and transport meant that the local vineyards were able
to supply wine to all of France and also to other parts of the
world. This activity provided work for thousands of people,
resulting in a massive increase in the population. Wine production
gave rise to massive fortunes which led to the
20th century: The 1st World War depleted the town’s population, and Béziers had barely recovered when the. 2nd World War started. Defeat in 1940 and the German occupation was a serious wound to the pride of the residents of Béziers, and this roused them. Jean Moulin who was born in Beziers, was the flame for the spirit of revolt grew in a house on the Champ de Mars. Jean Moulin, “Biterrois” (resident of Béziers) by birth became the hero of the French Resistance. Jean Moulin was born in Béziers on 20th June 1899. In 1939 he became the Prefect for the region of Eure-et-Loire.He was arrested by the Germans on 17th June 1940, and upon his release in November he joined General de Gaulle in London, who designated him as his representative to the French Resistance. He unified the different Resistance movements and coordinated them during the hardest periods of the Occupation, before being betrayed, and arrested on 21st June at Caluire and tortured by Klaus Barbie. He died in the train which was carrying him away to deportation. He died a national hero and today his ashes lie at rest in the Pantheon in Paris.
Béziers today A town with suburbs consisting of over 102,000 inhabitants, Béziers lies at the heart of a very popular tourist region. Budget airlines’ with their cheap flights fly direct to Beziers Airport. On the strength of a local client base of some 500 000 inhabitants and 1.2 million tourists, of which 500 000 are from foreign countries, the airport offers an estimated traffic potential of nearly 300,000 passengers per year. Thanks to its new infrastructures, the airport is now capable of handling much larger aircraft, notably those used for leisure travel. Béziers’ colourful and fascinating history is evident everywhere, and a big attraction for tourists. But Béziers is also looking to the future, and is now developing rapidly with its university, and transport infrastructure (A75 motorway, TGV to Spain, airport expansion. Beziers is diversifying its economy and building for the future, and is asserting itself as an economic hub in full development. A southern town with a definite strong character,
Guided visits
The Tourist Office guides will
readily welcome you to discover Béziers. The ancient city is
re-emerging through the recently excavated Roman amphitheatre. They
will take you strolling through the cool and winding streets of the
medieval city, to discover the facades of private mansions, which
contain hidden courtyards and sumptuous spiral stairways. There are
also large avenues to savour, with their opulent architecture so
characteristic of the nineteenth century.
Visits guaranteed all year round.
Office de Tourisme Web:
What to see. The area north, and west of the
center (straight and left as you're facing the theatre) have the
most interesting streets for shopping, and is the center of the "old
town". On early morning walks in Béziers you'll be greeted with the
aromas of bakeries, and the large, covered market at the Place
Pierrre Sémard is open 5h30 to 13h30.
St Nazaire Cathedral : In 1130, the master builder Gervais, built a Romanesque church of which little is left today. In fact, it was burned down on 22 July 1209 as part of the Crusade against the Albigensians. It was said that the cathedral “split in half like a pomegranate”. The Cathédrale of St-Nazaire was rebuilt between the 13th and 15th centuries, and is a superb example of southern Gothic architecture with magnificent frescoes, a fascinating organ case, and other interesting items. The towers are crenellated and gives the appearance of a castle more than a church. You can climb the tower that gives views across the vineyards that surround Béziers, The cloisters and the bishop’s garden that overlooks the River Orb are worth visiting. The medieval quarter around the cathedral, is an interesting area to walk, and is subject to an extensive renovation programme.
In many ways repository
of the town’s history, it is also an invitation to come for a
peaceful stroll or just to rest awhile: the cloisters and the
Bishop’s garden are cool havens of peace on the hottest day. These
are magical places, hidden from public view, which is typical of
Béziers,
The Amphitheatre :
At the beginning of the
20th century however, it was intended for operas and other events.
Camille Saint-Saëns was persuaded to mount his opera, Déjanire,
there by his friend Castelbon. It was a triumph, and marked the
start of the Arena’s role as “opera house”. Other operas followed,
and over 25 years Béziers became a sort of French Bayreuth. The
town’s bull-fighting traditions only date from the end of the First
World War, the first major corrida being held on 29 May 1921.
Plateau des Poètes This park, dating from the second half of the 19th century, takes its name from a monk who lived in Béziers in the 13th century, Maffre Ermengaud, whose poem “Breviary of love” counted no fewer than 34,000 verses. It was in the middle of the 19th century, under Mayor Auguste Fabrégat, that the decision was taken to create the Plateau des Poètes.
Designed to complete the southern
end of the Allées Paul-Riquet and to join the railway station to the
town, and the theatre at the other end of Allées. Apart from its normal leisure use, the park is frequently put to use by wedding parties as a venue for their photographs. It is an inviting place for those who want to take the time to appreciate nature’s gentle pace. The plateau was classed as a historic site in 1995.
The Canal du Midi A few hundred yards from the town, he had to build a series of seven locks to enable the canal to climb the Fonséranes hill. Today this is one of the major sites in Languedoc - Roussillon. Not far away, an ingenious bridge was built to take the Canal over the Orb River. It is now classed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site,
Prior to Paul Riquet, the three-centuries-old canal was always a
dream. The Romans first dreamt of linking the two seas, but it was
Paul Riquet from Béziers who managed to realise their ambition.
Today, the Canal’s days of carrying goods are over, and it has
become a unique tourist attraction. It was in 1660, that Pierre-Paul Riquet presented a plan before Colbert, the king’s minister, and argued in its favour: to link the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas by an artificial waterway, thus avoiding the expensive and dangerous journey through the straits of Gibraltar and assuring the safe transportation of goods. After six years of persistent struggle in the face of general scepticism, Riquet managed to convince Louis XIV, who ordered the construction of the Royal Languedoc Canal, which became the Canal du Midi after the Revolution. At the age of sixty, Riquet undertook the biggest project of his life, with fifteen years of work, 12,000 workers (600 women), 328 works of art (bridges, dams, locks, aqueducts, tunnels…) and 45,000 plane and cypress trees planted along the banks. In total, 240 kilometres of canal were dug with pick and shovel between Toulouse and Sète. The Locks of Fonseranes Located a short distance outside Beziers is one of the major projects of the Canal du Midi. Eight basins and nine gates allow a boat to traverse a difference in level of 21m50 over a length of more than 300m. This water “stairway” was a considerable technical achievement at the time, and the locks of Fonseranes remain a permanent attraction. Each year, about 10,000 boats pass through them. In the nineteenth century, the lowest basin at Fonseranes was blocked off, and a channel was dug to allow the canal to arrive at a bridge, which carried the canal over the River Orb and into the new port at Beziers.
Free
Access to the locks,
Also nearby is The Malpas
Tunnel, 173m long, was
dug in six days through a sandstone hill at Ensérune.
Moulin de Bagnols (The Cordier mill)
From the twelfth century onwards
five wheat mills used the River Orb as a source of power. The
hydraulic engineer, Jean-Marie Cordier, bought the remains in 1836
and used them to deal with the problem of supplying the city with
water.
Avenue Valentin DucOnly
October-April 10 a.m-5.30 p.m
Built in 1890 in the Baltard style, and magnificently restored in 1986, the food displays are mouthwatering. 6 a.m-1 p.m except Monday
The Theatre Was built in 1844. With an ancient façade, the interior decoration by David d’Angers, contains an English-inspired foyer, a wooden, Italian-style auditorium, this “bonbonnière” (exquisite) theatre is the only work in France dating from that period to have kept its original style. Visits by reservation : 04 67 28 40 75
Avenue Paul Riquet Laid out in 1827 following the line of the ramparts, the Allées Paul Riquet is the city’s main artery. It marks the limit between the old and new neighbourhoods of the city. A statue of Pierre-Paul Riquet by David d’Angers (1838) stands half-way down the avenue.
Plateau of the Poets Created in 1870 by the Bülher brothers, this magnificent English landscape garden offers works by the sculptor Injalbert, and over seventy rare botanical species. From October to March : 7 a.m-6 p.m April to May 7 a.m-8 p.m June 21st to August 7 a.m-9 p.m 22nd August-September 7 a.m-8 p.m
Getting around Getting to Beziers by road • The A9 Motorway from Lyon to Barcelona
passes directly by. Bus Occitan
SNCF Railway Station SNCF Railway station information: 08 36 67 68
69
Taxis
Bicycle rental JB’S, Ecluses de
Fonseranes Tel; 06 11 75 62 28
Car rental ADA 23 Bd de Verdun 04 67 62
65 39
Airport From the UK, you can book a
Béziers flight from London Stansted and Bristol
MUSEUMS Musée du Biterrois (The Biterrois Museum) The natural and human history of Béziers and its region is illustrated by the diverse collections of palaeontology, archaeology, history, and ethnology.
Caserne St Jacques Musée des Beaux-arts (The Museum of Fine Arts) In the heart of the historic quarter near to the Saint-Nazaire Cathedral, the museum was created in 1859 and placed in two magnificent private mansions. Musée d’Histoire Naturelle (The Natural History Museum) The museum holds a remarkable collection.
Caserne St Jacques Opening times of all the museums
1st April - 30th June
1st July - 31st August
1st September - 31st October
1st November - 31st March
Hôtel Fayet An impressive collection of nineteenth century paintings and sculptures, notably featuring the workshop collection of Béziers’ sculptor J.A. Injalbert, is housed in this private mansion.
Rue du Capus
Hôtel Fabrégat A lovely collection of ancient, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish paintings, and including the collection of modern art that belonged to Jean Moulin (Chirico,Soutine, Dufy…)
6 place de la Révolution
Espace Taurin (Bullfighting Exhibition Hall) A permanent exhibition of bullfighting culture, based on the collections of the Béziers Bullfighting Union.
Open from 1st July to 31st August
Château de Saint Bauzille Saint Bauzille was the first wine château to open its doors to visitors. It is a living testament to the splendour of nineteenth century Béziers. There is an important collection of pianoforte from the Revolution to the Romantic Age.
Route de Bessan Open every day from April to October from 2 p.m-6 p.m
Château de Raissac The attractions of the château include : a collection of nineteenth century ceramics in the original stables, and sales of Christine Viennet earthenware. A visit to the wine cave, includes a tasting.
Route de Murviel
Wine Cave : 9 a.m-1 p.m and 2 p.m-6
p.m
WINE The vineyards surrounding Beziers - the world’s largest by area - has formed the landscape and the history of the city since Roman times. Béziers has not forgotten its title as capital of wine from the previous century. During the last twenty years, in order to regain its standing, it has changed methods, concentrating on quality rather than quantity of production. Béziers now offers a complete range of wines: from AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée), a classification, designating a high quality of wine), to Coteaux du Languedoc (wine from vines grown on hillsides), or Vins de Pays d’Oc (local wine), Béziers produces wines appreciated and recognised worldwide. Béziers Méditerranée OEnopole is the storefront for the vineyards surrounding Béziers, selling and promoting wines on behalf of vine-growers of the region. Its tasting hall is open to the general public for wine-tasting sessions,
COOPERATIVE : LES CAVES DE BEZIERS
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
Locks Festival on the Canal du Midi
14 and 15 June 2008
“Festa d’oc”
BULL FIGHTING (Feria)
Arena cup
Christmas Fair
From 5-24 December, from 10.00 –
19.00 each day, the Béziers Christmas Market will be in full swing
in the lively pedestrian area around the theatre and les Allées Paul
Riquet, lined with the stalls of craftsmen and shopkeepers
RUGBY The Bitteroise have a passion for rugby. One of Beziers’ most striking buildings is the modern Stade de la Mediteranee. The Stade was completed in 1989 and is home to the Beziers rugby team, who have won the French rugby championship eleven times in their history. The ASB, Association Sportive Biterroise, (today ASB-H for Hérault) can boast of a well-stocked prize list. The club, created in 1911 from the fusion of two local teams, is one of the oldest in France and also one of the most capped: with 11 French championship titles obtained through blood, sweat and many bitter battles between 1961 and 1984. Over the seasons and since the creation of the national squad, ASB has also provided 55 players to wear the national colours in matches played in both hemispheres. After a period of indifferent rugby Beziers is now becoming a strong contender in French rugby. Beziers was the southern most venue used for the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Beziers was also used as a venue for the 1991 World Cup.
ASBH
Tel : 04 67 11 81 76
SHOPPINGBéziers is an excellent town for shopping. It has shops and stores of all sizes, from the Galeries Lafayette department store to small trendy boutiques. One large toy store specializes in wooden toys and creative toys. There are also three large shopping districts on the outskirts. Markets
Flower Market (Allées
Paul Riquet)
Hotels
The Beziers
region has a huge choice of quality hotels, B&Bs and guest houses.
Although luxury holidays are possible here, there is also plenty of
accommodation for a cheap city break. Swimming pool
Stade Nautique
Municipal Léo Lagrange
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Béziers
is also surrounded by some of the prettiest countryside in southern
France and is just a few miles from the Mediterranean coast, making
it a perfect base for holidays in the south of France.
construction of “wine
chateaux” throughout the winemaking area of Béziers. Trade
increased with the development of the southern railway company. The
city took on its present-day shape. With the demolition of the
ramparts (1827), the laying out of an esplanade – les Allées Paul
Riquet - the construction of grand boulevards across the city, the
Plateau des Poètes and the theatre also took place, as well as the
arena, where Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré came to present
their works. Béziers became the principal city in the region.
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