Royan
Encyclopedia
Royan is a commune
in the Charente-Maritime
department, along the Atlantic Ocean
, in southwestern France
.
A seaside resort
, Royan is in the heart of an urban area
estimated at 38,638 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the department, after La Rochelle
, Rochefort
and Saintes
. Capital of the « Côte de beauté », the city is located at the mouth of the Gironde Estuary
, the largest estuary
in Europe. Royan has five sandy beaches, a marina
and a fishing port
.
situated in the west of the department of Charente-Maritime
, in the former province of Saintonge
. It occupies a site on the mouth
of the Gironde Estuary
, on the eastern side, near the Atlantic
coast. Along the coast, the limestone cliff
s and beaches (locally called conches), alternate in position at the sea.
of rocks dating from the Cretaceous
Period (about 150 million years ago), limited to the north by the swamp
s of Pousseau and on the west by the swamp
s of Pontaillac. The formation of the estuary
, the cliffs and the conches occurred approximately 65 million years ago, as the birth of the Alps
and Pyrenees
creased the coats of limestone
.
, La Rochelle
(via the départemental road 733 and national road 137), 98 km (61 mi) from Bordeaux
(by départemental road 730 and freeway A10) and 507 km (315 mi) from Paris
. The RN150 allows a journey time of a little less than half an hour from Royan to the city of Saintes
, the historic capital of Saintonge
and an important city of art
and history
.
, Angoulême
, and Niort
(TGV
for Bordeaux
and Paris
).
; the city is situated around 30 km (19 mi) from Rochefort-Saint-Agnant Airport, allowing flights to several European destinations (notably the British Islands ), and approximately 70 km (43 mi) from La Rochelle - île de Ré Airport. A hundred kilometres to the south, Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport allows connections from the region to numerous cities around the world.
. Two winds coming from the ocean, the noroît and the suroît, blow along the coast
of the department. Insolation is very important: with 2250 hours a year, it is comparable to the French Riviera.
Charente-Maritime
is the French département which was most affected by Hurricane Martin of December 27, 1999. The national records of registered winds were reached with 198 kilometres per hour (123 mph) on the island of Oléron and 194 km/h in Royan. Buildings, woods and harbour facilities underwent heavy damage.
: cut flints brought to light by archeological excavations give evidence of this. The Celtic people of Santones began to emphasize the peninsula
of Arvert. Romans
developed the cultivation of vineyards, the breeding of oysters and the saltern
technique. Tibulle celebrates the coast after the victory of Messala, and Ausone built a residence there. In 418, the Visigoths arrived at Saintes
s. To protect itself, Royan surrounded itself with walls in 419, the date on which this city is mentioned for the first time in an old man cartulaire. Grégoire of Tours mentions a usurpation of the church of Royan by the Arian
Visigoths. In summer 844, the Viking
s came up the Gironde, plundering everything on their passage.
At the beginning of the 11th century, a precarious peace returned, and the peninsula was slowly reborn at the instigation of small seigneuries and abbeys. Between 1050 and 1075, the prieuré of Saint-Vivien de Saintes built Saint Pierre priory on the plateau
Saint-Pierre, two kilometres from the village. This fixed a small hamlet
. In 1092, the abbey of the Grande-Sauve established another priory, Saint Nicolas, not far from the village. This one is on the rock of Foncillon, by the sea. Attached to the village, a small castle
protected the bottom of the beach of Grande Conche which served as a harbour. Already at the end of the 11th century, harbour activity was important. Numerous lighters made the Gironde a stopover waiting for winds or favorable currents. The Lord of Didonne took advantage of this to impose a tax
on any boat stopping at the foot of the castle
.
In 1137, Eleanor of Aquitaine
married the king of France, Louis VII
. Royan became an integral part of the duchy
of Aquitaine
and passed under the direct control of the king of France. But in 1152, the marriage was annulled and Eleanor was married again, to Henri Plantagenet
, who became King of England in 1154. Royan then passed under English control.
The King of England strengthened the defences of the village, protecting it with robust bulwark
s and a solid donjon. The various taxes paid by ships in the 13th century were codified by the Lords of Royan in 1232, under the name of Coutume (Custom) of Royan. On May 20, 1242, Henry III, king of England, at war against Louis IX (saint Louis), landed at Royan with 300 knight
s. Beaten at Taillebourg
, the English kingdom kept, by the treaty of Paris, control of the South of Saintonge
, with the city of Royan. In 1355, during the Hundred Years War, the Black Prince, heir to the throne of England, occupied Saintonge
. He strengthened the defences of Royan, which became a large village administered by twelve Echevins and twelve councillors. At the end of the Hundred Years War, in 1451, the region of Royan was definitively part of French kingdom, but the city was totally ruined.
In 1458, Marie de Valois
(1444–1473), natural daughter of Charles VII
and his mistress
Agnès Sorel
married Olivier de Coëtivy, Count
of Taillebourg
. She brought a dowry
of 12 000 ecus and the châtellenies of Royan and Mornac. In 1501 Charles de la Trémoille, by his marriage with Louise de Coëtivy, became baron of Royan. Business developed there. But walled up in its ramparts, access to the town was difficult. From the beginning of the 16th century, a suburb
developed bordering the beach.
However, in the 16th century, the religious wars raged, and almost all the great captains of the time, such as Henri de Navarre, the future King Henry IV, and the Sire of Brantôme (who would become a prior
of Saint-Pierre-de-Royan), fought under the walls of the citadel
. In 1592, Henry IV established the city as marquisate to the advantage of Gilbert de la Trémoille. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Duke of Épernon considered that, "it is one of better places of its size in France". After the Edict of Nantes
, Royan was a Protestant fortified town under King Henry III.
The strengthened city underwent a first siege
in 1622, directed by Louis XIII, but resisted. The second siege in 1623 was terrible for Royannais, who had to abandon the city, with a ban
against returning. The garrison
had to surrender. But it was Cardinal Richelieu who, in 1631, made shave rampart
s and houses of the suburb. The city, which no longer had a church, was connected with the rural parish
of Saint Pierre.
After the revocation
of the Edict of Nantes
, the major part of the population emigrated, especially to Holland, and the persecution continued under Louis XV. After the storm
of 1735 took the elevation of its harbour, navigation was not restored before the 19th century.
into departments, instead of the former provinces, they created the département of Charente-Inférieure, and Royan became an administrative centre of the canton from February 4, 1790.
At the same time, they elected a city council
, chaired by the Protestant Daniel Renaud, and the mayor
Nicolas-Thérese Vallet of Salignac. On July 12, 1790, the National Assembly voted for the civil constitution of the clergy, in the canton of Royan. The priests of the parish
es of Royan, Vaux and Saint-Sulpice refused to take the constitutional oath and become prêtres réfractaires, condemned to deportation
.
Throughout the country, church properties were seized. In Royan the convent
of the Récollets, built in 1622, was put on sale with its 33 hectares (82 acre) and was acquired on February 25, 1791, by Jean Boisseau, a shipowner, who demolished it.
Dissatisfaction due to the economic crisis built in Royan as elsewhere. To address this, clubs celebrating patriotic events are formed. On July 14, 1790, the feast of the federation took place, and a ceremony was organized in Saint Pierre church, on the occasion of the "federative oath
". At the end of November, Nicolas-Thérese Vallet of Salignac was removed from office and was replaced by François d' Aulnis de Puiraveaux.
In 1791, Daniel Renaud was elected as mayor
of the commune. In May 1791, the club of "the friends of the constitution" was opened in Royan. In general nevertheless the Terror is hardly noticeable, and few notables were worried.
. Under the Second Empire, the city underwent much development. In 1854, the first street lights
were installed. Between 1850 and 1870, the number of tourists increased from 9000 to 10,000, and the population from 3329 to 4500.
, two German
fortresses defended the Gironde Estuary: Gironde Mündung Nord (north, at Royan) and Gironde Mündung Süd (south, at La Pointe de Grave
). These constituted one of the Atlantic "pockets" which the Germans held on to grimly, well after the liberation of the rest of France. In the early hours of January 5, 1945, airplanes of the Royal Air Force
, having been told that nobody was left in Royan but Germans and collaborators, bombed the centre of Royan out of existence in two airaids. The blame for this raid is usually attributed to Free French
General de Larminat
.
The Allied
operation against the German forces on Île d'Oléron and at the mouth of the Gironde River, began with a general naval bombardment at 0750 on April 15, 1945, some 10 months after D-Day
. For five days the US naval task force assisted the French
ground forces with naval bombardment and aerial reconnaissance in the assault on Royan and the Pointe de Grave area at the mouth of the Gironde. American B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
aircraft carried out aerial bombing missions, including extensive and pioneering use of napalm
, finishing the destruction of January 5.
More than 3000 French civilians were in the town, of whom half were killed or injured in the air raids.
Blandford writes, "There was a Free French commander with the U.S. Seventh Army outside Royan, who was not informed until too late. The message was in French and the American signalman could not understand it. It took four hours to get it translated".
Howard Zinn
, author of A People's History of the United States
was one of the many bombardiers that attacked Royan during World War Two and later wrote on the topic.
of the time.
, Baden-Württemberg
, Germany
Gosport
, Hampshire
, United Kingdom
Nafplion
(Ναύπλιο), Peloponnese
, Greece
s. Finished in 1958, it is built completely of concrete. The church was classified as a historical monument in 1988. The dimensions are: a nave in ellipse, 45 metres long by 22 metres wide (45 by 22 m (147.6 by 72.2 ft)) which can hold approximately 2000 persons, flanked by an ambulatory and by a stand situated in three metres of the ground. This stand is lit by stained glass in the form of rhombus representing the Stations of the Cross. The structure of the building consists of an alternation of elements in reinforced concrete V (Lafaille system, of the name of the engineer Bernard Lafaille which created the process) alternating with immense covering windows 500 square metres (5,382 sq ft), work of the glass-worker Henri Martin-Granel.
, and its height in the center is 10.5 metres (34.4 ft). It served as model for the conception of the market of Nanterre
and as the CNIT of the Defence near Paris
.
s due to its local language university, le CAREL (Centre Audiovisuel de Royan pour l'Étude des Langues). It is frequented by thousands of stemming students of about 80 countries, and consists of 20 soundproof audiovisual rooms, 4 language laboratories, an auditorium
, a library, a television
studio
and a self-service cafe for the students. It prepares for the examinations of the DALF, DELF, TCF and TFI.
The colleges include: the Collège Émile Zola, the Collège Henry Dunant and the Collège Sainte-Marie.
The lycées include: the lycée de l'Atlantique and the lycée de Cordouan.
of the city is the stadium of honor (stade d'honneur in French), situated near the railway station, Royan has numerous other sports facilities, including two swimming-pools of which one is an outdoor sea water pool opened in the summer, to Foncillon, several gymnasiums, a sports hall, several tennis
courts, a pelota
wall, a rugby
ground and a golf
course.
A surf
-club is also based in the commune, near Pontaillac beach, as well as a karting circuit (KFM - Circuit of the côte de beauté).
A racecourse, a riding school and an 18-hole golf course
, are in nearby La Palmyre, in the commune of Les Mathes
.
Visitors:
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
department, along the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, in southwestern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
A seaside resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
, Royan is in the heart of an urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
estimated at 38,638 inhabitants, which makes it the fourth-largest conurbation in the department, after La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
and Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
. Capital of the « Côte de beauté », the city is located at the mouth of the Gironde Estuary
Gironde estuary
The Gironde is a navigable estuary , in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just below the centre of Bordeaux...
, the largest estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
in Europe. Royan has five sandy beaches, a marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
and a fishing port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
.
Geography
Royan is a seaside resortResort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
situated in the west of the department of Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, in the former province of Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
. It occupies a site on the mouth
Mouth
The mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food andsaliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth....
of the Gironde Estuary
Gironde estuary
The Gironde is a navigable estuary , in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just below the centre of Bordeaux...
, on the eastern side, near the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast. Along the coast, the limestone cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
s and beaches (locally called conches), alternate in position at the sea.
Geology
The city of Royan is built on a calcareous plateauPlateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
of rocks dating from the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
Period (about 150 million years ago), limited to the north by the swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s of Pousseau and on the west by the swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s of Pontaillac. The formation of the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, the cliffs and the conches occurred approximately 65 million years ago, as the birth of the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
creased the coats of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
.
Road
Royan is situated approximately 65 kilometres (40 mi) from the départemental prefecturePrefecture
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...
, La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
(via the départemental road 733 and national road 137), 98 km (61 mi) from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
(by départemental road 730 and freeway A10) and 507 km (315 mi) from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The RN150 allows a journey time of a little less than half an hour from Royan to the city of Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
, the historic capital of Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
and an important city of art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
.
Train
Royan SNCF railway-station is the terminus of a line connecting the city to SaintesSaintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
, Angoulême
Angoulême
-Main sights:In place of its ancient fortifications, Angoulême is encircled by boulevards above the old city walls, known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions. Within the town the streets are often narrow. Apart from the cathedral and the hôtel de ville, the...
, and Niort
Niort
Niort is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.The Latin name of the city was Novioritum.The population of Niort is 60,486 and more than 137,000 people live in the urban area....
(TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
for Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
).
Airports
The conurbation of Royan does not possess its own airportAirport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
; the city is situated around 30 km (19 mi) from Rochefort-Saint-Agnant Airport, allowing flights to several European destinations (notably the British Islands ), and approximately 70 km (43 mi) from La Rochelle - île de Ré Airport. A hundred kilometres to the south, Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport allows connections from the region to numerous cities around the world.
Climate
The climate is oceanic: the pluviometry is relatively moderate in autumn and in winter and the winters are sweet. The summer remains moderate thanks to the marine breezeSea breeze
A sea-breeze is a wind from the sea that develops over land near coasts. It is formed by increasing temperature differences between the land and water; these create a pressure minimum over the land due to its relative warmth, and forces higher pressure, cooler air from the sea to move inland...
. Two winds coming from the ocean, the noroît and the suroît, blow along the coast
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
of the department. Insolation is very important: with 2250 hours a year, it is comparable to the French Riviera.
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime is a department on the west coast of France named after the Charente River.- History :Previously a part of Saintonge, Charente-Inférieure was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
is the French département which was most affected by Hurricane Martin of December 27, 1999. The national records of registered winds were reached with 198 kilometres per hour (123 mph) on the island of Oléron and 194 km/h in Royan. Buildings, woods and harbour facilities underwent heavy damage.
Prehistory and antiquity
The site of Royan was occupied from prehistoryPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
: cut flints brought to light by archeological excavations give evidence of this. The Celtic people of Santones began to emphasize the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
of Arvert. Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
developed the cultivation of vineyards, the breeding of oysters and the saltern
Saltern
Saltern is a word with a number of differing meanings. In English archaeology, a saltern is an area used for salt making, especially in the East Anglian fenlands....
technique. Tibulle celebrates the coast after the victory of Messala, and Ausone built a residence there. In 418, the Visigoths arrived at Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....
s. To protect itself, Royan surrounded itself with walls in 419, the date on which this city is mentioned for the first time in an old man cartulaire. Grégoire of Tours mentions a usurpation of the church of Royan by the Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
Visigoths. In summer 844, the Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s came up the Gironde, plundering everything on their passage.
Middle ages
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
Saint-Pierre, two kilometres from the village. This fixed a small hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. In 1092, the abbey of the Grande-Sauve established another priory, Saint Nicolas, not far from the village. This one is on the rock of Foncillon, by the sea. Attached to the village, a small castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
protected the bottom of the beach of Grande Conche which served as a harbour. Already at the end of the 11th century, harbour activity was important. Numerous lighters made the Gironde a stopover waiting for winds or favorable currents. The Lord of Didonne took advantage of this to impose a tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
on any boat stopping at the foot of the castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
.
In 1137, Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
married the king of France, Louis VII
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
. Royan became an integral part of the duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
of Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
and passed under the direct control of the king of France. But in 1152, the marriage was annulled and Eleanor was married again, to Henri Plantagenet
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, who became King of England in 1154. Royan then passed under English control.
The King of England strengthened the defences of the village, protecting it with robust bulwark
Bulwark
Bulwark may refer to:*A bastion or fortifications in general*In naval terminology, an extension of a ship's sides above deck level*HMS Bulwark, any of several Royal Navy ships*USS Bulwark, any of several US Navy ships...
s and a solid donjon. The various taxes paid by ships in the 13th century were codified by the Lords of Royan in 1232, under the name of Coutume (Custom) of Royan. On May 20, 1242, Henry III, king of England, at war against Louis IX (saint Louis), landed at Royan with 300 knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
s. Beaten at Taillebourg
Taillebourg, Charente-Maritime
Taillebourg is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is built on a rock, overlooking the Charente River, 9 km downstream from Saintes....
, the English kingdom kept, by the treaty of Paris, control of the South of Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
, with the city of Royan. In 1355, during the Hundred Years War, the Black Prince, heir to the throne of England, occupied Saintonge
Saintonge
Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
. He strengthened the defences of Royan, which became a large village administered by twelve Echevins and twelve councillors. At the end of the Hundred Years War, in 1451, the region of Royan was definitively part of French kingdom, but the city was totally ruined.
In 1458, Marie de Valois
Marie de Valois
Marie Marguerite de Valois was the natural daughter of King Charles VII of France and his mistress Agnès Sorel.She had two sisters, Charlotte de Valois and Jeanne de Valois ....
(1444–1473), natural daughter of Charles VII
Charles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
and his mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel
Agnès Sorel , known by the sobriquet Dame de beauté, was a favourite mistress of King Charles VII of France, for whom she bore three daughters....
married Olivier de Coëtivy, Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
of Taillebourg
Taillebourg, Charente-Maritime
Taillebourg is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.It is built on a rock, overlooking the Charente River, 9 km downstream from Saintes....
. She brought a dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
of 12 000 ecus and the châtellenies of Royan and Mornac. In 1501 Charles de la Trémoille, by his marriage with Louise de Coëtivy, became baron of Royan. Business developed there. But walled up in its ramparts, access to the town was difficult. From the beginning of the 16th century, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
developed bordering the beach.
However, in the 16th century, the religious wars raged, and almost all the great captains of the time, such as Henri de Navarre, the future King Henry IV, and the Sire of Brantôme (who would become a prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
of Saint-Pierre-de-Royan), fought under the walls of the citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
. In 1592, Henry IV established the city as marquisate to the advantage of Gilbert de la Trémoille. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Duke of Épernon considered that, "it is one of better places of its size in France". After the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
, Royan was a Protestant fortified town under King Henry III.
The strengthened city underwent a first siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
in 1622, directed by Louis XIII, but resisted. The second siege in 1623 was terrible for Royannais, who had to abandon the city, with a ban
Ban (law)
A ban is, generally, any decree that prohibits something.Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory. Some see this as a negative act and others see it as maintaining the "status quo"...
against returning. The garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
had to surrender. But it was Cardinal Richelieu who, in 1631, made shave rampart
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
s and houses of the suburb. The city, which no longer had a church, was connected with the rural parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Saint Pierre.
After the revocation
Revocation
Revocation is the act of recall or annulment. It is the reversal of an act, the recalling of a grant, or the making void of some deed previously existing.-Contract law:...
of the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
, the major part of the population emigrated, especially to Holland, and the persecution continued under Louis XV. After the storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
of 1735 took the elevation of its harbour, navigation was not restored before the 19th century.
During the French Revolution
When in December 1789, the National Assembly voted for the division of FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
into departments, instead of the former provinces, they created the département of Charente-Inférieure, and Royan became an administrative centre of the canton from February 4, 1790.
At the same time, they elected a city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
, chaired by the Protestant Daniel Renaud, and the mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Nicolas-Thérese Vallet of Salignac. On July 12, 1790, the National Assembly voted for the civil constitution of the clergy, in the canton of Royan. The priests of the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es of Royan, Vaux and Saint-Sulpice refused to take the constitutional oath and become prêtres réfractaires, condemned to deportation
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
.
Throughout the country, church properties were seized. In Royan the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
of the Récollets, built in 1622, was put on sale with its 33 hectares (82 acre) and was acquired on February 25, 1791, by Jean Boisseau, a shipowner, who demolished it.
Dissatisfaction due to the economic crisis built in Royan as elsewhere. To address this, clubs celebrating patriotic events are formed. On July 14, 1790, the feast of the federation took place, and a ceremony was organized in Saint Pierre church, on the occasion of the "federative oath
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
". At the end of November, Nicolas-Thérese Vallet of Salignac was removed from office and was replaced by François d' Aulnis de Puiraveaux.
In 1791, Daniel Renaud was elected as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the commune. In May 1791, the club of "the friends of the constitution" was opened in Royan. In general nevertheless the Terror is hardly noticeable, and few notables were worried.
French seaside resorts
Paving of the streets began in 1816 and was finished only in 1826. In July 1819, the mayor, Raymond Labarthe, signed the first prescription regulating sea bathing; this forbade nude bathing from beaches bordering houses and reserved the Foncillon beach for women. In 1820, it was forbidden "to wash pigs, horses and other cattle in the sea as we have baths". In 1836, a staircase was cut out of the rock to facilitate the landing of passengers from boats. By 1845, the engineer Botton wrapped (surrounded) the cliff of Foncillon inside the port. In 1847, the engineer Lessore built the sketch of the first casinoCasino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
. Under the Second Empire, the city underwent much development. In 1854, the first street lights
were installed. Between 1850 and 1870, the number of tourists increased from 9000 to 10,000, and the population from 3329 to 4500.
Destruction of Royan
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, two German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
fortresses defended the Gironde Estuary: Gironde Mündung Nord (north, at Royan) and Gironde Mündung Süd (south, at La Pointe de Grave
Pointe de Grave
thumb|right|300px|The American monument marking the country's entry into World War 1 as it was proposed in 1921The Pointe de Grave is the Northernmost tip of the Médoc Peninsula and marks the Northern end of the pine-clad sandy Landes coastline of Western France...
). These constituted one of the Atlantic "pockets" which the Germans held on to grimly, well after the liberation of the rest of France. In the early hours of January 5, 1945, airplanes of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, having been told that nobody was left in Royan but Germans and collaborators, bombed the centre of Royan out of existence in two airaids. The blame for this raid is usually attributed to Free French
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
General de Larminat
Edgard de Larminat
Edgard de Larminat was a French general, who fought in two World Wars. He was one of the most important military figures who rejoined the Free French forces in 1940...
.
The Allied
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
operation against the German forces on Île d'Oléron and at the mouth of the Gironde River, began with a general naval bombardment at 0750 on April 15, 1945, some 10 months after D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
. For five days the US naval task force assisted the French
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
ground forces with naval bombardment and aerial reconnaissance in the assault on Royan and the Pointe de Grave area at the mouth of the Gironde. American B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
aircraft carried out aerial bombing missions, including extensive and pioneering use of napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
, finishing the destruction of January 5.
More than 3000 French civilians were in the town, of whom half were killed or injured in the air raids.
Blandford writes, "There was a Free French commander with the U.S. Seventh Army outside Royan, who was not informed until too late. The message was in French and the American signalman could not understand it. It took four hours to get it translated".
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
, author of A People's History of the United States
A People's History of the United States
Chapter 7, "As Long As Grass Grows or Water Runs" discusses 19th century conflicts between the U.S. government and Native Americans and Indian removal, especially during the administrations of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren....
was one of the many bombardiers that attacked Royan during World War Two and later wrote on the topic.
Royan today
The town was rebuilt in the 1950s, as part of an urbanisation programme and is very representative of the modernistic architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
of the time.
Population
Inhabitants of Royan are known as Royannais.Twin towns
BalingenBalingen
Balingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located nearby the Swabian Alb, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35 km northeast of Villingen-Schwenningen, and 60 km southwest of Stuttgart.It is home to the Bizerba and Ideal...
, Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Nafplion
Nafplion
Nafplio is a seaport town in the Peloponnese in Greece that has expanded up the hillsides near the north end of the Argolic Gulf. The town was the first capital of modern Greece, from the start of the Greek Revolution in 1821 until 1834. Nafplio is now the capital of the peripheral unit of...
(Ναύπλιο), Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
Church of Notre-Dame (église Notre-Dame)
Built in three years by the architects Guillaume Gillet and Marc Hébrard, in association with the engineers Bernard Lafaille, René Sarger and Ou Tseng, the church Notre-Dame of Royan is considered as one of the leaders of work of the contemporary architecture. The bombardments of January 5, 1945, had destroyed the former neo-Gothic church which dated back to 1877, located at the current Square Charles de Gaulle. It was decided to rebuild as a building of bigger size and with an architecture both ambitious as spectacular, inspired by the aesthetics of other large Gothic cathedralCathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s. Finished in 1958, it is built completely of concrete. The church was classified as a historical monument in 1988. The dimensions are: a nave in ellipse, 45 metres long by 22 metres wide (45 by 22 m (147.6 by 72.2 ft)) which can hold approximately 2000 persons, flanked by an ambulatory and by a stand situated in three metres of the ground. This stand is lit by stained glass in the form of rhombus representing the Stations of the Cross. The structure of the building consists of an alternation of elements in reinforced concrete V (Lafaille system, of the name of the engineer Bernard Lafaille which created the process) alternating with immense covering windows 500 square metres (5,382 sq ft), work of the glass-worker Henri Martin-Granel.
The Congress palace (Palais des congrès)
The Palais des congrès was built in 1957 by the architect of Bordeaux Claude Ferret. It is designed as a cubic geometry eased by the oblique movement of outside staircases and by the subtle interweaving of internal convex walls. Widely opened on the estuary of the Gironde by a glass wall, it was later enlarged with gardens, under a transparent cube. It was classified as a historical monument in 2004.Central Market (Marché central)
Built in 1955 by the architects L. Simon and In. Morisseau and the engineer René Sarger. It is a round shell in a concrete 8 centimetres (3 in) thick. It rests on thirteen peripheral support points without any internal pillar. It is 52.4 metres (171.9 ft) in diameterDiameter
In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
, and its height in the center is 10.5 metres (34.4 ft). It served as model for the conception of the market of Nanterre
Nanterre
Nanterre is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located west of the center of Paris.Nanterre is the capital of the Hauts-de-Seine department as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Nanterre....
and as the CNIT of the Defence near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Education
Royan attracts many foreign-language studentStudent
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s due to its local language university, le CAREL (Centre Audiovisuel de Royan pour l'Étude des Langues). It is frequented by thousands of stemming students of about 80 countries, and consists of 20 soundproof audiovisual rooms, 4 language laboratories, an auditorium
Auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
, a library, a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
and a self-service cafe for the students. It prepares for the examinations of the DALF, DELF, TCF and TFI.
The colleges include: the Collège Émile Zola, the Collège Henry Dunant and the Collège Sainte-Marie.
The lycées include: the lycée de l'Atlantique and the lycée de Cordouan.
Sports
The main stadiumStadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
of the city is the stadium of honor (stade d'honneur in French), situated near the railway station, Royan has numerous other sports facilities, including two swimming-pools of which one is an outdoor sea water pool opened in the summer, to Foncillon, several gymnasiums, a sports hall, several tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts, a pelota
Pelota
Pelota can refer to the popular and shortened names for a number of ball games:* Baseball* Basque pelota* Bocce* Jai alai* Valencian pilota...
wall, a rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
ground and a golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course.
A surf
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
-club is also based in the commune, near Pontaillac beach, as well as a karting circuit (KFM - Circuit of the côte de beauté).
A racecourse, a riding school and an 18-hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, are in nearby La Palmyre, in the commune of Les Mathes
Les Mathes
Les Mathes is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.The commune includes the beach resort La Palmyre, and the Palmyre Zoo.-Population:-References:*...
.
Personalities
Royan was the birthplace of:- Pierre Dugua, Sieur de MontsPierre Dugua, Sieur de MontsPierre Du Gua de Monts, was a French merchant, explorer and colonizer. A Protestant, he was born in Royan, France and had a great influence over the first two decades of the 17th century...
, (ca 1558–1628), merchant, explorer and colonizer - Jacques Fontaine III, (1658-1728 ), pastor during dragonnadeDragonnade"Dragonnades" was a French policy instituted by Louis XIV in 1681 to intimidate Huguenot families into either leaving France or re-converting to Catholicism.- History :This policy involved billeting ill-disciplined dragoons in Protestant households...
period - Eugène PelletanEugène PelletanPierre Clément Eugène Pelletan was a French writer, journalist and politician.Born in Royan, Charente-Maritime, Eugène Pelletan was an associate of Lamartine, but refused an appointment to the office in the foreign affairs ministry. He was elected deputy in 1863 and joined the opposition to the...
(1813–84), writer, journalist and politician - Auguste Rateau (1863-1930) engineer, member of the French Academy of SciencesFrench Academy of SciencesThe French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
- Etienne La Vigne (1638 - )
Visitors:
- Pablo PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
- Leon TrotskyLeon TrotskyLeon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
- Stevie WoodsStevie WoodsStephen "Stevie" Woods is a Scottish former goalkeeper who currently works as a Goalkeeping Coach for Celtic. He was appointed to this role at the end of June 2007. In June 2009 he was promoted to the he role of first team Goalkeeping Coach.During his playing career Woods played for Hibernian,...
- Émile ZolaÉmile ZolaÉmile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
External links
- Official website
- Tourist office website
- Royan information
- Vidéorama touristique sur Royan
- Royan from fr.wikipedia.org