France: Departement Hérault – Visiting Montpellier
The heart of Montpellier is Place de la Comédie. The square is situated in the southeast edge of the historical center on the place of former ramparts. There is the main train station nearby. You can easily reach the square by tram. It is a great place to be and you can reach other significant landmarks.
At one corner of the square, there is L'opéra Comédie à Montpellier which is an impressive building completed in 1888. Its main auditorium can hold as many as 1200 people. There are many beautiful cafes lining the square. At the other corner of the square, there is an amazing shopping mall with great French stores. Moreover, Esplanada is a park on this square with a beautiful lake. In addition to that, there is the most important Arts Museum in the city.
Dále pokračujeme směrem ke katedrále sv. Petra. Z jejích vysokých věží dostanete málem závrať. Úchvatná katedrála z první poloviny 14. století bývala součástí kláštera Saint-Benoît. Během hugenotských válek v 16. století byla silně poškozena, ale později došlo k její rekonstrukci. Uvnitř můžete mimo jiné vidět krásná vitrážová okna, varhany vyrobené ze dřeva a zlata nebo zajímavý oltář.
Then go to Promenade du Peyrou situated mere ten minutes of walk from the cathedral. The promenade spans between the Triumphal Arch to the amazing Château d’eau – a water tower. It was constructed by Etienne Giral and his son Jean-Antoinem. The buidlings looks like a stronghold with Corinthian columns. There is the original Roman aqueduct behind the water tower which is a masterpiece of ancient architecture which was fortunately preserved till our days.
We get back about one kilometer back to Place de la Comédie. There is the most important art museum in the city – Museé Fabre. Fabre holds an important art collection. Make no hurry in going it through. There are several exhibitions on its floors and it will introduce you to several centuries worth of art. Every first Sunday of each month the entry is for free.
The museum's name comes after one of important natives - François-Xavier Fabre. He gifted many of his works to this museum plus there are many important artists of the region.
Montana Gallery is another significant place of art situated in the very city center. It was opened only ten years ago and focuses on graffiti therefore dealing with "what is the real art". Thsi makes it one of the best galleries in the world.
To be continued...
Text: Maxim Kucer
Photos: Wikipedia.org: Fritz Geller-Grimm, Fritz Geller-Grimm (2), Fritz Geller-Grimm (3), Vpe, Fritz Geller-Grimm (4), Bohyunlee
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