Beaulieu-sur-Mer

French commune
nomcommune=Beaulieu-sur-Mer
région=Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
département=Alpes-Maritimes
arrondissement=Nice
canton=Villefranche-sur-Mer
insee=06011
cp=06310
maire=Roger Roux
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communauté d'agglomération de Nice-Côte d'Azur
longitude=7.33
latitude=43.705
alt moy=
alt mini=0
alt maxi=189 m
hectares=92
km²=0.92
sans=3675
date-sans=1999
dens=3.994
date-dens=1999

Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a seaside resort commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department on the French Riviera, located 6 miles (10 km) apart east from Nice and west of Monaco. It borders the communes of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Èze, and Villefranche-sur-Mer.

History

During the Antiquity this small Mediterranean seaport was a Greek settlement known as "Anao", later occupied by the Romans. War left the village in ruins in the 3rd century. It was soon resettled and a monastery built that lasted until the 6th century when it was destroyed by the Lombards. The residents fled to the safety of surrounding hills at Montolivo ( today Plateau Saint-Michel) until they began returning to live by the seaside in the 13th Century (see also History of nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer.)

By the end of the 19th Century, as the Côte d'Azur developed into a world destination for the wealthy, a favorite residence for European royalty as well as the wealthy Americans like Isaac Singer and James Gordon Bennett, Jr.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer was established as a self-standing commune in 1891. It is the smallest in area of the Alpes-Maritimes "département" (230 acres or 92 ha.). A huge yacht harbour takes up most of the eastern seafront.

Places and monuments

Villa Kerylos constructed at the beginning of century XX under an inclined rocky promontory for the sea, the Villa Kerylos is a constructed habitation following the model of villae of Old Greece. Property of a helenista Théodore Reinach, the Villa was bequeathed to the Institute of France in 1928. It is, currently, classified as historical monument.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer Today

Today, Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a wealthy resort known for its quality marina facilities by those involved in yachting. It is also the site of the Grecian Villa Kerylos, constructed during the "Belle Epoque" between 1902 and 1908 by Théodore Reinach. Built on a sea-walled promontory of the bay, the Villa was gifted to the Institut de France on Reinach's death in 1928 and is now a museum open to the public, officially recognized as "monument historique" of France.

ister Cities

Beaulieu-sur-Mer has a sister city with Tempe, Arizona, in the United States of America. Every year, four French students are paired with four American students, and they each spend five weeks in one another's country. This student exchange is with the Tempe Sister Cities organization, which has been voted "Best Overall Sister City Program" in both 1998 and 2004.
* Tempe, The United States of America

External links

* [http://www.dimension-internet.com/galeries/beaulieu/ Photo Gallery]
* [http://community.tempe.gov/sister/default.htm Official Tempe Sister Cities Website]
* [http://www.villa-kerylos.com/en/kerylos/254-/ official web site of the Villa Kerylos]
* [http://www.royal-riviera.com/ Official web site of the Royal Riviera Hotel]