Arena of Nîmes

Nîmes, France

The Arena of Nîmes is a Roman amphitheatre built around AD 70. It was remodelled in 1863 to serve as a bullring. The Arenas of Nîmes is the site of two annual bullfights during the Feria de Nîmes, and it is also used for other public events. The building encloses an elliptical central space 133 m long by 101 m wide. It is ringed by 34 rows of seats supported by a vaulted construction. It has a capacity of 16,300 spectators.

As the Roman Empire fell, the amphitheatre was fortified by the Visigoths and was surrounded by a wall. During the turbulent years that followed the collapse of Visigoth power in Hispania and Septimania, not to mention the Muslim invasion and subsequent conquest by the French kings in the mid eighth century, the viscounts of Nîmes constructed a fortified palace within the amphitheater. In 737, after failing to seize Narbonne, Charles Martel destroyed a number of Septimanian cities on his way north, including Nîmes and its amphitheatre, as asserted in the Continuations of Fredegar. Later a small neighbourhood developed within its confines, complete with one hundred denizens and two chapels. Seven hundred people lived within the amphitheatre during the apex of its service as an enclosed community. The buildings remained in the amphitheatre until the eighteenth century, when the decision was made to convert the amphitheatre into its present form.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Boulevard des Arénes 14, Nîmes, France
See all sites in Nîmes

Details

Founded: 70 AD
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in France
Historical period: Roman Gaul (France)

More Information

www.historvius.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.arenes-nimes.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Maison Carrée (0,5 km)
Jardins de la Fontaine (1 km)
Temple of Diana (1 km)
Museum of Old Nîmes (0,3 km)
Nîmes Cathedral (0,4 km)
Tour Magne (1,2 km)


Arles Amphitheatre (27,9 km)
Palais des Papes (38,1 km)
Avignon Cathedral (38,2 km)
Arles Roman Theatre (27,9 km)
St. Trophime Church (27,8 km)
Arles Obelisk (27,8 km)
Musée du Petit Palais (38,1 km)
Arles Cryptoporticus (27,7 km)
Pont du Gard (18,8 km)

User Reviews

Didac Montero Méndez (3 months ago)
The arena itself is very well preserved (apparently the best well preserved in the world according f to the audio guide). The guide provides with all sorts of detailed explanations about the gladiators. So if you're a Roman history nerd, it is a must go
rhiannon drew (4 months ago)
Really amazing arena. Really loved it here when I went to see Rammstein. I had such an amazing experience. Had a full tour of the arena during the day where you can go right to the top of the arena and really get some cool pictures. You can find out some great history about the arena itself and also it has been the best venue for a concert until this date still. Really cool and I really want to go back.
Hugo Batista (4 months ago)
Roman Theater in Nimes. A huge Roman amphitheater in the center of the city. Very well maintained. One can visit the interior. The exterior is very well preserved and in one of the corners there are restaurants and souvenir shops. Close to Maison Carre. On one end a statue in honor of the bullfighters.
Randall Jamrok (4 months ago)
This amphitheatre was a special experience. The audio tour about the specifics and history of the gladiators was very educational and well-done. I would do it again if I had the chance! Highly recommended!
Luis Rodriguez (6 months ago)
A must visit if you are in France. Majestic, one of a kind. The audio tour will take you back in time. It is also pretty friendly. Good street food. A lot of restaurants in the area.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Must-see historic sighs in Luxembourg
Photo from Flickr, copyright damiankania550

Historic Site of the week

Moszna Castle

The Moszna Castle is one of the best known monuments in the western part of Upper Silesia. The history of this building begins in the 17th century, although much older cellars were found in the gardens during excavations carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. Some of the investigators, including H. Barthel, claimed that those cellars could have been remnants of a presumed Templar castle, but their theory has never been proved. After World War II, further excavations discovered a medieval palisade.

The central part of the castle is an old baroque palace which was partially destroyed by fire on the night of April 2, 1896 and was reconstructed in the same year in its original form by Franz Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. The reconstruction works involved an extension of the residence. The eastern Neogothic-styled wing of the building was built by 1900, along with an adjacent orangery. In 1912-1914, the western wing was built in the Neo-Renaissance style. The architectural form of the castle contains a wide variety of styles, thus it can be generally defined as eclectic.

The height of the building, as well as its numerous turrets and spires, give the impression of verticalism. The whole castle has exactly ninety-nine turrets. Inside, it contains 365 rooms. The castle was twice visited by the German Emperor Wilhelm II. His participation in hunting during his stay at the castle was documented in a hand-written chronicle in 1911 as well as in the following year. The castle in Moszna was the residence of a Silesian family Tiele-Winckler who were industrial magnates, from 1866 until the spring of 1945 when they were forced to move to Germany and the castle was occupied by the Red Army. The period of the Soviet control caused significant damage to the castle's internal fittings in comparison to the minor damage caused by WWII.

After World War II the castle did not have a permanent owner and was the home of various institutions until 1972 when it became a convalescent home. Later it became a Public Health Care Centre for Therapies of Neuroses. Nowadays it can be visited by tourists since the health institution has moved to another building in the neighbourhood. The castle also has a chapel which is used as a concert hall. Since 1998 the castle housed a gallery in which works of various artists are presented at regular exhibitions.

Apart from the castle itself, the entire complex includes a park which has no precise boundaries and includes nearby fields, meadows and a forest. Only the main axis of the park can be characterised as geometrical. Starting from the gate, it leads along the oak and then horse-chestnut avenues, towards the castle. Further on, the park passes into an avenue of lime trees with symmetrical canals running along both sides of the path, lined with a few varieties of rhododendrons. The axis of the park terminates at the base of a former monument of Hubert von Tiele-Winckler. On the eastern side of the avenue there is a pond with an islet referred to by the owners as Easter Island. The islet is planted with needle-leaved shrubs and can be reached by a Chinese-styled bridge. The garden, as part of the whole park complex was restored slightly earlier than the castle itself. Preserved documents of 1868 state that the improvement in the garden's aesthetic quality was undertaken by Hubert von Tiele-Winckler.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.