Nice History of Nice Museum
A guide to the History of Nice! Visit Get-Packing.com for Nice History and read up-to-date information, reviews and articles on Nice art and museums...
Although the area had been occupied since the Stone Age, Nice itself did not really develop until the Romans invaded in the 1st century BC, and quickly gained strategic importance as the gateway to the whole region of southern France.
The city grew along the coast, pushed from the nearby mountains by the invading Saracens, and German tribes from the north, and it was not until 974AD that the city was drawn into Provence.
Periods of control from the Holy Roman Empire, followed by the Catalans, and also Italy gave the city a cosmopolitan birth, and it was only part of France occasionally until 1860.
After this point, the city developed a reputation as a beach resort, and legions of aristocrats followed Queen Victoria to the region, copying her idea of taking winter in the mild climate, and by the early part of the 20th century, the city was almost entirely dependent on tourism.
Attracting the literary greats in the 1920s, including Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Aldous Huxley, Nice developed a reputation as a great place to visit, and the jazz scene that developed in the area gave the city its reputation for nightlife.
After the Italian occupation in the second World war, during which time, Nice was the capital of Vichy France, Nice once again became one of Europe's premier beach destinations, and the casino, and many of the more beautiful buildings were erected, giving Nice an upmarket attraction that has never left.
Today, the town remains popular, and is a tourist destination in the grand tradition, offering as much culturally as it does through nature, and is a favourite for millions of people who return year after year.
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