Location Of Avignon

Location Of Avignon

Avignon is one of the popular destinations in France. The earliest human settlement to this place dates back to at least 4000 BC. Chaseens were the earliest inhabitants of this place and they settled on the Rocher des Doms . At least two thousand centuries later human civilization here expanded, there is an anthropomorphic monolith here that testifies to this fact. You can see it in Calvet Museum . It was only in the second century BC that the city got its name. It is an important place in the tourist map of France, in fact you can start your French holiday with a visit to Avignon. But to reach here, you have to know the location of Avignon really well.

Avignon is not only an attractive tourist destination, it is also the capital of Vaucluse department. It is by the side of the Rhone River, it is on the left bank just a few miles above its confluence with Durance River. Location of Avignon is to the south-south-east of Paris , and south of Lyon and north-north-west of Marseille . Avignon is oval shaped and is not teeming with people. It has a good many parks, functional as well as ornamental. These parks give the city its verdure all the year round. Private gardens in Avignon are also big draws. Though perhaps you will not be able to enter the gardens, you can always admire them a distance. Trees are found in abundance, it is not unusual to find the seats under the trees occupied with people having their fill of a green city.

However the main snag to such idyllic location is the violent winds which wreck the city at regular intervals. The strongest of such stormy winds is the mistral. But you will definitely enjoy your trip to Avignon winds or no winds. It has some fine museums, restaurants, public entertainment places and other attractions to make your stay really worthwhile.

The history of Avignon continues with the extension of the Roman influence Roman from the Alps to the Pyrenees in 49 BC and Avignon becomes a Latin city. In the successive centuries several onslaughts by the Franks, Alemans, Goths and Burgundes lessen Avignon to a seventh of what it was earlier. King Vitiges surrenders Avignon and Provence to the Frankish King Clovis and the city becomes a part of the kingdom of Burgundy in 561 AD and remained so until the second half of the eighth century. In 932 AD, Provence is united with Burgundy. This union formed the Kingdom of Arles . The importance of Avignon grew day by day and successive kings of various dynasties tried to annex this region to their kingdom.

In 1226 AD, Louis VIII laid a seige to Avignon and won. With this victory the power of Avignon ended. Meanwhile for the trials and tribulations of Avignon's destiny continued and in 1580 AD plague wiped out the majority of Avignon's population. After some of centuries Avignon became the a vital center of protest in one of the most celebrated and complex events in the history of human civilization, the French Revolution. The agitation and frustration of the common people burst out and this tidal wave swept away the old regime in France.

From the history of Avignon , it is known that when Napoleon came to power, he brought peace to the country and the slow process of economic recovery started. But he still was not popular and on his way to Elba, Napoleon stopped in Avignon. He was mobbed but managed to escape. After the French Revolution was over, with many modern ideas and modern outlook of life, Avignon finally started on his journey of becoming what it is today, a vibrant and colorful city.

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