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| 3452 View of Les Baux-de-Provence and its castle from the northwest. |
Les Baux-de-Provence is a commune in Southern France, which has a spectacular position in the Alpilles mountains, set atop a rocky outcrop that is crowned with a ruined castle overlooking the plains to the south. Although already inhabited in the Bronze Age, it didn't really start growing until the medieval period, when the area became the stronghold of a feudal domain covering 79 towns and villages. The fortress was built from the 11th to the 13th century. The princes of Baux controlled Provence for many years and they gained a formidable reputation.
As a stronghold on the borders of Languedoc, Comtat Venaissin and Provence, the fortress had a turbulent military history and has been the subject of many assaults. The solid dungeon that still dominates the village today reiterates the importance of this castle which was a desirable possession. At the end of the 14th century, Les Baux, together with Provence, was attached to the crown of France. In 1642 the town was offered to the Grimaldi family as a marquisate. The title Marquis of Baux is still carried by the Prince of Monaco.
In 1822 bauxite was discovered in the area by geologist Pierre Berthier. Actually, the name of this ore is derived from the village name. The ore was intensively mined until its exhaustion at the end of the 20th century. Les Baux-de-Provence has been named one of the most beautiful villages in France and has over 1.5 million visitors per year although it has only 22 residents in the upper part of the commune and 436 for the whole commune.
About the stamps
The first stamp, The Republic of Cheffer and the coat of arms of Périgueux, designed by Henry Cheffer, was issued on June 13, 1970.
The second stamp, Return of deportees, designed by by Jacques Combet, was issued on April 1, 1965.
The last stamp, depicting Copenhagen Old Stock Exchange and Nyhavn Canal, is an ATM one and was issued to mark 67th Paris Autumn Philatelic Fair 2013.
References
Les Baux-de-Provence - WikipediaSender: Jean-Yves Gerlat
Sent from Lancey / Villard-Bonnot (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / France), on 18.01.2020
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