Cannes

 

(kän) , town (1991 pop. 69,363), Alpes-Maritimes dept., SE France. An important and fashionable resort on the French Riviera, Cannes also has shipbuilding and textile industries. Napoleon I landed nearby on his return (1815) from Elba. Churches from the 16th and 17th cent. are in the old part of town. An international film festival is held in Cannes each spring.

Coordinates: 43°33′12″N, 07°01′20″E

Commune of Cannes Overview of Cannes from Le Suquet
Location
Coordinates	43°33′12″N, 07°01′20″E
Administration
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Alpes-Maritimes
Arrondissement	Grasse
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons
Mayor	Bernard Brochand (2001–2008)
Statistics
Altitude	0 m–260 m
Land area¹	19.62 km²
Population² (1999)	67,304
- Density	3,430/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	06029/ 06400
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Cannes (in French: [ˈkanɔ] - Provencal Occitan:Canas according to classical norm or Cano according to the mistralian norm,Cànoas in medieval Occitan) is a French commune located in the department of Alpes-Maritimes and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It is 36 km from Nice, 55 km from Monaco and 60 km from the Italian border. It has an area of 1970 hectares. Cannes has a length of 8.8 km and width of 4.5 km. Its altitude is between the sea level and 260 meters above sea level. The commune of Cannes, is the third biggest city of the department by its population. During the film festival, the population of Cannes (67 406 inhabitants) exceeds 160,000 people.

History

In the Middle Ages Cannes was a feudal dependency of the Lérins monastery. Until the early 19th century, Cannes remained a small agricultural and fishing village with the highest density of population on Le Suquet hill. From the early 1830s, foreign and French aristocrats began building holiday homes in the area, gradually turning Cannes into a resort town.

The man responsible for Cannes' growth is Lord Henry Peter Brougham (1778–1868). A respected and talented British politician in his time, he discovered Cannes in 1834 on his way to Italy. Having bought land to the west of the Suquet hill, now the entrance to the city, Brougham used his many contacts in French politics to help develop the rest.

The development of the coastal village encouraged enterprise and a tramway. The Tramway de Cannes opened in 1899 while the Cannes Station opened in 1863.

Geography

Cannes lies on the Côte d'Azur within easy reach of the Maritime Alps. It is noted for its gorgeous sandy beaches which are mainly open to the public for a fee, particularly as one moves west to Cannes La Bocca.

Lérins Islands

The Lérins Islands (in french les Îles de Lérins) are a group of four Mediterranean islands off the French Riviera, near Cannes. The two largest islands in this group are the Île Sainte-Marguerite and the Île Saint-Honorat. The smaller Îlot Saint-Ferréol and Îlot de la Tradelière are uninhabited. Administratively, the islands belong to the commune of Cannes.

The islands are first known to have been inhabited during Roman times.

The Île de Saint-Honorat bears the name of the founder of the monastery of Lérins, Saint Honoratus. It was founded around the year 410. It is in this monastery that Saint Porcarius lived and probably was killed during an invasion by Saracens. According to tradition, Saint Patrick, patron of Ireland, studied there in the fifth century.

A fortified monastery was built between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. The monastic community today lives in a monastery built during the nineteenth century.

The Île Sainte-Marguerite held a fortress where The Man in the Iron Mask was held captive for a time.

Under the French Revolution, the Île Sainte-Marguerite and the Île Saint-Honorat were renamed the Île Marat and the Île Lepeletier, after secular martyrs.

Cannes-la-Bocca

Cannes-la-Bocca is the principal district of Cannes, located at the west of the city, with access to the seaside. It is a lively city district, with a town hall, a church, a post office (code 06150), a very beautiful Provencal market, a bowling pitch, and many commercial and industrial zones, of which one contains part of the space center of Cannes Mandelieu.

Places and monuments

The edge of sea, with its famous Boulevard de la Croisette , is one of its important tourist assets, as well as the islands of Lérins, off the coast, which belong to the commune.

Cannes is also universally known for its annual film festival held in the middle of May. There are also luxury hotels on the Promenade de la Croisette such as Intercontinental Carlton Hotel, Martinez Hotel, Majestic Hotel or Stephanie Palace (old Noga Hilton).

Other remarkable buildings include the castle and tower of Castrates, on Suquet Hill, which now houses the Museum of Castrates. The castle and tower dominate the city. Beside the castle are the Notre-Dame church of the Hope and the vault of Holy-Anne. The town hall is another noteworthy building.

Transport

Cannes lies on the main railway line from Italy to Marseille and is well served by the TGV, national and regional trains. The railway station is close to the centre; buses leave from both there and the Hôtel de Ville.

Bus services are provided by Bus Azur and operates an electric bus system called É-lo around the town center as well as a double-decker bus service between the Hôtel de Ville and the Palm Beach Casino.

Cannes is located about 25km west of Nice, and easily reachable by bus from Nice's international airport. Shuttles run every half hour from 8am through 8pm (hourly early in the morning and after 6pm). The ride takes approximately 30 minutes. Taxi rides from the airport cost 60 euros one way.

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival was founded in 1946 by Jean Zay. Until 2002, it was called the International Festival of Film. With the passing of years, the festival of cinema has gained more media attention, in particular at the time of the opening ceremony and the traditional rise of the steps: the famous red carpet and its twenty four “steps of glory”. In spite of this prestige, the Festival was often criticized, and it was at the origin of several scandals or controversies which magazines and newspapers, French and foreigners relayed.

Each year, during the second fortnight of May, the town of Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) is invaded by scenario writers and thousands of photographers. It is with the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, located on the boulevard of the Small Cross, where principal screenings take place.

Parallel to the Festival, several sections were created. Among them are the Fortnight, Cinéfondation, International Critics' Week, Un Certain Regard, and especially the Marché du Film. During these festivities, many producers and distributors have the opportunity to find partners for the financing of their future film projects, or to sell already completed works to distributors and televisions of the whole world.

Although it initially had the appearance of a tourist and fashionable demonstration, the Festival was created to reward the best film, or the best actor and best actress. However, with the passing of years, other prices appeared and came to be added with Cannes-native prestige, like the price of the jury, and especially the gold Palm.

Economy

The area around Cannes has developed into a high-tech cluster. The technopolis of Sophia-Antipolis lies up in the hills beyond Cannes.

Cannes Film Festival & Congresses

The Cannes Film Festival, held annually in May, is a major event for the world film industry. MIPIM, a major commercial real estate exhibition also takes place in March. Other major congresses throughout the year include Midem, MIPTV Media Market, Cannes Lions, Mipcom, Mapic and TFWA.

Industry

Near the aerodrome is the Cannes Mandelieu Space Center, which is organized around the establishment of Cannes de Thales Alenia Space (in the past: SNIAS-aerospatiale, then Alcatel Space in 1998, then Alcatel Alenia Space in 2005) which was the first manufacturer of satellites in Europe. All the Météosat satellites are produced in Cannes. It is the most important industry of the Alpes-Maritimes. More than 2500 people; 2000 employees and more than 500 people who receive benefits, are involved in this industry.

Culture

Cannes lives to the beat of the arts all year round, thanks to the many organizations contributing to its reputation and teaching. Cannes Municipal Music and Drama Conservatory promote the awakening and introduction to music from the age of three years old for viola, violin and cello students and from five years old for those registered to musical awakening.

Sister cities

• Twin cities ^[1]
  • Acapulco, Mexico
  • Beverly Hills, USA
  • Khemisset, Morocco
  • Madrid, Spain
  • Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, United Kingdom
  • Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
• Friendship pacts
  • Gstaad, Saanen, Switzerland
  • Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
  • Tel Aviv, Israel
  • Florence, Italy
  • Moscow, Russia
  • Papeete, French Polynesia

External links

• Official website
• Official Cannes International Film Festival website
• Official Cannes Lions Advertising Festival website
• Official website of the ´Palais des Festivals et des Congrès´
• Virtual visit of Cannes with fullscreen panoramas
• Official site of International Luxury Travel Market, held at the Le Palais des Festivals et des Congrès

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