Le Grau-du-Roi, Gard, Occitania, France

Le Grau-du-Roi is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It is in part thanks to the Rhône that the municipality of Grau du Roi was born. The term “grau” comes from the Latin “gradus” which means passage. Indeed, in the 16th century, following bad weather, the river entered the waters of Repausset. Thus a maritime passage is born between Aigues Mortes and the sea.

Le Grau-du-Roi is the only commune in Gard to have a frontage on the Mediterranean. To the west is the Herault department and La Grande-Motte village, and to the east is the Bouches-du-Rhone department. Using the sea as a vantage point, the commune has four distinct sections: the right beach (Plage de Rive Droite), the Village, the left beach (Plage de Rive Gauche), Port-Camargue and L’Espiguette. Immediately landwards are the large shallow étangs, saline marshes, which separate it from Aigues Mortes, a neighboring mediaeval walled city that used to be a port. The étangs are home to numerous flamingoes.

Le Grau-du-Roi is south of Aigues-Mortes, in the Gard department. It is in the canton d’Aigues-Mortes, which was originally in the Herault department, but it was exchanged for the canton de Ganges. It is separated from Aigues-Mortes by a series of saline marshes, called étangs in French, and a bend in the river Vidourle. The étangs are named as follows: l’étang du Ponant, l’étang du Médard, l’étang du Repausset Levant, and the lac de Salonique, which is a lake rather than a marsh, as its name suggests. To the west of the town, the coastal strip is breached where the Vidourle empties into the Mediterranean, and to the east is that of the Petit Rhone.

The course of these two rivers has been subject to change and reversal. The Rhone used to flow into the étangs further to the west and at one point, the Vidourle flowed into it rather than the sea, The route in the 12th century was through the Grau Louis and the Old Channel. In 1570, a new breach occurred at a point called Gagne-Petit. It is around this grau that the settlement was formed. The area between the étangs and the sea was settled by Italian immigrants at the end of the 19th century. From then until the 1920s, the economy was based entirely on fishing, but tourism later became important, culminating in the construction of Port-Camargue.

The modern-day resort town benefits from 18 km of fine sand beaches, with sand dunes on the Pointe de Éspiguette forming an important wildlife habitat. The étangs are noted for their birds, which include flamingoes.

History
Over the years, the local population built between the sea and the end of this “grau”, two stone moles. In a way, this is the birth of our maritime city, but it was not until July 18, 1879 that Le Grau gained its autonomy. In 1900 it was still only a very modest village of a thousand inhabitants. It is largely fishing that secures the resources of the population, since a “grau” by nature is an area full of fish.

Le Grau du Roi Port Camargue born between sand and water. A pond of marine origin is formed, also receiving fresh water from the interior. Over time a passage is created connecting the sea and the pond = a Grau (passage in Occitan). Le Grau du Roi was born on this opening which was formed from the 13th century.

Middle Ages
At the time of the Crusades, the town of Aigues-Mortes was a royal port although the sea never came to the foot of its ramparts. The ships left by a channel dug through the ponds to the sea.

It’s the end of the xvi th century, the Rhone, entering into a torrent in the waters of Repausset opens the Grau referred, at the locality of Consac Gagne Petit. From that moment on, long series of works were undertaken to maintain this opening to the sea in order to preserve navigation in the port of Aigues-Mortes.

The city of Aigues-Mortes gained importance during the crusades when it was a royal port. King Louis IX of France had no other port available to him on the Mediterranean. Ships docked alongside the ramparts of the city and passed through a circuitous channel, (the Old Channel) through the Étang de Repausset to the sea at Grau Louis (La Grande Motte).

In 1570, a storm surge from the Rhone entered the etang and breached the coastal strip forming a new grau. A six-kilometre channel was created from the city directly to the sea. In 1640 this was named the Grau du Roi, and although the name changed several times afterwards, it eventually reverted to its current name.

Modern era
The port of Grau has been linked since 1725 by a channel of six kilometers to Aigues-Mortes. In 1727, two stony moles extended into the Repausset pond were built in the sea.

In 1772 two breakwaters were constructed out of stone. After much subsequent work, it became a canal in 1845.

There was an old lighthouse in the village which got a new copper lantern in 1828, and a second was constructed at l´Espiguette in 1867.

Contemporary period
The channel, rectified in 1845, is the current channel between Le Grau-du-Roi and Aigues-Mortes. The Espiguette lighthouse was built in 1869. Over the years, administrative buildings, huts and houses lay the foundations for a fishing village. First a section of the town of Aigues-Mortes in 1867, Le Grau-du-Roi gained its autonomy in 1879.

In 1854, Le Grau-du-Roi was still simply a fishing hamlet. The fishing and agriculture provide the population a few resources: tourism remains embryonic, although since the second half of the 19th century, the fashion for sea bathing tends to generalize. These immersions are still mainly considered as medical treatments, and the institutes which have been set up on the beaches welcome mainly destitute populations. But public authorities and inhabitants understood that their wealth was there, on these fine sandy beaches, between sea and sun. In 1855 a work of child hygiene was founded “with the aim of making it easier for poor or less well-off people to use sea baths. It was recognized as being of public utility in 1869”.

In 1909, the extension of the Nîmes Aigues-Mortes railway line was a real breath of fresh air: many swimmers arrived and local products, such as fish and white grapes, were finally shipped to national markets. After years of efforts, work and sanitary regulations, theApril 26, 1924, a decree of the President of the Republic finally classifies Le Grau-du-Roi as a health resort and seaside resort. The First World War relatively spared the village.

The tourist and economic development of our municipality is made possible thanks to the railway. In the 1930s, its success was confirmed with the opening of the sanatorium. After the 2nd World War, Le Grau du Roi gradually regained its picturesque air of a fishing village with its privileged site of Espiguette blending perfectly into the Camargue.

World War II affected the village profoundly. Axis troops were stationed in the village, and the local council dissolved. By 1942, many of the inhabitants had fled: the coast was on the front line and bristled with tank traps and minefields. The village was controlled by blockhouses, and the canal was shut off. Wood from houses was used to build defences. Le Grau-du-Roi was liberated in August 1944, and the coast started to rebuild, with a focus on tourism. The effort was coordinated by the plan Racine.

Architect Jean Balladur was put in charge, and he designed structures capable of supporting a large number of tourists, while also supporting the local way of life and environment. Part of the plan included the new marina at Port-Camargue. This was launched in 1968 and finished in 1985

The construction of Port Camargue breathes new life into the town. In fact, in the 1960s, the Government launched a coastal land use plan in Languedoc Roussillon: Port Camargue, the first marina in Europe, emerged.

To date, our maritime city has 8,276 permanent inhabitants (2010 census), with a capacity of up to 90,000 people (in August).
The tourist economy, maritime with fishing and boating, health activity represent particularly important assets.

The significant investments underway, whether private or public, are a testament to the dynamism of our municipality and bearers of the future.

Historical heritage

Lighthouse
The former flagship of Grau du Roi, built in 1827 and lit in 1828, is the oldest in the region. It is classified as historical monuments. It was inhabited until the 1970s. Located at the entrance to the maritime channel, it was urgent to restore it: degraded, cracked and in poor general condition. So he got a makeover. One year of work to renovate it identically. The lighthouse keepers’ house, which was a more recent construction, was however destroyed to ventilate the space and give the body of the lighthouse all its majesty. The internal staircase has been repaired and the lighthouse hat, so symbolic, restored. The trawler supply tanks originally located near the lighthouse were moved a few meters and buried towards the dike. The beach in front of the lighthouse has been completely redesigned as a new place to walk with shaded areas where you can rest to enjoy the view and the life of the channel.

The fishing port
Whatever the season, the return of the trawls is always a strong spectacle to experience. The first inhabitants settled around 1850 on the edges of the channel: the Grau (passage between the sea and the pond “in Occitan), were fishermen. Over the years, houses have settled on both sides of the canal. Time is up. The soul remained. The fishing industry in Grau du Roi is a strong economic pillar to be pampered. Le Grau du Roi is the leading trawl fishing port in the Mediterranean. When the trawls are back around 5 p.m., after more than 10 hours. spent at sea, time stops a little. On both sides of the canal, traffic stops, time is suspended… The bridge has turned! So in the tumult of our daily lives it is an obligatory break, all eyes fall on the ballet of trawls escorted by seagulls and gulls, a well-established choreography that everyone admires and respects.

The rest takes place at the cooperative of the fishing port, where the fish are unloaded and sold at the auction (which is now rather silent because everything is computerized!). This unique cooperative is managed by the fishermen themselves. Over 3,000 tonnes of fish sold per year and 50 different species. Take the time, stroll on the quays or on the promenade that runs along the fishing port to observe the comings and goings. A rich visual, auditory and olfactory experience, 100% Grau du Roi.

Civil buildings
The town center, built around the canal connecting the ponds (and Aigues-Mortes) to the sea (Grau) still retains its traditional character today. Beyond the historic heart, the holiday homes and buildings spread over the decades: to the west, is the Boucanet district which stretches from the town center to the Bois du Ponant (also known as the pine forest). du Boucanet) and to the east, beyond the city center, is the district of the Palais de la Mer then Port Camargue.

The old lighthouse covered with a copper lantern (1828).
The so-called dolphin house, opposite the church, typical of 1900 architecture.
The villa Parris, Belle Epoque, next to the lighthouse houses a cultural center. The balcony terrace is supported by ornate cast iron columns.
The Redarès villa, a fine example of Art Deco seaside architecture from the 1920s, the last vestige of this style in the town, was demolished inMay 2011. The new town hall was built in its place in 2013.
The Castle Leenhardt (sometimes falsely designated as Leenhar Castle), a monument became emblematic of Grau (Beach Right Bank), built around 1875 by the merchant Victor Henry Leenhardt (1822-1904), was demolished in the years 1970, after a century of existence. Its construction had been the occasion of an original test using sand bricks which gave it a particular gray color. Many postcards show him when he became a Protestant boarding house. Many swimmers had their picture taken on the beach bordering the building.
The docks and facades preserved largely along the channel to the fishing port in which the fear of the 18th century could have been subsumed in the 19th century (recent discovery left bank).

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Activities

Flamingo Casino
In a modern gaming complex, Le Casino offers 170 slot machines. There are classic videos, video poker and the famous magic casino jackpot, the slot machine Bar, restaurant. Dinner show, personalized group meals.

The Mediterranean House of Wines
A sanctuary for good living! and lovers of good wines! La Maison Méditerranéenne des Vins, a mecca for delicatessen and wine prized by epicureans Created by producers in the Gard in the 1980s in the heart of the classified site of Espiguette. Reopen with the usual precautions! The Maison Méditerranéenne des Vins resumes its usual 7/7 days. The Drive remains in place from Monday to Friday on simple call, and local deliveries on Wednesday as well. Take your mask, and don’t forget the barrier gestures!

The Maison Méditerranéenne Des Vins de l’Espiguette, a Mecca for delicatessen and wine prized by epicureans. Created by producers in the Gard in the 1980s in the heart of the classified site of Espiguette. An essential showcase of flavors from the South over 2,000 m2, a Mecca for delicatessen and wine prized by epicureans. Festivities around wine and local products all year round in the presence of the producers,

Traditions
Grau du Roi and the Camargue are many traditions perpetuated over the years and still relevant today. The bullfighting traditions or the Languedoc jousts, have become over time, more and more lively and touristy and will know how to bring you thrills and joy.

Bullfighting
The Camargue race
The oldest evidence on the origin of bullfighting dates back to 1402 in Arles. Towards the end of the 19th century, the rules of the Camargue race began to emerge: Attributes were fixed on the horns of the bull. Since 1975, this show has been called the Course Camarguaise

Le Toro swimming pool
Bullfighting games with swimming pool, the goal is to get the cow in the pool, the most spectacular is to enter at the same time. The winners receive bonuses in order to give a stake. Los Cachaleritos are the clowns who animate the evening: they do the “charlotade”.

Bouquet game
On the principle of the headscarf game, riders on horseback try to catch the bouquet that a rider is holding. The winner is the one who knew how to keep his bouquet in order to give it to a young girl wearing the Provencal costume.

Orange game
Young girls wearing Provencal costume are in a circle in the arena, they hold an orange at the tips of their fingers, the rider with his horse running at high speed tries to catch these oranges. The goal: in a minimum of time to catch a maximum of oranges

The votive festival
For 9 days Le Grau du Roi is celebrating. All our bullfighting traditions, Abrivado, Bandido Course Camarguaise, Encierro, Gaze are in the spotlight. It closes the summer season and takes place every year at the beginning of September. Abrivado, Bandido, Ferrade, but also Quadrille are other bullfighting games to discover or rediscover in the arenas of Languedoc and Provence.

The Jousts
Medieval origin, jousting is akin to knightly tournaments; today, the jousters still challenge each other in single combat. A peña (fanfare) is always responsible for punctuating the exploits of the jousters. Two boats are propelled by eight to ten rowers and aim to knock the opponent into the water. Jousting tournaments are part of local folklore. A sport in its own right in which all the “graulèene” youth participate.

Medieval origin, jousting is akin to knightly tournaments. Nowadays, jousters “dressed in white” still challenge each other to single combat. A peña (fanfare) is always responsible for punctuating the exploits of the jousters. Two boats are propelled by eight to ten rowers and aim to knock the opponent into the water. The “jousters” are positioned on a platform located nearly three meters from the water, at the end of each boat. The two boats then face each other, propelling themselves towards each other, until the final impact. At the time of the assault, the two boats brush against each other from the right to allow the jousters to make “the pass”. Equipped with his lance and shield, the jouster aims to bring down his opponent. The winner is the one who stays in place after the pass.

Events and festivities
The arenas of Grau-du-Roi, inaugurated in 1960, are the arenas of the town. They can hold 3,000 people. They are entirely dedicated to the Camargue race, but during the votive festival of Grau-du-Roi we also witness abrivados and bandidos. Since 2006 a sculpture signed Ben K of three cockade trees has been erected at their entrance.

Natural heritage

The Seaquarium
The Seaquarium is a must for families staying in the resort. With its 2,400m² devoted to marine life, the Seaquarium has many pools in which more than 2,000 fish from the Mediterranean and the tropics evolve. The Grau du Roi Port Camargue aquarium, LE SEAQUARIUM, is a must for families staying in the resort. With its 2,400m² devoted to marine life, the Seaquarium has numerous pools in which more than 2,000 fish from the Mediterranean and the tropics, more than 25 species of impressive sharks, seals and sea lions evolve.

The Seaquarium notably accommodates within its premises an associative care center created in 2003 the CESTMed (Center for Studies and Protection of Mediterranean Sea Turtles). This structure acts above all for the protection and conservation of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea by rehabilitating injured marine turtles in their natural environment that would not survive without human intervention and care. It takes care of sea turtles from all over the French Mediterranean coast. This center also makes it possible to carry out research on the biology of these animals in order to better understand and preserve them and to set up awareness-raising actions aimed at a large public.

A new association, the Marine Institute for Mediterranean Ecosystems aka the Seaquarium Marine Institute is a support structure for the preservation of the lagoon and marine environments and species of the Mediterranean and more particularly of the Gulf of Lion and the Bay of Aigues -Dead. The Seaquarium of Grau-du-Roi is a Mixed Economy Company in which the City of Grau-du-Roi is the majority shareholder.

Amigoland Amusement Park
Open every summer evening, the funfair lives on until late at night, to the rhythm of classic rides and other more spectacular ones. For gourmets the famous cotton candy and candy apple! Free and guarded parking. Open every summer evening. at Grau du Roi, the funfair lives, until late at night, to the rhythm of classic rides and other more spectacular ones. Whimsical decorations, bright stands to attract young and old. And for gourmets, ice cream treats to taste and the famous cotton candy and candy apple

Camargue Gardoise
Forty must-see sites scattered throughout our Occitan region give life to the best of our territory, its history, its great landscapes. Grid rice fields, breeding bulls, flamingos and horses, the Camargue is also strong secular traditions that can be discovered in the arena or in the streets of our villages. A nature to discover gently thanks to the multiple hiking trails on foot, by bike and even over the water, by canoe thanks to the eco paddler trail. Ceaselessly renewed landscapes, where flora and fauna exhibit all their diversity. Between plains, meadows, swamps, pine forests, hidden paths, small roads, tracks… the light of the whole Camargue in all seasons is dazzling.

For a total immersion, meet on the Greenway between Aigues-Mortes and Le Grau du Roi in the heart of the Grand Site Camargue Gardoise. A 6 km flat course along the sea channel. Many birds to observe including the colonies of pink flamingos and remarkable colors between the greenery, the ponds, the sky and the salt flats. Along the route, we discover the house of the Grand Site Camargue Gardoise, we see the Domaine Royal de Jarras, vin des sables, the largest wine estate in Europe where the vines are planted in the sand, and the camelles (mountains) salt from the Aigues-Mortes salt flats “La Baleine”. Visit of the Salins or the Domaine Royal de Jarras.

The timeless Port
Camargue At the start of the 1960s, in the secrecy of the upper echelons of GAULLE’s government, the project for the development of the Languedoc coast began: the RACINE mission. In 1964, the construction and development phase of the Languedoc coast began. Le Grau du Roi will then sixteen the opportunity to acquire an XXL marina which will become an international benchmark in boating. With its wildly trendy architecture, Port Camargue has always stood out for its avant-gardism. A pioneer in yachting in its early days, Port Camargue has always innovated and invested in its infrastructure to remain a world leader in nautical activity.

The harbor master’s office Built in 1973, the harbor master’s office, by virtue of its verticality, constitutes a landmark identifiable by all sailors and recognizable among a thousand. It was completely repainted in the original colors in 2019. The urban ensemble of the quai d’honneur Le Suffren, Le Grand Pavois, Les Jardins du Port and Le Grand Galion with their “S” shape, the mesh loggias of concrete in the shape of a fish and their seven entrances adorned with a carved stone wall, form a timeless whole. The islet of marinas Les Camarguaises With their buildings with curved facades, Les Camarguaises are a representative example of a marina, typical of Port Camargue.

The architect Jean Balladur was inspired by what he had seen in Florida. It designs a port of call but also a place of life. The marinas, villas on the water, face the sea and the garages are replaced by pontoons: you moor your boat in front of your terrace and the sea is omnipresent. A unique style of life on the water: since the creation of the coastal law which prohibits the development of the public domain, no other marina of this type has been built in France.

Fishing Harbor
The fishing port of Grau du Roi is the second fishing port in the French Mediterranean. It was built in 1971, until then the boats installed in the canal coexisted with the many pleasure boats that appeared in the 1960s. The arrival of large fishing units and the rise of yachting brought about the town thinking of building a fishing basin in the old bed of the Vidourle. In this basin are also installed a few piers reserved for friendly boaters Graulens. To date, there are 25 trawlers that go out to sea during the day. They use a net called the “bottom trawl” to fish for whiting, sea bream, mackerel, monkfish, turbot… or the “pelagic” net for sardines and anchovies. The small fishing professions include small boats, pond fishermen and “tellinaïres”.

Sea fishing for coastal fishing with the right net, the tremail, the nace, the octopus pot or the snail dredge to capture soles, wolves, conger eels and lobsters and line for tuna fishing. Fishing in ponds and canals to capture mullets, sea bream, jols, crabs and eels using “trabaques”. Fishing along the beach and on the sand banks to collect the famous tellines, small shells, using a tool called the “tellinier”.

The Beaches
At Grau du Roi, you go to the beach barefoot for the charm of this wild landscape on 18kms of fine sand. To collect seashells, make sandcastles, shovel, rake and bucket in hand, for the sound of the waves, slide on the waves, to bathe with the family or just bask in the sun, rediscover this scent of tranquility facing the sea. sea … the pleasure of a beach vacation!

Kite surfing
Kitesurfing a sport in communion with nature. Here the wind is part of the decor. Between high and low pressures, the strong winds feed on these air masses which circulate regularly and emerge directly from the Rhône valley on our coast. Athletes have understood this well! The Mistral and the Tramontane are the joy of sailors. Medium and regular, perfect for sailing at sea. When the wind comes from the sea and from the south, a swell (small waves) forms and the Mediterranean sometimes takes on the appearance of an ocean. An ecological and “healthy” sport which has become more democratic with the development of equipment that is easy to transport, practical for getting equipped and “getting into the water” quickly. The shops dot our seafront. For learning, go to the Kitesurfing schools of Grau du Roi. The progression is rapid to take its autonomy and to “make edges” freely.

Kitesurfing was invented on our beaches in Occitania in the years 1995. A favorable wind all year round, a well-designed and regular sandy coast, a mild climate, mild air and water temperatures, easy launching and a well-integrated “Kite” culture: so many assets that have favored the development of this natural sport. If our coast has become a world reference for the practice of kitesurfing, it is thanks to our natural spots which offer ideal sailing conditions, all year round. At Grau du Roi Port Camargue, the spots are renowned for their versatility: from beginners to experts, all levels can co-navigate.

The Greenway of Espiguette
The Camargue Gardoise is one of the 18 Great Sites of France, for the exceptional quality of its landscapes and natural environments. To find out more, go to the Maison du Grand Site de France located on the Grau du Roi greenway in Aigues-Mortes, an eco-museum dedicated to its landscapes and traditions. Since 2018, La Camargue Gardoise has been awarded the Grand Site Occitanie label (around fifty must-see sites throughout the region). Grid with rice fields, bull and horse farms, it is steeped in centuries-old traditions that can be discovered in the arenas or in the streets of our villages.

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