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Gruissan
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Description
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Gruissan is a resort with many
faces - it consists of the old
village, little
changed from the 13th century; Gruissan
Plage, a unique
collection of wooden beach houses built on stilts in the
latter half of the 19th century; Gruissan
Port, created in the
1960's as part of the "improvement" of the
Langeudoc-Roussillon coast decided by the French
government.
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For some visitors Gruissan is
simply a place to enjoy the long, sandy beaches of the
Languedoc coast. The frequent strong northwesterly
Tramontane wind make it popular with windsurfers.
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Just inland the saltwater
lagoons are rich in birdlife including flamingoes. Only
a few miles inland you can stroll or ride in a typical
Mediterranean landscape of low-growing oak scrub, wild
thyme, and rosemary, with parasol pines and tall cypress
trees.
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Gruissan
village
The traditional
fishing village itself has not been significantly
developed, and has managed to retain its character.
Narrow streets curve around the 13th-century Tour de
Barberousse, from which you can admire a stunning view
over the surrounding lagoon. The tower was built in 1246
as a means of repelling approaching Turkish pirates -the
name is pure fantasy, since Barbarossa never came
anywhere near here!
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Gruissan
Plage
The first wooden
chalets were built on stilts (to avoid flooding by the
sea) by the Narbonnais as holiday homes in the 1850's. A
heavy storm in 1899 swept everything flat and the present
buildings date from the beginning of the 20th
century. Originally these holiday homes, of which
there are still more than 1200, had neither electricity
or water but most have since been modernised.
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Gruissan Plage and its
Plage des Pilotis, was the setting for the French film
"Betty Blue" ("37.2 le matin") directed by Jean-Jacques
Beineix.
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Gruissan
Port
The
port, which dates from 1975, was created by dredging a
canal to connect Gazel salt lake with the sea
. Small low buildings in ocre share the quayside
with palm trees to make Gruissan one of the most
attreactive ports on the Languedoc coast. The port
which has nearly 1000 quayside places has all the
facilities of modern port including a yacht club and a
game fishing club which regularly organises
international fishing championship.
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Salt
pans
Driving out of
Gruissan along the coast road, you may notice large white
pyramids ... of salt. Salt extraction is practised on a
large scale here. Water is pumped into the salt pans in
spring, allowed to evaporate over the summer, and the
resulting salt is harvested in autumn. During the holiday
season, you can take a guided tour around the salt pans.
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Massif
de la Clape
The
nearby Massif de la Clape, once an island, is now a
nature reserve although parts of it produce a very
pleasant white wines.
An interesting trip takes you to the chapel of Notre Dame
des Auzils, perched on a hill with a marvellous view over
the coast. A steep path winds through a tree-shaded
"sailors' cemetery"... the 26 memorials lining the path
are all to sailors lost at sea.
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At the top,
the 13th century church (open from 3-6 p.m. during the
summer) contains sailors' ex-votos, placed here to
solicit safety on their journeys.
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Return
to the FOCUS on Gruissan
ÓChantal
Moret & Mike Briley 1999-2006