Cannes

Cannes (pronounced can) is a town and municipality on the Riviera of the South of France and is located in the department of Alpes-Maritimes, on the French Riviera. The city has about 70,000 inhabitants. Cannes is part of the largely contiguous urban area that surrounds Nice and has a total of 933 080 inhabitants (1999). Cannes is especially known for his film festival held every May.

Geography

Cannes is located on the part of the Riviera called Côte d’Azur, a short distance to the Alps. The towns are known for their fine sandy beaches (unlike Nice). Most of the beaches along the main street, Boulevard de la Croisette, are managed by hotels, but there are also public beaches, most of which are located to the west in the direction of Cannes Bocca.

History

From the Middle Ages to the early 1800s, Cannes was a small fishing and farming town. In the 1830s, French aristocrats and wealthy foreigners began to build holiday homes in the area and the city gradually transformed into a holiday and recreation place.

Lord Henry Peter Brougham (1778–1868) attributed much to the honor of Cannes development. Lord Henry was a respected and talented British politician of his time and discovered Cannes on his way to Italy in 1834. He bought sites west of Suquet (Old Town) and then used his many contacts in French politics to develop the area.

Economy

The area around Cannes has attracted technology businesses. In the mountains behind Cannes, among others, Sophia-Antipolis has a particularly large concentration of such businesses.

The Cannes Film Festival, which is held every year in May, is important both for the city and for the entire world film industry. This festival is perhaps also the event that has contributed to making Cannes known worldwide. Many big stars in film tend to attend this festival. The first prize is called the Golden Palm or Palme d’Or. The festival was first organized in 1946 (the first festival was postponed from 1939 due to the war).

Otherwise, the city has a television festival every year in September, while the advertising industry takes the city with its festival every year in June. Thanks to the large international festivals, the city has built a large, modern festival palace on an attractive plot on the Boulevard de la Croisette.

Between the major festivals, there are a number of cultural events in the city, both within music and acting.

Transportation

Cannes is located on the main railway line between Italy and Marseille and is served by the fast train TGV, interregional and regional trains. Cannes Train Station is close to the city center. In addition to the fact that a number of bus lines have a stop at the station, there is also a bus station at the town hall.

The closest international airport is Nice - Côte d’Azur.

In the center, electric buses run - E-LO and "convertible buses" in the high season between the town hall and Palm Beach Casino.

Source: Wikipedia