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Draguignan
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| A 5-minute drive or 20-minute walk from La Source, Draguignan bustles by day and twinkles quietly in the distance by night. Once the Prefecture or capital of the Var (it was moved to Toulon in 1972) and still one of the largest towns in Provence, Draguignan now hosts the French army, departmental administrative offices, a law court, a modern, well-equipped hospital, and 35,000 souls. Serving the surrounding small villages with commercial activity, professional expertise of every sort, and diverse cultural events, Draguignan is a lively town the year round. A 79-foot tall clock tower (Tour de l'Horloge) dating back to 1663 dominates the tile-roofed skyline of the medieval old town, and affords a good view of it and beyond. On this site stood the Roman fortifications of the original town. Nearby on the way to the market square (Place du Marché), the parish church of St. Michel contains a statue of St. Hermentaire, a bishop reputed to have slain a dragon in the 5th century. From this legend comes the town's name and iconic symbol. |
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At an altitude of 590.6 feet (180m), Draguignan features a relatively cool, dry, sunny climate for most of the year (please see the weather chart below). The famous mistral winds of Provence are measurably milder around Draguignan, and throughout the Var, than they are in the Bouches du Rhone communes. |
The boulevards of Draguignan were laid out by Baron Haussman in 1849, while he was Prefet of the Var. The resulting town plan served as a model for his urban planning efforts in Paris later on.
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On August 15, 1944 Allied parachutists landed near the Avenue Carnot in Draguignan, and so launched the liberation of the south of France. On land donated by the town along the Boulevard John Kennedy, the well worth visiting American War Cemetery memorializes those who fought in the last days of WWII and gave their lives in the effort.
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Draguignan's market occurs in two places. All good things to eat. including the products typical of the region (les produits du terroir) of which les Draçenoise are justifiably proud, are sold in the ancient Place du Marché in the middle of the old town. Soft goods (clothing, table and bath linens, sock and shoes, etc. ), household gadgetry, and personal care and adornment items (costume jewelry, hair ornaments, make up, sun glasses, etc.) are sold in the Allées d'Azémar across the street from the imposing 19th century post office. The big market days are Wednesdays and Saturdays, though purveyors of fruit and vegetables are at work in the Place du Marché everyday except Monday.
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Outside of town en route to the Gorges du Verdon (France's own Grand Canyon) can be found one of Provence's largest and most spectacular dolmens - le Pierre de la Fée (the Fairy's Stone) - with a table weighing 20 tons sitting peacefully and accessibly in a yard to the side of the road.
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Draguignan is surrounded by charming villages, many of the them perched high atop craggy hills, and many of them still shaded by venerable but increasingly threatened platane trees. Common lore links those of these trees found along roadways in the Var with Napoleon, who supposedly planted them to provide shade to his soldiers and horses. A dissenting view, however, dates the trees back to the 16th century when Henri IV ordered the building of straight roads flanked by trees to mark either side. The platanes were to provide shade to passing armies, and also firewood and building materials. As they grew in stature, these stately trees became treasured for their beauty, by common folk and the literati of France alike, as well as for their function as nature's air conditioner.
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For more information about Draguignan -- its restaurants, shops, banks, supermarkets, museums, theaters -- and its many other attractions, please visit:
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www.provenceweb.fr
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www.provencebeyond.com
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www.ville-draguignan.fr
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