Misplaced Pages

#131868

36-591: The old town lies 4 km (2.5 mi) from the sea clustered around the Castle of Saint Bernard, which is set on a hill. Between the old town and the sea lies the pine-covered hill of Costebelle, which overlooks the peninsula of Giens . Hyères is the oldest resort on the French Riviera. The Hellenic city of Olbia ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ὀλβία ) was refounded on the Phoenician settlement that dated to

72-583: A French naval officer, whose grave is in the garden; it was Voutier who discovered the Venus de Milo in 1820 on the Aegean island of Milos . The railway station Gare d'Hyères offers connections with Toulon, Marseille, Paris, and several regional destinations. The airport, which is known officially as the Toulon–Hyères International Airport , is 4 km (2.5 mi) to the southeast of

108-741: A music festival now into its sixth episode. 2010's MIDI saw around 15 acts play at the Villa Noailles complex and brought the new 'MIDI Night' event to Almanarre Beach in the early hours of Sunday morning. There is a football club called Hyères FC . Football stadiums include the Stade Perruc , Stade Gaby Robert and the Stade Jean Berteau, which was commissioned in 1978 and has a capacity of 600. Giens peninsula The Giens Peninsula ( French : Presqu'île de Giens , French pronunciation: [pʁɛskil də ʒjɛ̃] )

144-681: A small "cottage", as she called it, built on the Costebelle hill by the architect Thomas Donaldson , who used to spend his winters in Hyères during those years. Lord Arthur Somerset , formerly of the Royal Horse Guards and head of the stables to the future King Edward VII fled to Europe in 1889 to escape arrest after being associated with the Cleveland Street scandal . He spent his final 37 years living with his partner in

180-401: A unique marshland known for its population of flamingo . A small village called La Capte is situated on the east tombolo, mainly consisting of hotels, restaurants, and holiday homes. The north side of the island, as well as the west tombolo, is characterized by wide, shallow sandy beaches, while the south side has steep cliffs with many bays and small ports. A hiking trail is maintained along

216-832: A villa in Hyères. The British presence culminated in the winter of 1892 (21 March – 25 April) when Queen Victoria came for a stay of three weeks at the Albion Hotel. At that time, the British influence was so strong that shop signs were in both French and English. There was an English butcher, a chemist, two banks, and two golf courses. There were also two English churches (plus one at the Grand Hôtel in Costebelle), whose buildings still exist: All Saints' Church at Costebelle and Saint Paul's English Church, Avenue Beauregard. Some signs of this English presence have vanished, like

252-689: Is a peninsula on the French Mediterranean coast near Hyères in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France . It is a prime tourist destination, with campgrounds and water sports. The peninsula is effectively a narrow, hilly island uniquely connected to the main land by two strips of land. Between these strips, the east and west tombolo , lay old salt evaporation ponds . These are not used anymore for salt production, and instead provide

288-606: Is located on the Côte d'Azur and enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild and relatively humid winters. The harbor can be subjected to strong winds with a record set at 183.3 km/h on March 3, 1995. The mistral blows there, although the municipality is sheltered to the north by the Massif des Maures (the mistral coming from the west, and swaying to the east, south of the Rhône Valley therefore reaches it). It

324-594: Is sometimes exposed to the east (or "east wind") that rushes into the harbor between the island of Port-Cros and Cape Bénat but is protected dusirocco by the island of Porquerolles and the peninsula of Giens. On an annual average, the temperature stands at 15.9 °C with a maximum average of 20.1 °C and a minimum of 11.8 °C. The maximum and minimum nominal temperatures recorded are 29 °C in July–August and 6 °C in January and February, mild values thanks to

360-583: The Battle of Culloden with his father and carried the dispatch of Cumberland's success to London. Bury, later 3rd Earl of Albemarle, was returned as Member of Parliament for Chichester in 1746. He was appointed a Lord of the Bedchamber to the Duke of Cumberland in 1748, a post he held until the Duke's death in 1765. On 1 November 1749, he was given the colonelcy of the 20th Regiment of Foot . He succeeded to

396-654: The Coldstream Guards in 1738, becoming a captain-lieutenant of the 1st Regiment of Dragoons in 1741, aged 17, and a captain-lieutenant of the Coldstreams on 7 April 1743. Appointed aide-de-camp to the Duke of Cumberland in February 1745, was promoted to captain and lieutenant-colonel on 27 May 1745. The next year, he was promoted colonel and made aide-de-camp to the king on 24 April 1746. He had fought at

SECTION 10

#1732771896132

432-514: The Mediterranean to the south makes it popular with tourists in the winter and makes it ideal for the cultivation of palm trees . About 100,000 trees are exported from the area each year. As a result, the town is frequently referred to as Hyères-les-Palmiers ( palmiers meaning palm trees). The three islands of the Îles d'Hyères (namely, Porquerolles , Port-Cros , and the Île du Levant ) are just offshore. Porquerolles and Port-Cros form

468-605: The Port-Cros National Park . The commune has a land area of 132.38 square kilometres (51.11 sq mi). The city of Hyères has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen : Csa ) and it is one of the warmest cities in France. Winters are relatively mild and summers are hot, with maximum temperatures often surpassing 30 °C (86 °F). It is also one of the driest cities in France, with barely 57 rainy days per year and almost rainless summers. Hyères

504-711: The Seven Years' War once again caused him to return to active duty, and in July 1762, he was chosen to lead an assault on Havana . The siege was extraordinarily successful, inflicting 11,670 casualties on the Spanish in return for British casualties being under half of that number. In addition to the capture of the second capital of the Spanish Empire , 10 ships of the line, 2 frigates, 2 sloops and 100 merchant ships were captured. The humiliating Spanish defeat helped end

540-632: The crusades . A commandry of the Knights Templar was based at the town in the 12th century, outside the town walls. The remaining remnant is the tower Saint-Blaise . After defecting from Soviet intelligence in 1937, Walter Krivitsky hid in Hyères (one of the farthest points in France from his operational base in Paris). As part of Operation Dragoon on 15 August 1944, the First Special Service Force came ashore off

576-458: The British ambassador, stayed in Hyères during the winter 1767–1768, and Prince Augustus, sixth son of George III, stayed there in the winter of 1788 for health reasons. The English agronomist Arthur Young visited Hyères on the advice of Lady Craven on 10 September 1789. He mentioned the many British living there in his book Travels in France . The London-born and Eton-educated Anglo-Grison Charles de Salis died in Hyères in July 1781, aged 45, and

612-639: The Grand Hotel (the building still stands in the Avenue des Iles d'Or), and then in a chalet called Solitude in the present rue Victor-Basch. He wrote then: "That spot our garden and our view are sub-celestial. I sing daily with Bunian, that great bard. I dwell next door to Heaven!" In later years, he wrote from his retreat in Valima: "Happy (said I); I was only happy once; that was at Hyères". In 1884, Elisabeth Douglas, daughter of Alfred, Lord Douglas, had

648-428: The cause of mercy to animals. Her last wish was that a drinking fountain should be set up for them in Hyères". Many wounded British soldiers were sent to the town to convalesce during World War I . The American novelist Edith Wharton wintered in Hyères annually from 1919 until her death in 1937. The garden of her villa, Castel Sainte-Claire , is open to the public. The villa previously belonged to Olivier Voutier ,

684-514: The coast of Hyères to take the islands of Port-Cros and Levant . The small German garrisons offered little resistance and the whole eastern part of Port-Cros was secured by 06:30. All fighting was over on Levant by the evening, but, on Port-Cros, the Germans withdrew into old thick-walled forts. It was only when naval guns were brought to bear that they realised that further resistance was useless. An intense naval barrage on 18 August 1944 heralded

720-416: The earldom on the death of his father in 1754; his younger brother Augustus replaced him as MP for Chichester. On 8 April 1755, he became colonel of the 3rd (The King's Own) Regiment of Dragoons . He was promoted major-general on 1 February 1756 and lieutenant-general on 1 April 1759. He was appointed Governor of Jersey on 26 January 1761 and sworn a Privy Counsellor on 28 January. The outbreak of

756-750: The fourth century BC; Olbia is mentioned by the geographer Strabo ( IV.1.5 ) as a city of the Massiliotes that was fortified "against the tribe of the Salyes and against those Ligures who live in the Alps". Greek and Roman antiquities have been found in the area. The first reference to the town Hyères dates from 963. Originally a possession of the Viscount of Marseilles , it was later transferred to Charles of Anjou . Louis IX King of France (often known as "St Louis") landed at Hyères in 1254 when returning from

SECTION 20

#1732771896132

792-492: The next phase of the operation—the assault on the largest of the Hyères islands, Porquerolles . French forces—naval units and colonial formations, including Senegalese infantry—became involved on 22 August and subsequently occupied the island. A US–Canadian Special Forces landing at the eastern end of Porquerolles took large numbers of prisoners, the Germans preferring not to surrender to the Senegalese. Its position facing

828-522: The perimeter. There are currently (2009) scheduled flights to and from Stockholm, Bristol, Ajaccio, Paris, London, Brest, Brussels, and Rotterdam. Hyères was the birthplace of Jean Baptiste Massillon (1663–1742), churchman and preacher as well as Marius Gueit (1808– 1862), blind composer, organist and cellist. The author Jean-Marie-Edmond Sabran (1908–1994), who wrote under the pseudonyms Paul Berna (children's fiction), Bernard Deleuse and Paul Gerradwas (adult fiction), and Joel Audrenn (crime novels),

864-548: The presence of the Mediterranean and the Toulon agglomeration. Frost days are quite rare but on February 10, 1986 the temperature was raised by −7.5 °C. Conversely, on July 7, 1982 the temperature of 40.1 °C set a record. The average sunshine is 2,899.3 hours per year with a peak of 373.8 hours in July. Another important value, characteristic of the Mediterranean climate, rainfall totals 665 millimeters in Hyères over

900-436: The small dell in the cemetery where there were once some hundred graves. Some of these, such as those of Lord Arthur Somerset or Richard John Meade , bore testimony to the aristocratic nature of the community. Other vestiges remain, like the fountain near the new public library in a square shaded by a plane tree . The inscription reads: "In loving memory of Marianne Stewart who died on 18 August 1900. She laboured many years in

936-475: The south side of the island to allow access to the various bays. Just southeast of the peninsula lays Île de Porquerolles, and east of that Île de Port-Cros and Île du Levant. Extensive vineyards on the peninsula produce AOC Côtes de Provence wines. The peninsula has many tourist facilities, such as hotels and campsites, restaurants and bars. It also has opportunities for water activities, such as diving, sailing, and windsurfing. Due to its ease of access via

972-454: The tombolo, the peninsula can be quite crowded during the high season. 43°02′02″N 6°08′27″E  /  43.03389°N 6.14083°E  / 43.03389; 6.14083 This Var geographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle KG PC (London, 8 April 1724 – 13 October 1772), styled Viscount Bury until 1754,

1008-513: The town centre, on a sandy plain close to the seashore. The area was first used by private aircraft at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1920, after the marsh had been drained, French naval aircraft used the field, and, in 1925, it became an official base of the French Fleet Air Arm (Aéronavale). It has been a commercial airport since 1966, but the navy maintains a significant facility for helicopters and fixed wing aircraft within

1044-579: The war in the favour of the British . Keppel was made a Knight of the Garter in 1765 and was appointed Keeper of Bagshot Park in 1766. On 20 April 1770 at Bagshot Park, he married Anne Miller (died 3 July 1824), daughter of Sir John Miller, 4th Baronet, by whom he had a son, William Charles (1772–1849). Politically, he was a prominent member of the Rockingham Whigs in the House of Lords. He

1080-542: The winter and spring each year at Hyères because he and his wife suffered from ill health. Edwin Lee M.D. published in 1857 a book on the virtues of the climate of Hyères for the recovery of pulmonary consumption and in November 1880 Adolphe Smith first published The Garden of Hyères , which is still in print, (see Hachette edition of 2012). In 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson came to Hyères and for about two years lived first at

1116-456: The year, a relatively low value compared to other municipalities around the Mediterranean and especially the rains are very unevenly distributed with less than seven millimeters in July and nearly ninety-four millimeters in October. The record rainfall recorded in twenty-four hours was 156 millimetres on January 16, 1978; on June 15, 2010, it now stands at 200 millimetres. Lord Albemarle ,

Hyères - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-541: Was Willem van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle . Through his mother, Lady Anne Lennox , he was a great-grandson of King Charles II of England . He started his military career serving in the Dutch Army fighting against the French, and in 1745, Keppel participated in the Battle of Fontenoy as an aide to Prince William, Duke of Cumberland . George Keppel had been previously in his military life commissioned an ensign in

1188-523: Was a British general and nobleman. He is best known for his decisive victory over the Spanish during capture of Havana in 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War . He came from a wealthy and powerful Dutch family from Guelders who had close connections to the Princes of Orange that had moved to England in the seventeenth century, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution . His father

1224-484: Was born in Hyères as well as François Coupry (born 1947), winner of the 1970 edition of the Prix des Deux Magots . The French historian Jules Michelet frequently spent the winter at Hyères. He died from a heart attack at Hyères on 9 February 1874. He was interred at Hyères. Following his widow's request, a Paris court granted permission for his body to be exhumed on 13 May 1876. The Member of Parliament Édith Audibert

1260-527: Was born in Hyères. Hyères is twinned with Rottweil , Germany and with Koekelberg , Belgium . Hyères is home to the Hyères International Fashion and Photography Festival, a huge fashion and art photography event that has taken place annually at the end of April since 1985. This festival was among the first to recognize the talents of Viktor & Rolf . The city also plays host to the annual MIDI French Riviera Festival in July,

1296-620: Was buried in the Convent des Cordeliers. In 1791, Charlotte Turner Smith published her novel Celestina , which is set in Hyères. During the period of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars , the British left the area, but they returned after 1815. Joseph Conrad , who lived for a while in Hyères, wrote his novel The Rover , which is set in Hyères, during those years. William FitzRoy, 6th Duke of Grafton , spent

#131868