Montpellier

Montpellier was founded around the 8^th Century after Charles Martell drove the Saracens from the ancient town of Maguelone.

It is thought that Montpellier was the site of the first public parachute descent, when Bernard de Jussieu climbed to the top of the Montpellier Observatory and using a large piece of cloth, floated back to earth without injury.

Vines abound in this area and local wines are improving in quality. But recent heavy rains caused severe flooding with some vineyards being damaged beyond salvage.

Although Montpellier is a huge sprawling metropolis, it is nevertheless a centre of tourism with nearby towns and villages along the Mediterranean coast specialising in the tourist market.

Many great people were born in or around Montpellier including Jacob ben Machir inb Tibbon or 'Don Profiat', a French Jewish scholar, physician, translator and astronomer, French Naturalist and Physician, Guillaume Rondelet and Chemist Antoine-Jérôme Balard. He discovered Bromine, later proving that it existed in marine plants and animals.

Today, the elegant town has very little to show of its early history, although17^th and 18^th Century monuments have survived.

For more tourist information and history, see Premier Pages (Wine Regions, Places of Interest)