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La Grande Motte
La Grande Motte. Image by Alain Caraco, 26.6.04. Image published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later La Grande Motte, a new post-war development, was constructed on silt dredged from the neighbouring Etang du Ponant in 1966. It is located on a narrow peninsular between the Gulf of Lion to its south and the salt lagoon, the Etang d'Or, to its north. The name of the town, chosen in 1975 by a referendum of its first inhabitants, translates as "the large mound". The site of the town had previously been uninhabited. La Grande-Motte, like several other new towns on the Gulf of Lion, was conceived as a coastal resort in order to challenge Spanish domination of the Mediterranean tourist trade.
View across the Etang d'Or to the neighboruing village of Maugio. Image published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 license The town, bordered by pine forests, possesses several marinas, sporting facilities, hotels and camping sites and boasts over three kilometres of golden beaches. The foundation stone of its church, dedicated to Saint Augustine, was laid in October 1975.
Image by Alain Caraco, 29.6.04. Image published under the GNU Free Documentation License, verison 1.2 or later La Grande Motte is notable for the late sixties architecture of Jean Balladur. Inspired by pre-Columbian monuments and temples he constructed several eye-catching pyramids including the apartment block which dominates the harbour and the Point Zero development located on the town's original mound. © 2007 LACT Limited. All rights reserved Aigues-Mortes La Grande Motte Pezenas Pont du Gard Saint Gilles Saint Guilhem-le-Desert Uzes
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