For each of them, from the Terminus Nice-Nord to the Terminus Pont-Michel (whose names may change) via the Old Town, several names inspired by the history and culture of Nice will be proposed to the residents.
Everyone can state their preference using participation forms available at Infotram points, city halls, neighborhood houses, Ligne d’Azur agencies, and Nice Etoile. It will also be possible to participate directly on the tramway website www.tramway-nice.org (starting from February 10, 2007).
To be won: 10 participants drawn at random will win a 1/100 scale model of the tramway.
The results: Visit the Nice Fair to find out the results of the contest. The names of the stations will be revealed at the CANCA stand from March 10 to March 19, 2007.
Station 1
– Le Rouret – Terminus: Name of the neighboring co-ownership, north of the terminus/deposit station, inspired certainly by the eponymous municipality in the Alpes-Maritimes.
– Las Planas – Terminus: Former name of the neighborhood which refers, in old Provençal, to the plateau found after climbing the hill.
– Nice Nord – Terminus: Name used from the beginning for practical reasons, given its most northern geographic location on the route.
Station 4
– Saint-Barthélémy: Name that designates both this neighborhood of Nice and the former valley that descended from the Obscure Valley to the sea along the route of Avenue Cyrille Besset.
– Gorbella: Name from the former Valgorbella valley, which extended beyond the Fontaine du Temple square.
– Square Boyer: Name of the neighboring square called in memory of Roger Boyer, a resistance member of the 6th company of the French Partisan Gunmen who lived in the Saint-Barthélémy neighborhood.
Station 5
– Valrose: Name originating from the Nissard “Vallaurosa” meaning windy valley. This name designated the neighborhood of the “Fouònt cauda”, or the hot fountain, famous for the castle built by the Russian baron Von Derwies between 1860 and 1870, which today serves as the headquarters of the university and the faculty of sciences.
– Square Lépine: Name from Avenue Dean Jean Lépine (1876-1967), a French doctor who retired in Nice in 1946 and became a deputy to Jean Médecin from 1947. He managed public education for 18 years, until 1965. He was notably responsible for almost doubling the number of primary classes, building the Estienne d’Orves high school, and setting up the faculty of sciences at Valrose.
Station 7
– Charles de Gaulle: Name from the immediate proximity of the General de Gaulle Square (1890-1970), president of the French Republic from 1958 to 1969.
– Libération: Former name of the current General de Gaulle Square, initially called Saint-Etienne roundabout, then successively Beatrix Square, Gambetta Square, and finally Liberation Square.
– Malausséna: Name of the lawyer François Malausséna (1814-1882) who was one of the main architects of the development of Nice after its annexation to France in 1860. Mayor from 1860 to 1870, he is credited with among other things, building two bridges over the Paillon, the current setup of Saint-Roch hospital, the widening of the Promenade des Anglais, the construction of Thiers station, the reforestation of Mount Boron, and the opening of the first Casino…
Station 8
– Thiers: Name from the proximity of Thiers Avenue which commemorates Adolphe Thiers (1797-1877), a writer, lawyer, and President of the Republic from 1871 to 1873.
Station 11
– Vieux Nice – Opéra: Name from the immediate proximity of the Opera House, a building destroyed several times by fires, rebuilt under the supervision of Charles Garnier by the Nice architect François Aune, and completed in 1885.
– Vieux Nice – Jean Jaurès: Name from the immediate proximity of Jean Jaurès Boulevard (1859-1914), a French politician, philosopher, and historian.
Station 12
– Vieux Nice – Cathédrale: Name from the immediate proximity of Saint-Réparate Cathedral.
– Vieux Nice – Pont Vieux: Name from the immediate proximity of the Old Bridge, rediscovered during archaeological excavations.
Station 14
– République: Name from the proximity of Republic Avenue, which changed names multiple times. Initially called Victor Street in honor of King Victor-Amédée III (1726-1796) who had it built, it was called Republic Street during the Revolution, then Napoleon Street under the First Empire and again Victor Street during the Restoration until 1902 when its current name was restored.
– Acropolis: The name from the proximity to the Acropolis Convention Center.
– Paillon: Name from the proximity to the Paillon River, covered at this location, which crosses Nice from northeast to southeast.
Station 15
– Armée du Rhin: Name from the proximity to the Army of the Rhine Square, which commemorates the victories of the Rhine and Danube Army, led by Marshal de Lattre de Tassigny, in France and Germany in 1944-1945.
– Palais des expositions: Name from the proximity to the Exhibition Palace.
– Risso: Name from the proximity of Risso Boulevard, which commemorates Antoine Risso (1777-1845), a renowned naturalist from Nice, internationally famous.
Station 16
– Vauban: Name from the proximity of Marshal Vauban Street (1633-1707), honoring Sébastien Le Prestre, marquis de Vauban, a military engineer, and marshal of France under Louis XIV.
– Roquebillière: Name from the proximity of Roquebillière Street, the designation of a neighborhood known since the Middle Ages and renowned for the fertility of its cultures and vineyard.
Station 17
– Diables Bleus Faculté and Saint-Jean d’Angély Faculté: Names from the proximity of the Diables Bleus Avenue and the Saint-Jean d’Angély faculty. The Blue Devils were the nickname of the alpine hunters during World War I, whose barracks were located in the Saint-Jean d’Angély neighborhood.
– Lou Sourgentin: Name of the nowadays disappeared stream that meandered through the vegetable gardens of Saint-Roch and Riquier, from the Niçois Sourgent meaning source, which also named the nearby Sorgentine Street.
Station 19
– Virgile Barel: Name from the proximity of Virgile Barel Boulevard (1889-1979), a deputy of Alpes-Maritimes for 25 years.
– Denis Séméria: Name from the proximity of Denis Séméria Avenue (1834-1911), a benefactor of the city who bequeathed valuable paintings and buildings to provide income to Nice’s charity establishments.
Station 21
– Bon Voyage: Name from the proximity of the Notre Dame du Bon Voyage church, which also gave its name to the neighboring area.
– Pont Michel: Name from the proximity of the bridge and Jules Michel Street (1881-1959), a Niçois industrialist and city councilor who repaired SNCF railway equipment and had therefore installed his workshops near the freight station.
