Christian Estrosi, deputy mayor of Nice, certainly does not lack ambition, and among his many projects, announced or in the process of being realized, is to reintroduce nature into the city with the development of spaces and, more specifically, the creation of a green corridor. Therefore, as part of the Green City initiative, the hill and the archaeological ruins of the castle will undergo an intervention that, in fact, will be a comprehensive development.
Currently, an architectural competition has been launched, and the Atelier Villes et Paysages team has been selected.
This project is characterized by three main axes: (a) a living area with a large esplanade where activities such as associations or cultural events can be organized, and a large meadow for sports and outdoor activities; (b) the enhancement of archaeological excavations; (c) forest management for the preservation of the plant heritage.
The project will need to be developed into an action plan, and at that time, the timeline for completion and the investment amount will be determined.
However, it is already known that due to its complexity, this plan will be carried out over several years, with an expected completion horizon of 2020.
A bit of history
The castle hill is a large limestone rock peaking at 93 meters with a summit consisting of two plateaus: One to the south where the castle stood for seven centuries, and a little lower to the north the first suburbs and later the citadel.
Texts note a first urban development in the 11th century with the presence of a “castrum,” a cathedral, and various dwellings on the upper platform. In the mid-12th century, an initial suburb was built on the northern plateau, quickly protected by a wall, and until the following century, the entire city of Nice remained confined to this hilltop area.
Following the dedication of Nice to Savoy in 1388, the castle (castrum magnum) and the walls underwent changes and transformations in 1440.
The Chรขteau of Nice was a fortified military structure, present from the 11th to the 18th century on a rocky hill overlooking the bay of Nice.
The history of the Chรขteau of Nice is marked by sieges by the Kingdom of France against the Duchy of Savoy in 1543, 1691, and 1705, with the last one leading to its complete destruction.
Like an acropolis, the citadel and the castle dominated the city from a rocky spur surrounded by a wall that likely had a perimeter of 2,300 meters and in places a height of around eight meters. Inside this first fortified line, a second even more massive and tall wall, flanked by towers, delineated the castle’s citadel.
Today, the hill is accessed via the Castle elevator. At its center is the Bellanda Tower, built in the 19th century on the site of a defensive tower of the old fortress.
There, one can find a landscaped garden with access paths beautified with a waterfall, the terrace offering an exceptional view over the entire Baie des Anges at any time of the day due to the location’s feature of welcoming sunrise on the port side and sunset on the Promenade des Anglais side.
