Valras-Beach

Valras-Beach is a common French, located in the department of the Herault and the area Languedoc-Roussillon.

Geography

Valras-Beach is a Seaside resort French located on the Mediterranean in the Gulf of Lions

Traditionally, Valras-Beach is the beach of Béziers and the Biterrois.

History

the zone punt

Valras owes its existence with discoveries of which the presence of a tumulus in front of the cemetery or the vestiges of dwellings the such Villa Juxta Mare (“the cleanliness of the sea”) of Valerius (veteran of the 7th legion), which would have given according to certain its name to Valras. In addition, Valras means in patois “zone punt or valley punt”. December 15th, 878, the bishop of Gérone sold Valras and his territory for 180 grounds with the bishop of Béziers. One can consider that the true existence of Valras as a place of occupation is at the time of the installation of the customs on the site at the beginning of the XIXe century. In addition, L `Orb is mainly at the origin of Valras because its mouth was initially a fishing port. The fishermen came to work there at the day and settled in precarious shelters at the beautiful season. It is at the beginning of the XIXe century that a community of fishermen settled in a permanent way with Valras. They indicated the hippocampus as being their emblem and that of their “village”. Some owners of grounds developed trade then.

tourism of health

The sea bathings are with the last style under the Restoration by the Duchess of Berry and Valras will discover little by little a passion of its new tourists, who seek there remedies against the skin diseases or to strengthen the organization. The creation of the railroad in 1846 will democratize this attraction of the bathers for Valras. The Biterrois and Sérignanais were the first followers of the sea bathings in 1855. It is in 1901 qu' will arrive the electric tram as well as the multiplication of the equipment of reception (hotels, country cottages, coffees). Valras will become a seaside resort then, after having belonged to the commune of Sérignan until February 18th, 1931, date of birth of Valras as a commune independent with creation of the 1st Municipal council. In the decade which follows the creation of the commune, town-planning and water conveyance are the two priorities of the municipal action. One will build the station according to a structure in T, the main road will be given by the axis of communication which connects the village to the back-country. Us here thus vis-a-vis a commune of 234 hectares, and Sérignan preserved 2751 n the other hand of them.

tourism of holiday

On arrival of paid vacations in 1936, the sport becomes increasingly popular (Tournaments on Orb, gymnastics…) and the beach of Valras becomes animated. One comes there to spend the holidays, sometimes 1 to 2 months, seeking rest and distractions. The gravitational distraction of Valras is its casino created in 1918 with its plays and spectacles. It gives to Valras paces of seaside resort of luxury. This last ceased any activity of plays in 1982 when the lightning destroyed its roof of pyramidal form. In 1993, one will build the current casino, managed by the Tranchant group. This last is composed of two discotheque and bar, restaurant, gaming rooms. Each week meals spectacles and dances are organized. The program of these animations is available to the Tourist office.

the port activity The fishing port becomes with the wire of time a marina, which was increased in 1960 (250 boats). The high-speed motorboat “Raymond Crouzat” current SNS 212, moored in the port vis-a-vis the Harbor office, resembles of nothing its grandfather the boat " The Admiral Zédé" inaugurated on October 15th, 1933 at the request of the municipality and the fishermen. This boat, length of 9.10 2.60 m Mr. and broad, at sea carried on his activity of rescue until the arrival of the first motorboat in 1962 called " Lieutenant of Chauliac". Finally since 1982 our current shuttle, remotorized since, day before with our safety with its 25 voluntary. Among all the rescues at sea operated since the existence of the Central Company of Rescue of the Shipwrecked men, all the valrassiens keep in memory the rescue of the Mimosas cargo liner which ran aground on the beach of Vendres in 1978. One still sees the cargo booms which exceed water. In the same way, there exists another port in river which names the port Jean GAU. This last, born in Sérignan in 1902, gave its noble letters to the pleasure, because he was the pioneer of the crossings of the Atlantic as a recluse on his boat " ATOM" that one visited at the time. Fishing, a traditional activity The sea is filled with richnesses: that goes from small vertebrate such sardines to large fish like tunas. Thus one finds in Valras, in our fishmongers and oyster sellers, various species such as the telline, the knife, clovisse it, the clam, the sardine, the mackerel, the mullet, the plate, the cuttlefish, the sea-bream, wolf… etc It should be said that fishing was the major activity of the town of Valras. Besides one distinguishes various traditional techniques from fishings practiced in the sector: - Fishing “with blue”: the sardine, the mackerel and the tuna are fished. - Fishing with the drag: moved on left bank, it was a question of launching the net to 200 meters of the edge then to delicately go up it with its contents on the beach. If the time of the nets brought back to the force of the arms is still very close, today they are the winches of two tractors which carry out largest of work. - Fishing by lamplight: formerly authorized, it was a question of using the coordination of a boat and a boat. The boat fixed by means of large lamps the fish benches with a lamp so that the boat can encircle the bench around while launching the net. - Fishing in Orb: this one knows new regulations. With the rise of tourism and the difficulties of the trade on Valras, one notes a clear reduction in the number of fishermen: 1973: 75 sailors including 52 skippers. 1990: 47 sailors including 17 skippers.

The Catalan women (typical boat of the time of which “Pebble” an survivor used for the pleasure), the bars, the arbors now leave room to the yachts in the port. Besides there remains only one trawler in activity with Valras and they are the brothers Marc and Didier MOTIS, who, the every day leave the port at midnight to throw their nets with a score of miles (37 km) of the coasts of Valras. The number of fishermen also fell because there remain now only some fishermen of trade of which: - brothers MOTIS with their trawler - the brothers BOUSQUET who exert fishing with the net and the part with their two boats, - Mr. Jean-Marc CARTIER who exerts fishing at piece-rates, whose principle is to differently place its nets according to the weather and of the type of desired fish, - the family FLORIOT which exerts with their two boats and their tractor fishing with the net and the drag, - Mr. Jimmy RODRIGUEZ which exerts fishing with the net. - Mr. Pascal CASSAN who exerts fishing with the net.

All these products of the sea are the fruits of what one calls here “the small trades” and are marketed each day with the markets in the mall and the restaurants valrassiens.

In the same way, one can find the sale of shells towards 16:00 on the stands located beside the Tourist office. Old dwellings Valras has since good changed with the liking of the tourist request, but it is still possible to see some houses of fishermen today dating from the XIXe century. Huts in reeds and canottes called straw huts, one passed to modest houses into hard (street Pierre Loti, lane St Marie…). Thus the origins of Valras remain very present in the heart of each one. In the same way, one finds holidays which made the development of Valras. In the architectural style of the stations Normans or Basque coast, one finds the building of the hotel “the country cottage” or the villa of the street Vincent Scotto; of type more modest, there were the villas of the street of the mulberry trees whose owners were of Béziers and his area.

the traditional festival of St hones

The festival of St Pierre (known as festival of the fishermen) proceeds the last weekend of June. St Pierre, patron saint of the fishermen, was the fisherman with the Lake Tibériade before meeting the Christ who entrusted the mission to him of becoming fishing men. At the time of this traditional festival, one always attends a solemn mass in the honor of protective Patron saint of the fishermen. Then, they are procession with the statue of St Pierre, carried by the voluntary ones of the S.N.S.M. and the fishermen; during an aperitif and of a giant brasucade (mussels roasted) one can appreciate the user-friendliness of the event as much that the tradition. The afternoon, on many boats, one throws a sheaf in remembering the sailors missing at sea.

SOURCES

Henry Caumes (elected local official), Lucien Molinier and Tomy Latorre (former elected local officials), Patrick Toustou (president of the S.N.S.M.), Maryvonne Lagarde, and deliver it “Valras-beach of yesterday to today” of Yvette Maurin.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Personalities related to the commune

Jean Gau

Its boat: Atom; length: 9.14 m; larg. 3.06 m; Draft: 1.40 m; Weight: 8.5 T

At 27 years it leaves all for New York, takes American nationality and becomes cook in great restaurants, at the end of 2 years of economy it buys a goélette of 12 meters: Onda, it will wait 6 years before sailing with the long course, is failed in Spain after its 1st crossing of the Atlantic in 1937.

In 1945 it repurchases a ketch of 11 meters which it baptizes Atom, its voyages will not be quiet cruisings and it not confronted with all kinds of incidents which are sometimes serious.

He which at the beginning did not know anything with navigation progressively becomes a specialist, which does not prevent it during its 1st round the world tour (1953 1957) from missing crashing to pieces itself on an island, to be to carry by a beachcomber and from flirter with the reefs of Warriors, at the time of its 2nd round the world tour (1962 1968) it derives during 3 days in the peaceful one, capsizes close to the Cape of Good Hope and is failed on the rocks of Warriors (still them).

During its stopovers it will meet many people and amongst other things Moitessier, Errol Flynn and Winston Churchill on the whole it will have crossed 10 times the Atlantic.

See too

Common of Herault

External bonds

Official site of the Tourist office of Valras-Beach
Valras-Beach on the site of INSEE
Valras-Beach on the site of Quid
Localization of Valras-Beach on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Valras-Beach on Mapquest

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