Fréjus is a commune in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in Southeastern France.
It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north of the commune forms part of the Massif de l’Esterel.
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur |
| Department | Var |
| Canton | Fréjus and Saint-Raphaël |
| Government | |
| Mayor (2020–2026) | David Rachline (RN) |
| Area1 | 102.27 km2 (39.49 sq mi) |
| Population (2017-01-01) | 52,672 |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Economy
Fréjus is an important economic center of the department and the region , located halfway between the employment areas of Toulon and Grand- Cannes . It has always been one of the places of economic attraction by the number of companies present but also by virtue of tourism, military activities or public services.
The Géant Casino shopping center , the Satac ( Renault ) and Bacchi ( Citroën ) concessions with respectively twenty-seven and twenty-two million euros in sales in 2004 .
Several markets are organized in the town, Wednesday and Saturday in the city center , Tuesday and Friday in Fréjus-Plage and Saint-Aygulf, Thursday at the Tour de Mare and Port-Fréjus, Saturday at the arenas and Sunday at Fréjus-Plage. In the tourist season, there are night markets in Fréjus-Plage, Port-Fréjus and Saint-Aygulf.
Tourism
Located in the first tourist department of France, Fréjus benefits from its double quality of seaside resort and city of art and history to count economically on a large part of tourist activities. The municipality has set up a tourist office , responsible for the promotion of structures of entertainment are the museums of archeology and local history, the marines , the memorial of Black Army and the war of Indochina , historical monuments , natural spaces, the zoological park , the Luna Park amusement. The sandy beaches , over six kilometers long, are an asset on a very jagged Riviera coastline.
The construction of the Albert Caquot space , a convention center with a capacity of six thousand people, and the rehabilitation of party halls have enabled the town to turn more to business tourism .
The town has numerous tourist reception facilities to accommodate more than 86,000 people during the peak tourist season ,including twenty-one campsites including nine four- star , twenty-four hotels including one four- star , seven holiday villages, twenty-seven guest houses , one youth hostel and more than two one hundred rental apartments, for a total of nearly 135,000 beds.
Education
The town is attached to the Academy of Nice and has thirteen nursery schools on its territory (Aulézy, Caïs, Les Moussaillons in Fréjus-Plage, Françoise Dolto , Aurélien , Jean Monnet in Saint-Jean-de-Cannes, Les Lutins , Paul Roux, René Char , Théodore Aubanel , les Oliviers, Valescure and Villeneuve), twelve elementary schools ( Aurélien , Turcan, des Eucalyptus , Les Chênes , Caïs, de Fréjus-Plage, Théodore Aubanel , Jean Giono , Honoré de Balzac ,Jean Monnet in Saint-Jean-de-Cannes, Rene Char and Paul Roux), three colleges (the Oaks , Andre Leotard and Villeneuve), the high school general and technological Albert Camus and vocational school Gallieni .
There is also a medico-educational institute and a CFA .
Twenty associations participate in the education of young people in the municipality, including Guides and Scouts of Europe and Scouts and Guides of France .
Health
In association with Saint-Raphaël , the town hosts the Bonnet hospital center with a capacity of 515 beds on its territory, with all the traditional services and specialized services in psychology , anti- drug addiction and cardiology.
The town also has two clinics (Les Lauriers and Héliades Santé), several retirement homes (Hotelia, La Respelido, L’Acampadou, Jean Lachenaud, etc.) and a thalassotherapy center in Port-Fréjus.
Transport
The Gare de Fréjus railway station offers connections to Saint Raphael, Les Arcs and Cannes and a few other regional destinations. Long distance destinations are accessible from the nearby Gare de Saint-Raphaël-Valescure. The A8 autoroute connects Fréjus with Aix-en-Provence and Nice.
Monuments
The richest architecture belongs to the Roman city whose many buildings make it the richest concentration of this period in France after Arles. The most notable are:
- The amphitheatre
- The aqueduct
- the theatre.
In addition the old town is home to many other impressive remains:
- city walls
- the two gates (of Rome, of Reyran)
- the square of Agricola with the gate of the Gauls
- an exedra and the platform with a cistern on the Butte Saint-Antoine
- the paving of the via Aurelia which passed through the city
- the remains of the ancient harbour with the remains of the north quay, the lighthouse and quay of Augustus
- a mosaic floor of fighting cocks in a private property
- the sewers under the present rue Jean Jaures
- the baptistry in Frejus Cathedral dates from the 5th c. and columns there are from Roman buildings.
No less than five public baths are known in the city, those of the Porte Dorée, the Plate-Forme, les Poiriers, Villeneuve (probably military) and on the Butte Saint-Antoine, three of which are outside the city walls.
A probable military or naval camp was excavated at Aiguières, Villeneuve near the ancient shore line are incorporated in modern buildings, and also a 4th-century mausoleum at rue de La Tourrache. The remains of a suburban villa are at La Rose des Sables. Roman road bridges still exist at Cantonniers and at Esclapes (with three arches), a fulling mill at Arsenal, and a necropolis in Sainte-Brigitte and fishponds on the coast at Saint-Aygulf.
Daily life in Fréjus
Culture
The town has various cultural infrastructures. The three museums ( archaeological , local history and marine troops ) shine on the department, the exhibition rooms that are the Espace Albert Caquot , the Villa Aurélienne , the Paul-Vernet cultural space, the Maison des Métiers d’Art , the Charles Denis room or the multipurpose room of Saint-Jean-de-Cannes allow dissemination to the population.
Cultural leisure activities are possible through the Le Vox cinema , two music schools , a media library on two sites at Villa Marie and in Saint-Aygulf, five theater companies . The ancient theater , renamed Philippe Léotard. The arenas host shows and concerts . A theater , called “Le Forum” and produced with the city of Saint-Raphaël as part of the urban community.
In 2004 , the municipality organized urban meetings mixing competitions of freestyle , slam and graffiti .
Gastronomy
Fréjus is famous for its peaches and its anchovy production . The Côtes de Provence Fréjus is a sub-zone of the controlled designation of origin .
The local specialty remains the Pavés du Cloître , a puff pastry candy with almonds surrounded by a thin caramelized shell.
Sports
The town has sports facilities for various disciplines and spread over its territory. Two poles stand out, the nature base in the south with a swimming pool , a skatepark , three stadiums including one for rugby and two for football , a cycle path , a fitness trail and the Gallieni center , located in the district of the same name, in the is composed of a swimming pool , a stadium of athletics to soccer , ten tennis courts, and an evolution board. In addition to these facilities, there are seven halls or sports halls, four stadiums , three multipurpose halls, twelve development platforms, a nautical club and a sailing school .
Sport is strongly rooted in municipal tradition, several clubs operate at a national level including:
- the EFC Fréjus – Saint-Raphaël in the third division of the France Football Championship
- the AS Frejus for volleyball .
- The Raphëlo-Fréjusien Athletic Club (CARF) or CA Saint-Raphaël-Fréjus, the rugby union club which plays in the French Championship of the 2nd federal division .
