In the heart of the Bouches-du-Rhône, the town of Miramas attracts tourists from all over the world. People come here for its historical heritage, but also to visit the exceptional region of Provence.

Miramas is a French commune , located in the department of the Rhone delta in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur . It is part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis . The city covers 25.74  km ² and had 25,864 inhabitants in 2012. The territory of the municipality is located north of the pond of Berre , about 40  km north-west of Marseille . At the crossroads of the four paths ( Roman road ) stands a small mount Miramas le Vieux where you can see the pond of Berre, because it is not visible from Miramas city also called Miramas Gare . Located on the Crau plain, it marks the end of the last Marseille ring road. Its inhabitants are called the Miramasseans.

Sights

Miramas le Vieux, an authentic medieval hilltop village, is a gem for the city. It is full of everything that makes the charm of Provencal villages: stone, small square, glaciers… and offers a fabulous 360 ° panorama of Provence. You will be able to discover:

• The Saint-Julien chapel  : listed as a historic monument 
• The castle of the xii ^th  century there is only low construction and vaulted the wall of the great room with the impost of the vault curiously treated in the window frames, and an archway on intersecting warheads leads to the old courtyard
• The parish church of Saint-Julien, called Our Lady of Beauvezer (name of the former priory of Miramas) probably dates from the xv ^th  century. At the entrance of the church is a statue of the Virgin in a small niche surmounted by the coat of arms of the abbey of Montmajour, owner of the castle until the reign of Louis XVI.
• The Chapel of the Black Penitents.
• Typical village house of the xii ^th  century.
• The Pourchier oil mill: it is marked by an enormous millstone weighing more than a ton and two smaller ones cut with great skill in the pudding from Crau.
• The main square with its fountain throne in bust, fearless and immortal, Castagne, Jean, Louis, Martin, former mayor of the village with his wash house.
• Renaissance house with window framed by a drip edge . Opposite retaining walls built in the xix ^th  century.
• The Notre-Dame gate, the old entrance to the village with its century-old pine tree just opposite.
• The gastronomy has a significant choice on site with its restaurants and especially its ice cream makers recognized throughout the region. During the summer period, an information point and a souvenir shop welcome tourists.

Poudrerie Park 

La Poudrerie, owned by the Conservatoire du Littoral, is a site full of natural surprises and a major potential for attractiveness, particularly in connection with the challenges of sustainable development. The site is home to the former Royal Poudrerie which covers 135 hectares. This sumptuous plant cover of the space induces a rich and varied fauna. It includes almost all European families: many insects, fish, amphibians (frogs and toads), reptiles, mammals (bats, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, martens, nutria and even wild boars), but especially birds with more than 130 species represented. Besides the pink flamingos, you can admire swans, herons and egrets, many species of ducks, and raptors…

The park offers different activities all year round:

• Making fat balls for birds (February)
• Olive tree pruning (April)
• Bird Festival (June)
• Game Day (June)
• Heritage Days (September)
• Picking olives (December)
• Mountain bike races and exhibitions on the water at the Poudrerie, Adam de Craponne, birds, snakes, olive trees, flora and fauna and insects.

Theater 

The Column Theater inaugurated on September 28, 1986. Designed by architect Jean-Jacques Morisseau, where brick, wood and velvet create harmony and exceptional acoustics with more than 1,700,000 unjointed red and rough bricks hugging the walls to draw profiles and moldings according to thirty different models. Modular room offers the possibility of presenting all styles of live performance. The stage, with a possible opening of up to 21 meters, adapts to the room and according to the needs of the staging: Italian, flat, in tiers for 150 as for 750 people. From September to June, it offers a rich and varied program: theater, dance, music, orchestra, concert.

Multimedia library and art library 

The library, open for more than 30 years, collects 266,000 documents on loan on various media. As for the art library , its mission is to disseminate contemporary art and help with creation. It is responsible for building up a collection of contemporary works of art, presenting and distributing them. Since 1983, it has enriched a collection of 1900 works. Three times a year, it organizes individual or group exhibitions in a room of approximately 230 m .

Gastronomy 

The Aix-en-Provence AOC from Domaine de Sulauze covers 27  hectares in the scrubland. Les drées de Provence offers a wide choice of products, with almond dragees of all colors, fruit paste, nougatine, hazelnut, chocolate and avola dragees. Aix-en-Provence AOC olive oil from Domaine du Montau.

Events

Festive city of traditions, the traditional Provençal festival Racino e Jitello pays homage to the Provençal language and culture around Farandole (Provençal dances), traditional music, Provençal stand and mass and the famous Gardian Games . Showcase of Provençal identity, it traditionally takes place in spring. At the end of July, for four days in the heart of the summer season, the city lives to the rhythm of the votive festivals. Rides, parade, music, street entertainment, aperitifs-concerts, Camargue show, children’s games, singing competition. Enclosed by a magnificent fireworks displayat the Saint-Suspi lake. At the end of August, for three days, Vieux-Miramas takes you on a medieval adventure in an exceptional setting. Shows, activities, demonstrations and gift stands are offered to you in the heart and outskirts of the village. Sounds and lights, balls, knights’ camp, combat demonstrations, various workshops (calligraphy, herbalism, weaponry, archery and crossbow shooting, wooden games, puppet show, musical strolls, food stands and restaurants of the old village take on the medieval colors. And at the end of the year, for the Christmas holidays, the town organizes a Christmas market around twenty chalets over several days (six to nine days), with a toboggan run , mini-farm, games workshops, Christmas carols, shows and musical sound and light entertainment.