Salin-de-Giraud, "our history in the Camargue"

Solvay district
The Solvay coron was built between 1896 and 1902 by the Belgian company having imported its red brick architectural model. Salin is nicknamed "coron du sud" because of these dwellings designed on the model of the working cities of the north. This model reproduces the hierarchy of the enterprise, from the director's house to the workers’accomodation. Impregnated with paternalism, the Solvay company built for its employees, among others things, a hospital, a school group but also arenas.

The arenas of the village
Built in the twentieth century, the arena of Salin-de-Giraud is part of the social arsenal that the Solvay factory had set up for its staff. The workers from Gard wanted to have a place for their passion for bulls. The friar poet Carle Naudot, foreman at the Solvay factory, created the bullfighting club Prouvenço Aficioun to animate this enclosure, one of the first buildings of its kind in Provence. Today, arenas are a nerve center for the socio-cultural activity of the village.

The corons

The old hospital

The sports district

The Carle Naudot square

The catholic church of Salin-de-Giraud

The Péchiney district
The Péchiney district has a less structured and organized organization than the Solvay district. It is more the result of a policy of temporary development and reoccupation of vacant buildings. Less structured, this district gave way to individual and collective initiative. So we can meet with DIY sheds, gardens in front of the house, shortcuts. It is possible to walk and walk from one street to another without forcing the privacy of its inhabitants.

The Adrien Badin square
In 1900, Adrien Badin was hired at the Salindres factory (Gard) by M. Péchiney. An essential figure in the development of the Company, he is appointed director after the departure of Mr. Péchiney. He established a system of retirement and health protection for his workers, he built "modern" cities. The company will experience a rapid development, from 3 to 12 factories in 1917 ! One of the neighbourhoods will long be called Badinville. A statue has been erected in his memory.

The barracks

The Orthodox Church of Salin-de-Giraud
The flourishing industry Solvay factories (established in 1895) requires manpower, especially at the time of the First World War when the French are at the front. The Greeks, who arrived between the two wars, settled by family reunification. They kept their customs and religion while integrating themselves into the life of the village. A church for Orthodox worship was built in 1952. The Salins du Midi company will donate it to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of France in 2009.

The industrial village of Salin-de-Giraud
In the mid-nineteenth century, 10,000 ha were developed by the company Henri Merle (Péchiney thereafter). Solvay settled next. The village of Salin-de-Giraud is born from the double implantation of Péchiney and Solvay in the late nineteenth century and their need for salt. The two companies turned to outside labor, initially from surrounding areas and then of Italian, Armenian and Greek origin, to carry out this painful work of salt exploitation.

The Director’s house
Description
1 - Take the first street on your left, Rue de Provence. Continue straight until you reach the D36 then turn right. Continue along the D36. The old hospital is on the left.
2 - Opposite the old hospital, turn right,rue de la République. Walk along the corons on the left. At the intersection with boulevard des arènes, turn right and then take the first street on your left, rue des écoles.
3 - Take the street on the right to regain the Boulevard de la Gare, then at the intersection with the boulevard go to the left. Leave on the right the Carle Naudot street. At the roundabout, turn left. Continue on the Boulevard de la Camargue for 300 m, pass the Saint-Trophime Catholic Church and continue until Adrien Badin Square. After the bandstand, head to the left on Rue du Jeu de Mail. Continue straight for 400 m in the residential area until the Greek Orthodox Church.
4 - After the Greek Orthodox Church, take the dirt road, about 300 m, to the residential area, Rue de la Bouvine. Take a left onto Rue de la Bouvine to get back to Boulevard de la Gare. At the Boulevard de la Gare, head to the right and continue to the arena.
5 - At the arena, head to the left on rue des Arènes. Take the second street on the right, Rue de la Victoire. At the intersection with the D36, turn right then take the first right to return to the tourist office.
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
The proposed route is indicative. The circuit can be done by borough (Solvay, Péchiney ...).
A document locating the points where the signs and silhouettes are located is available at the Tourist Office of Salin-de-Giraud.
Caution on the D36, busy road!
Information desks
Domaine de La Palissade
BP 5, 13129 Salin-de-Giraud
http://www.palissade.fr/
palissade@parc-camargue.fr
+33 (0)4 42 86 81 28
OT Salin-de-Giraud
1 Boulevard Pierre Tournayre, 13129 SALIN DE GIRAUD
http://www.arlestourisme.com/
ot-salindegiraud@arlestourisme.com
+33 (0)4 42 86 89 77
Transport
Access and parking
Parking :
More information
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