Aubagne

Sister cities

• Argentona

History

The name Aubagne derives from the Latin phrase ad bainea, meaning 'at the baths'. The death of Queen Joanna I of Naples began a conflict of succession as to who would become the head of the County of Provence. The Union of Aix, a confederation of cities in the region of Provence, supported Charles, Duke of Durazzo, rather than Louis I, Duke of Anjou. By the spring of 1382 the Lord of Aubagne, François des Baux, supported the Duke of Anjou. This support was conditional upon the Duke helping to restore the queen to her throne. On 4 April 1402 in Brantes, at the foot of Mont Ventoux, and in the presence of his wife Alix des Baux, Odon de Villars bestowed upon his nephew Philippe de Lévis the fiefs of Brantes, Plaisians and their dependencies: the Lordships of Saint-Marcel, Roquefort, le Castellet, Cassis, and Port-Miou which were dependencies of the barony of Aubagne, as well as La Fare-les-Oliviers, and Éguilles. In return, Philippe de Lévis would be surety for Viscount Raymond VIII of Turenne for the agreement between Odon de Villars, his wife Alix, and himself. If Odon and Alix failed to respect the terms of the agreement, they would have to pay 50,000 florins to the viscount.

Geography

Aubagne is located in the Huveaune Valley and surrounded by the mountain ranges of Garlaban with Sainte-Baume to the north and east of Marseille. Aubagne was the main city of the former Agglomeration community of Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Étoile; it has been part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis since 2016. It is the sixth largest city of Bouches-du-Rhône by population. It is the main producer of Santon figurines and also hosts many cultural events each year. The Foreign Legion has its headquarters in Aubagne. Public transport has been free at the point of use since the year 2000. Access to the commune is by the A50 autoroute from Marseille which continues south to Toulon. The A501 and A52 autoroutes branch off the A50 in the commune and merge to go north to Aix-en-Provence. Numerous departmental roads go through the commune including: the D96 which goes north to Roquevaire, the D2 which goes east to Gémenos, the D8N which comes from Marseilles and goes south-east to Cuges-les-Pins, the D41E which goes south to Cassis, and many other connecting roads within the commune. There are several smaller towns and villages in the commune apart from the main town: Les Arnauds, Les Grands Mellets, Pinchon, La Martelle, L'Agrie, La Coueste, La Thuiliere, and Font de Mai. A large proportion of the commune is urban with mountainous terrain to north and south The main railway from Marseille passes through the commune splitting into two lines - one going north-west and one going south with a station in the town. The river Huveaune flows through the commune from the east flowing west into the Mediterranean Sea at Prado beach in the 8th Arrondissement in Marseille.

Most-observed species

• Grey-leaved Cistus

  Cistus albidus L. · Magnoliopsida
  2,665
• Blue Aphyllanthes

  Aphyllanthes monspeliensis L. · Liliopsida
  1,730
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,720
• Mastic Tree

  Pistacia lentiscus L. · Magnoliopsida
  1,573
• Laurustinus

  Viburnum tinus L. · Magnoliopsida
  1,530
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,529
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  1,497
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,395

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2008-12-23
  4 km ENE of Éguilles, France
• M 2.7 — 2008-10-02
  75 km SSW of Six-Fours-les-Plages, France
• M 2.5 — 2008-07-19
  77 km SSW of Six-Fours-les-Plages, France
• M 2.7 — 2008-05-21
  6 km SSW of Carqueiranne, France
• M 2.6 — 2008-04-15
  64 km SSW of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France
• M 2.7 — 2008-03-04
  28 km S of Le Lavandou, France