- Municipality of the Mediterranean coast, Mandelieu-La Napoule is located at the south-western end of the Alpes-Maritimes department. At the foot of the Esterel massif and Tanneron, it opens on the Gulf of La Napoule. With a surface area of 3,137 hectares, the municipal territory is bordered by the municipality of Cannes, by the towns of Pégomas and Roquette-sur-Siagne, by the commune of Théoule-sur-Mer, by the communes of Tanneron, Frejus and Saint Raphael located in the Var department, by the Mediterranean Sea.
- His name was originally Mandeluec. The Romans transformed it into Mantolvocus, Mandolocus or Manduolocus. In the Middle Ages, this province took its current name: Mandelieu. Never in time has it lost its meaning. Simple meaning: Mandelieu was a place of command, that is to say a place of command where the chief resides. Mandeluec was the heart of a vast area from Arluc (Saint-Cassien) through Epulia (La Napoule) and Théole (Theoule) to get lost in the Esterel. It also included Avignonet where thereafter were built a castle and a village that ruined Turenne in the year 1387. Epulia (La Napoule) had only a few fishermen's houses. After the destruction of Avignonet, the family of Villeneuve who owned it, had Epulia build a new castle, and Epulia took the name of La Napoule. The inhabitants of Avignonet followed their castellans and thus constituted the village. Théole (Théoule) in the earliest times was a port appreciated for the ease with which ships found water directly at the spring flowing from the rocks into the sea. The Termes, hamlet of recent edification, became chief. - since the construction of the Town Hall in 1929. It owes its name to the terminals which, at this point, delimited the jurisdictions of the chapter of Grasse, the abbey of Lérins and the bishopric of Fréjus.
- The development of Mandelieu-La Napoule at the beginning of the 19th century:
- While the "Belle Epoque" villas already adorned the coast of the Côte d'Azur, Mandelieu kept the beauty of its landscape intact for a long time as the inhabitants kept customs and ancestral customs.
- The traditional cultures were not lacking: the vine, the hay, the wheat... The Mandolocans raised livestock and silkworms that nourished their beautiful mulberry trees, the olive trees produced an excellent oil and the aromatic plants and others " bouquets "(mint, geranium, rose, violet, tuberose, jasmine) were a significant extra. But in 1880, an invasion of Keïroun (small fly attacking olive trees) followed by significant foreign competition ended the cultivation of olive and silkworm.
- Then it was the international aristocracy who took a close interest in Mandelieu-La Napoule and built the Golf-Club (1891), the Polo, the Racecourse (1885) and the Saint Cassian Aerodrome. the first stone of the Port of La Napoule. The Hermitage of St. Cassian (which has made way today at the airport) were the place for festivities and festivities: shooting with pigeons, Feast of Saint Cassian, Casino, cattle fair... The wintering ones discovered the baths sea in La Napoule. Thanks to their influence, a new era was emerging for the inhabitants of Mandelieu since in 1893, La Napoule finally had a station, "the stop of La Napoule" which facilitated the expeditions of local productions (tiles, plugs, pipes, wood, wine, flowers...).
- In 1900, the four districts (Capitou, Les Termes, La Napoule and Théoule) had 1150 inhabitants. Mr. Nicolas's cork factory had more than 300 workers. La Napoule (200 inhabitants) had two hotels, 2 grocery stores, 2 bakeries, 1 butcher, 5 cafes and 1 tobacconist. The headquarters of the Golf Company attracted hundreds of foreigners every day during the winter season. The tram, from Cannes to Mandelieu was quick to facilitate the movement of wintering and at the same time, the population.
- From 1900 to 1914, the exploitation of the mimosa with commercial purpose began and thus took birth a new profession, that of mimosiste. In 1913, on the quays of the halt of La Napoule, there are hundreds of baskets loaded with mimosa which were thus shipped every day.
- The personalities:
- The Grand Duke Michael of Russia (1861-1929): Uncle of Tsar Nicholas II, and brother of Alexander III, he was forced into exile for having married the Countess Sophie de Torby, granddaughter of the poet Pushkin, who was of a lower rank. The relaxing pine forest of Mandelieu-La Napoule, located on the seaside seduced him and he reinvented in 1891, the Scottish golf of St Andrews. Thus was born the 'Old Course', the first golf of the Côte d'Azur. On fairways today more than a century old, he received all the European aristocracy, not only for the joys of the "little ball", but also to share a good meal, the tea of 5 hours or the walk. Thus, around the Grand Duke, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the Prince and the Princess of Saxe-Coburg, Prince Ourousoff, General Vicomte de Bernis, the Prince and the Princess were frequently met. of Thurn and Taxis and many other crowned heads like his Royal Highness Albert Edouard, Prince of Galle, future Edouard VII who complimented the golf course: "no one else could compete with him in terms of beauty, the site, the picturesque and comfortable ". In 1922, he received with great pomp Lloyd George, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Aristide Briand, President of the Council of France who measured themselves peacefully and sportingly before participating in the Peace Conference which was to lead to the settlement of the dispute. war and that of the League of Nations. An accident almost had a serious consequence... the carriage where the Grand Duke and his family had taken their place was struck by "one of these new motor vehicles" on the bridge of Saint Cassien and he was thrown out of his car. For more than 20 years that the municipality demanded the rectification of the said-bridge narrow and hunchbacked, the studies were thus strongly diligent! Access to Mandelieu for the first cars was much improved. On May 1, 1909, Grand Duke Michael of Russia laid the first stone of the new port and in 1910 the tram line linking Cannes to Mandelieu (and stopping at the racecourse) was inaugurated. Thanks to his influential interventions, the Grand Duke Michel also allowed the stop of the PLM (railway line connecting Paris Lyon and Marseille) to the station of La Napoule (1911).
- César Ritz (1850-1918): The king of cooks... the cook of kings. Poor peasant of the Swiss Valais, he enters the hotel business like many of his compatriots. On the Côte d'Azur, he meets Auguste Escoffier and their respective genius will revolutionize French gastronomy. This prestigious chef will become owner of the famous chain of hotels bearing his name. On March 17, 1892, a gastronomic tribute of which he will be the prestigious leader will be given to the Golf Club to celebrate "the zeal, energy and perseverance of Michael of Russia". Here is the pantagruelian menu "Belle Epoque" of the banquet: Venetian soup, salmon trout with Hollandaise sauce, English apples, Portuguese salt pre-salt salad, Old-fashioned pheasant salmis, Hot-cold partridge with jelly, Asparagus Rich Sauce, Roasted Brison Chapons, Lettuce Salad, Knuckle Crusts, Frozen Nougatine, Desserts, Coffee and Coffee Sprout. All well watered as Sherry, Château Saint-Julien and Champagne Monopole.
- Léo Brun (1881-1944): Son of Louis Brun-Fleur des Pois, botanist and horticulturist of great value, he followed the footsteps of his father, "creator of mimosa Bon-Accueil" and devoted himself to the multiplication, the selection, looking for new varieties of mimosa.
- Nicolas Popoff (1878-1929): A pioneer of aviation, he made the aeronautical chronicle March 27, 1910 by making a return trip between Mandelieu and the Lérins Islands, aboard a bi-plane "Wright" and then signed a double record since it was on this occasion the first to reach the altitude of 207 meters. This feat made him famous and he became the aide-de-camp of the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and then of Grand Duke Nicholas during the war. His protectors, ruined by the Russian Revolution, he returned to Mandelieu as a starter at the Golf Club. An epic that will end sadly with a suicide in the public bath of La Bocca and for any inheritance: a razor, a badger and a 100 franc note for cleaning!
- Louis Paulhan (1883-1963): Famous aviator of the war of 1914-1918, he was the 10th airman to pass his patent. He broke two world records and was a pioneer in various aeronautical activities, in particular by creating a school of seaplanes and making the first aerial photos. He was one of the first mimosts of Mandelieu.
- The mimosa: winter sun
- For ages, Mandelieu-La Napoule lives to the rhythm of the flowering of these multiple suns. Passionately in love with these yellow bunches that originated in Australia, Mandelieu-La Napoule quickly noticed the visual and fragrant impact of these sunny branches on its hills. It is in the middle of the last century that the mimosa will take root in the massifs of Estérel and Tanneron. Its culture today mobilizes a dozen local mimosists (about a hundred around the city).
- The mimosa, "this winter sun", is so dear to the heart of the Mandolocians and the Napoulois that the entire city celebrates, every year in February, this myriad of small suns that illuminate the hills and intoxicate its scent with the senses. This feast of mimosa, imbued with traditions and local folklore, brings together in a single dance, the mimosa, the emerald forests and the big blue.
- The mimosa, imported from Australia to the region by English botanists in the early nineteenth century, adapted wonderfully to its new environment. The European aristocrats, seduced by the sweetness of life of this enchanting site, were the first to adorn their gardens (Lord Brougham, Sir Woolfield).
- Not content to be a decorative shrub that shines brightly in January and February, it is also exploited for its essences. He thus enters the composition of famous perfumes: Farnesiana de Caron, Byzance of Rochas, Amarige de Givenchy.
- Instant like all flowers, the mimosa owes its marketing to the technique of forcing. This process is carried out in a closed room maintaining a temperature of 25 ° and a hydrometry of 85. It allows the hatching of the flower and its conservation thanks to the addition of a special powder called "Chrystal". The technique of forcing, described as "biological miracle" by the interested parties, has its source in two versions at the origin of its discovery. The first: on the way home from school, a little girl picks a bouquet of mimosa, not quite hatched yet, for her mother. The latter, unwilling to offend her daughter, places the bouquet in a vase and installs it in the laundry room. What was his surprise to discover the next day the bouquet blooming and radiant with thousand fires. The second: a gardener from Cannes-la Bocca had raked all the cut branches of a mimosa and had collected them on a pile of manure. The next day, thanks to the humidity of the night and the heat of the manure, the mimosa was hatched.
- But the story of Mimosa is punctuated with pitfalls and the first major disaster arrives February 13, 1929 with frost and snow. Then, 2 years later, to celebrate the perseverance of the producers of Mimosa and its rebirth, the 1st Mimosa Festival made its appearance in Mandelieu-La Napoule on February 16th, 1931. This festival is thus one of the oldest local traditions which, despite some interruptions due sometimes to climatic conditions, sometimes to forest fires, is revived by the fierce will of the inhabitants of the town. These, distributed in various associations of the City are the spearheads of this traditional festival and decorate the tanks voluntarily during the night before the Grand Corso. The mimosa is definitely part of the history of Mandelieu-La Napoule.
- Today, 8 million bouquets are shipped by local mimosists around the world.
- Mandelieu-La Napoule, ideally located at the gates of the Var and close to Cannes, is nestled between the tortured and yet superb massif of the Estérel and the Tanneron massif which develops, in its case, the majestic forest of mimosa. Mimosa's land of choice, Mandelieu-La Napoule, which had already seduced the British and Russian aristocracy of the late nineteenth century, has turned, over time, into a tourist resort with many riches.
- First golfing destination of the French Riviera, this enchanting site has two renowned courses, one of which was created in 1881 by the Grand Duke Michel, nephew of the Tsar. The large green areas attract many nature lovers: on horseback, on foot, by mountain bike in the red trails of the Estérel, over the water on the Siagne... The sporting practice in the city skilfully reconciles nature and discovery.
- Mandelieu-La Napoule is a "Wellness" destination. An ideal place to stay to relax. Out of the crowds of summer months, the Mandolian coastline will be the ideal place to stay to spend great moments of relaxation in contact with local professionals fully available. In tourist establishments with high quality services associated with the discovery of local cultural, gastronomic and environmental wealth these stays will be the ideal way to return to calm, well-being and good living.
- A preserved natural setting: Mandelieu-La Napoule, seaside resort is located at the edge of the Mediterranean, facing the bay of Cannes, the Lérins Islands and the foot of the Estérel. Its coastline consists of sandy beaches accessible all year and coves with red rocks formed by the first slopes of the Estérel along the famous "Corniche d'Or". Beyond this particular seaside, between sea and mountains, rivers, greens and century-old pines of the prestigious golf, the village of La Napoule itself nestled at the foot of the San Peyre and the castle "feet in the "water" form a unique scenery that have made La Napoule one of the landscapes that is the legend of "the Riviera". A living coastline to discover in the Mediterranean tranquility, for a walk: on the coastal path, on the slopes of the San Peyre, along the shores of La Siagne, and for the boldest on the slopes of the Esterel, or the Grand Duke forest at the gates of Mandelieu. At sea along the "Corniche d'Or" for 2 hours of guided boat trips along the red coves of the Estérel.
- To discover also absolutely: The castle of La Napoule that one will visit for its history and its romantic architecture, for its gardens, and its workshop of art which shelters all the collection of the works of the founding artist of the places. And the pleasures of the table are present in the many restaurants that welcome gourmands and gourmets to offer their specialties and their expertise.
