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Le Grau du Roi-The town born from the union of sand an water

Closely linked to the history of Aigues Mortes, the port of Grau du Roi became independent in 1879. It became a Seaside and Climate Resort by decree in 1924. The town experienced a tourist boom after many difficult years under German occupation.

 

Even if Le Grau du Roi owes its name to the crusades period when Aigues-Mortes was a royal port, the town did not exist yet under Saint Louis. The port city is Aigues Mortes (see page 7). Vessels from the open sea first of all dropped anchor in the sheltered harbour called Baie du Repos (Bay of Rest), and then sailed along a channel across a lake (which is today the Salins du Midi – salt works) at the bottom of which was the "dead waters" port.

At that time, the future site of Le Grau du Roi was under relatively shallow water at the point where the bay opens out onto the open sea. It was here much later that the two strips of sand which were already in formation here and there thanks to the contributions from the Rhone River would meet. The remnants of this harbour are the lagoons between the town of the Le Grau du Roi – behind the careenage – and the expressway.

 

But let’s go back in time. The most important element at that time was to maintain navigation possible on the opening of Aigues Mortes onto the sea. Constant work was carried out. The Vieil Canal, a small arm of the Rhone River, clogged up. An artificial grau (from the Latin gradus meaning passage) was dug in 1278. Two stone moles were built in the maritime area and extended to the Repausset lake. They were modified for the last time in 1845.

Cabins followed by houses were built at the opening of the grau onto the sea. The beginning of a fishermen’s village. They were soon followed by series of administrative buildings. The section of the commune of Aigues Mortes in 1867, Lo Grau dau Rèi became independent in 1879. There were one thousand inhabitants in 1900. They mainly gained a living from fishing and farming.

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, Le Grau du Roi was also affected by the fashion for sea bathing, which were initially considered as a form of medical treatment. Institutes and cabins were built on the beach. They were the forerunners of thalasso-therapy.

The local authorities quickly realised that sea, sun and fine sand could be a gold mine. The extension of the Nîmes – Aigues Mortes railway line in 1873 brought in crowds of bathers. The other way round, fish and white grapes reached Nimes for excellent meals.

 

The railway line was extended to Le Grau du Roi in 1909. In 1924, President Millerand signed a decree transforming the village into a "Climate and Seaside Resort". This was the way the politicians chose to reward the urban development, work and sanitary regulations efforts made. Le Grau du Roi is a fully-fledged tourist town which is quite independent from its big sister Aigues Mortes. Certain middle-class houses built at that time were proof of this prosperity.

But the resort was badly affected by the war. The First World War had more or less spared the village unlike its men. During the Second World War, the Germans occupied the town. They feared that the allies would land there.

 

Combat engineers carried out major work on the town. The beaches were scattered with anti-tank devices, concrete pyramids and blockhouses. They transformed 800 hectares (8,000,000 sq. m.) of vineyards and grassland into mine fields, closed the entrance to the canal by an anti-submarine net and set up a flamethrower ramp which was directed towards the open sea. They used the doors and windows that they had pulled out from houses to build wooden platforms. A disaster. The inhabitants of Le Grau du Roi also have bad memories of the time they were occupied by the Germans, which worsened as the date of their defeat approached. The nightmare came to an end in August 1944.

 

The resort was then able to overcome its misfortune and repair the major damage. Luckily, for them, after the fashion for sea bathing, came the craze for pleasure boating. In the 1960s, the State put the ‘Mission Racine’ into place along the Mediterranean coast. The objective of this mission was to ensure a rational development of the coastline and avoid an urban sprawl and extensive concrete constructions along the coast. This Mission decided to create Port Camargue, which is the marina of Le Grau du Roi. It has all the facilities of a modern-day marina while at the same preserving the old town, which has kept its soul.

 

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