# Architecture in France: diverse regional influences



## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

*The North of France*
*Nord-Pas de Calais Region*
- Adjacent to Belgium and the closest region to England
- Lille Metro is the largest urban area and touches the French-Belgian border
- Historical Flemish influences make some of these cities have a touch of Belgium & Netherlands; Flemish-revival architecture found as well
- Use of red and brown bricks as well as attached houses aligned in rows make some of these cities feel a bit like nearby England, Belgium and the Netherlands 

Featured cities: Arras, Béthune, Callais, Dunkerque, Lille-Roubaix-Tourcoing, Maubeuge

Wikimedia Commons - user Pichasso









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Wikipedia Commons - by Patrick Vandenbussche









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SSC De Snor - Lille, noordranse parel thread









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Rowhouses common throughout the Greater Lille area from www.pagesjaunes.fr




































*** _I will continue later today with a different region..._ ***


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Perhaps the sharpest contrast to the Nord-Pas de Calais (Northernmost) region of France featured above is the
*South (central) and the Southeast:*
*Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (=French Riviera)*
- Partly adjacent to Italy and the southern Alps
- Marseille is the major city and urban area; Nice is another important city
- The Provençal and particularly the Niçois styles are reminiscent of Italy; Alpine influences are also found here as you penetrate further north of this region
*& Laguedoc-Roussillon region*
- Partly adjacent to Spain (Catalonia)
- Montpellier is the major city of the region
- Provençal style from neighboring Provence and Spanish/Catalan architectural influences make this region feel and look Spanish

Both regions have Mediterranean coast which reflects in their cuisine & general culture

Featured cities: Nice, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, Arles, Toulon, St-Tropez &
Béziers, Montpellier, Narbonne, Perpignan

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In Perpignan (like in Spain!)
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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

France is so diverse when it comes to architecture. We've got that and a lot more. Paris is completely different again, just amazing!


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

^^ Other regions to follow later today


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Really awesome


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Let's head back north but this time to the *Northwest*
*Brittany (Bretagne)*
- has Atlantic and English Channel coast
- known for its early Celtic inhabitants and culture
- a favored family (countryside) vacation region
- Rennes and Nantes are its major cities...Rennes is in the heart of Brittany

When I think of _architecture bretonne traditionelle_, I think of two or 3 elements:

1) The use of alternating stones along windows and corners or edges, usually a different color than the house or building
(Q: Couldn't I have chosen a better pic...this one lacks light? A: We're back in northern France...the sun doesn't shine anywhere as much as in the south of France) 










2) Another thing that comes to mind is the use of irregular stones on the exterior of some houses and buildings. This is a big difference from the Nord-Pas de Calais region also in the north but further east, near Belgium, where small red or brown bricks are common instead. These irregular stones don't dominate all of Brittany but they are very common nonetheless.
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3) The *shape* of the roof also sometimes looks like this in Brittany:









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This traditional style is often found in *contemporary* buildings and houses in various ways









These pictures are all of the city of Rennes and are from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr

Now let's visit smaller cities of Brittany:
(The following pics are from Wikipedia Commons)

The old, old _maisons à colombage_, found throughout Brittany cities
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Villas "Brittany-style"?
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famous St-Malo
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Iconic Brittany countryside houses
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or just settle for a neo-breton house
Breton-Homes.com


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Back south but this time to the very *southwestern* corner of France:
*The French Basque Country*

This is not an administrative region but rather a cultural region in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departement of the Aquitaine Region.

- borders the Basque Country of Spain
- a region alongside and in the Pyrenees
- Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz is the major urban area of this region
- the roofs and the façade in general make the typical Basque architecture very distinct; it has a lot of similaries to the Basque architecture of Spain

As is often the case, it is easier to show pictures of small towns and villages because it's often there that you find the typical regional style. Many major French cities are filled with the more French neo-classic and even the Paris Haussmann-influenced buildings of the 19th c. I will show mainly towns on or near the coast.

Wikipedia Commons pictures

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The typical Basque game also played in the Spanish side of the Basque Country, with a typical basque house in the background.

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This is Hendaye. If you continue south by car or train you arrive in Irún, Spain. I've taken this trip several times.
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Now scroll back up to the other regions I've shown so far. Amazing diversity of traditional regional architecture in France! :cheers:

_More regions to come later today!_


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Back north but on the east, adjacent to the German border: *Alsace*

- Strasbourg is the major city of Alsace
- This region is highly urbanized as is the Nord-Pas de Calais region near Belgium
- The architecure is unmistakably similar to what you can find in Germany

Pictures from Wikimedia Commons


*city: Strasbourg*

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*
city: Mulhouse*

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*city: Colmar*

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*Several smaller cities in the Alsace region*:

Richieman









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Very Alsatian-looking











*Houses in Strasbourg with the Alsatian touch* www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Back in the *Southwest*, a bit northeast of the Basque Country featured 2 posts above, is the biggest city of that quadrant of France: *Toulouse*

I decided to feature Toulouse alone because it's quite unique within it's administrative and cultural region, atleast physically. This is because of the unique use of earthy, pink-orange terra cotta brick throughout Toulouse. This is why they nick-name her _la ville rose_ or the *Pink City*. 

Even the more modern construction often uses some of those terra cotta bricks at least for decoration. Sometimes just the pink-orange color is used as paint whenever brique isn't used. You can see it from the Romanesque architecture of the early Middle-Ages to the today's construction. By the way, Romanesque architecture is big in Toulouse.

Photos from Wikipedia Commons

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Another characteristic of Toulouse architecture is the rustic, rugged look. This is found in buildings of different uses like houses. So don't expect to find a lot of detailed carvings and fine lines. This often stands out around the windows and doors and may be attributed to the material used which itself is rustic and not as responsive as _la pierre de taille_ or much less marble which creates finer work. But even when finer material is used, the look is still rustic which gives the city a nice consistency.

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and more of the earthy pink-orange color used as a hint:
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Occitan, a regional language (with subvariants) of a big part of the Southwest and South-center of France...it's closest relative is probably Catalan, spoken in French and Spanish Catalonia (e.g. Barcelona).
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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Just like Toulouse above, I will dedicate the following post to just one city. Just like Toulouse, this next city is in the Southwestern quadrant of France. They also happen to be similar in size. Yet these nearby cities are very different.

*Bordeaux*: The quintessential French city (after Paris)

No major city in France has the Paris-look as much as Bordeaux. Lyon is full of pastel colors and embodies the nearby Swiss/Alpine Italian architectural elements. Marseille is the Mediterranean itself. And Lille, featured in the first post, is full of Flemish influences. Then Nice is very Italian-like, while Strasbourg is very German-like.

And as you saw just a few posts above, nearby Toulouse is orange-pink tones, rustic, and a bit Spanish-looking. Bordeaux, on the other hand, is quintessentially French. No where do you see Paris' monotone, beige, cut-stone, classic 18th c. French _hotel-particulier_ architecture like you do in Bordeaux. Yet this architecture actually preceded and probably influenced Paris 19th c. "Haussmannian" architecture. The similarity to Paris, though, diminishes as you leave the city-centre.

photos from Wikipedia Commons

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However, the roofs of Bordeaux are clearly southern-style--nothing to do here with the roofs of Paris. In other ways too, Bordeaux has characteristics of Southern France. But it's still the closest thing to Paris IMO architecturally.
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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Some awesome houses ^^^^


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## jcarloschile (Jul 12, 2008)

This is why France is my favourite country in the world!


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## serendip finder (Jun 17, 2008)

Great thread!

Would love to go there again.


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## GrigorisSokratis (Apr 6, 2005)

Now, is there still any doubt about this being one of the most beautiful countries on earth??!!??!

Vive La France! :cheers:


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## Aecio (Jun 13, 2008)

Awesome pictures you have posted there mate.
Please show me more of Toulouse, I would appreciate it.


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

The capital of the Rhône-Alpes region is *Lyon*. The Alpine character of the eastern portion of this region (bordering southwestern Switzerland and northwestern "Alpine" Italy) is somewhat present in Lyon, which itself is not far from Geneva, Switzerland. As a result, Lyon is among the major cities of France that most resembles Geneva. 

But perhaps even more is how well Lyon resembles Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region of Italy. This resemblance seems most noticeable in both cities' 19th century neo-classic architecture of apartment houses.

First, here is Turin, Italy, not too far from Lyon.

Pictures from Wikimedia Commons
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And now here is *Lyon*!

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Lyon is known for its mainly warm pastel colors which distinguishes it from other French cities, especially Paris and Bordeaux. However, like Paris, Lyon went through an architectural and urban renewal in the mid-19th which also influenced subsequent architecture in the newer Part-Dieu part of Lyon. Like Paris, Lyon went through a Haussmannization of sort, which also called upon for neo-classic residential and administrative buildings, but in its own architectural style, more similar at times to Turin, Italy than Paris if you ask me...like this:

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some typical Lyon buildings from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr

















































































































The older architecture that preceded the above 19th and early-20th century architecture is often found in the smaller streets of Old Lyon and some old sections of la Croix-Rousse neighborhood.

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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

*More of the French-Flemish beauty...*

*Lille* (Northern France), very near border with Belgium and not far from English Channel

Photos from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr

Rue Saint André



















































































































































































Rue de la Monnaie







































































































































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Boulevard Vauban
















































































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Rue de la Bassée


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

*The Alsatian beauty by the Rhine*

*Strasbourg* (Northeastern France), on the border with Germany, in the German-influenced region of Alsace


Photos from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr


Avenue des Vosges



































































































































































































































































































































































Avenue de la Forêt Noire
















































































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*In the old center of Strasbourg*


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## xylene (Jan 14, 2007)

Thanks very much for putting this thread together. I learned a lot from your descriptions and learned France has such diverse and beautiful architecture.


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

^^ You're welcome. I enjoyed doing it. I'm enjoying most showing the small images from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr because it's helping me plan my one-day trips to Lille and Strasbourg (from Paris) so I have to know exactly which streets to target rather than waste time wondering through less captivating streets. I find the cities on the eastern side of France near the borders with other countries to be the most beautiful, colorful and well preserved (Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon and Nice).


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

*Lyon, at the confluence of the Rhone and the Saone*

*Lyon* (central eastern France), not far from the Swiss and (Alpine) Italian border

photos from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr

NOTE: Like all other pics above, I'm not showing all the buildings on the streets I'm naming. This is only a sample of some of the buildings I consider typical of the given city. All modern architecture is skipped unless it shows an adherence to the more traditional style of the city or its region. I am trying to show different looks within the general, local style so those too similar are also skipped.

Rue Victor Hugo

















































































































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Place Bellecour









































































































































































































Rue du Président Edouard Herriot


















































































































































Rue de la République
















































































Quai Saint Antoine

















































































































Quai Tilsitt



































































Cour Gambetta






































































































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Some buildings in *Old Lyon*


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## Le moro tyrannique (Oct 8, 2008)

Edubejar, sorry to tell you, but the pics aren´t showing up!


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Le moro tyrannique said:


> Edubejar, sorry to tell you, but the pics aren´t showing up!


I've noticed that sometimes images don't appear for me but do for others. I can see the images now. Test the link to one of the pics and see if your browser shows it that way.


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## Le moro tyrannique (Oct 8, 2008)

edubejar said:


> I've noticed that sometimes images don't appear for me but do for others. I can see the images now. Test the link to one of the pics and see if your browser shows it that way.


once again, sorry to tell you, but they aren´t working that way neither. I´ve cut and paste the link of a couple of pics on my web browser address bar, but nothing is coming up.

If you can see the pics it may be due to the fact the they are still loaded on your pc´s cache memory, try deleting your temporal files and see what happens! 

Are you taking all the pics from the same website. It seems that those on the last round weren´t allow to be hotlinked


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

The pics are OK. Nice pics btw


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## Le moro tyrannique (Oct 8, 2008)

yep, now the pics are fine!


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Le moro tyrannique said:


> once again, sorry to tell you, but they aren´t working that way neither. I´ve cut and paste the link of a couple of pics on my web browser address bar, but nothing is coming up.
> 
> If you can see the pics it may be due to the fact the they are still loaded on your pc´s cache memory, try deleting your temporal files and see what happens!
> 
> Are you taking all the pics from the same website. It seems that those on the last round weren´t allow to be hotlinked


I removed my computer's cache memory, cookies and temporary files before responding to you and I tested them on work computer vs home computer so that is why I knew it was OK. I also preview my threads before submitting so I knew the last round did not have a hotlink problem otherwise the preview would not show the pics either. The problem will occur when the websites decide to change their links on me


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Let's take a break from provincial cities.

Paris

All photos from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr

Most of these pictures are each of buildings from different streets so I have not labeled any streets like I did for Lille, Strasbourg, and Lyon above. The main exception are the 5 or so from Rue du Fbg St-Honoré and those on Pigalle (Red Light District). None of these pics are of the Champs Elysées. That's to show the grandeur (and the-not-so-grand further down below) that's found throughout the many other avenues, boulevards and other main arterials of Paris. Buildings of smaller, older streets are also featured to show the "other" Paris look: narrower buildings with much more plain-looking façades that sometimes lean back or forward. That's what Paris may have looked more like had the huge, Paris urban renewal project of the mid-1800s to "carve-out" wide, ortho-aligned, major arterials (e.g. avenues, boulevards) never occurred. 

We begin in the wealthier parts of West Paris and move to the more highly-sought historic core, before ending in the more working-class neighborhoods of East/Northeast Paris. This is to try to give a thorough look and feel to Paris. 

As before, I've avoided modern but also old architecture that is not typically representative to Paris. This is not denying Paris has architectural surprises and modern architecture. It's to maintain the purpose of the thread: to show what makes a given French city or region look the way it looks but also to show the amazing consistency (sometimes stubborn) of Paris and other French cities. Also, a lot of Paris' unattractive 60s and 70s buildings have been especially avoided since such architecture had a tendency to look the same in Paris, Stockholm, Lisbon or Warsaw.













































































































































Many administrative buildings also have the uniquely Paris look:











Many buildings in Paris take on a *golden glow* at sunset. It's very majestic!











Because of Paris' radiating avenues and boulevards, non-right angle *corners* are very common. Depending on the angle, some corners are very thin and taper-off like these--there are many, many, many of them:

























































































































_Volets_ or *shutters* or also found in many apartment buildings. I would say that roughly speaking, less than half of the apartment buildings in Paris have shutters on their windows. They are not uncommon but they don't dominate the Paris cityscape. And they are never colorful like those of other French cities, particularly those of Southeastern France.







































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































BONUS: The *Red Light District*.


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## Mahratta (Feb 18, 2007)

Thank you for the insightful tour! Keep up the great work!


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## Bruno BHZ (Nov 15, 2002)

This thread is so interesting! One of the best I´ve seen in SSC, I really enjoyed it, very informative.


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## Farrapo (Oct 7, 2003)

What an interesting thread!

I can say that I've learnt a lot of things about France and its architecture!

Seeing these pics, I could see how diverse it is! Sometimes I felt I was seeing a german city, other times a belgian one...

Anyways, thanks for sharing all these pics and informations! Great thread! One of the best I've ever seen! I hope you have more pics to post! 

Btw, Nancy has incredible number of Art Nouveau buildings... I guess it would be nice if you talk about this city and its architecture... :colgate:


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

*everything goes here*

La banlieu de Paris

All photos from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr

In as little as 3 or 3.5 miles from the most central point of Paris, you can be in _*la banlieu parisienne*_ or Paris suburbs, where just about everything goes--well, don't expect a ranch. The Paris surburbs are a good 9x bigger (or so) than the City of Paris in land area so there is so much that can be seen there alone.

While I've tried to dedicate this thread to the typical and traditional, this post will show the diversity of the Paris surburbs. Nineteenth-century grand-scale "city-beautiful" projects did not impose itself in these parts the way it did inside Paris. Single-family lots also allowed property owners to build much more freely than ever possible in Paris intra-muros. And yet, you'll find neo-Haussmannien architecture in a few parts of _la banlieu_ as if to fool the suburbanites into thinking they are inside Paris. Just like inside Paris, you have rich parts, poor parts, and everything in between.




















































































































































































































































































































































































































The Paris suburbs are also full of *office* and *industrial* park space
This is nowhere near La Défense













*Monstrosities* are also common in the suburbs. Atleast this one had some thought put into the design. There are various addresses in this single structure with various entrances (various addresses, not just apartment numbers!)







































This is not inside Paris. Many *inner-suburbs* look like this.























































































































































































































































This is why they call it *Paris intra-muros* to refer to the City of Paris versus the suburbs. On the other side of this huge wall is Paris-proper. Paris likes to separate itself abruptly from suburbanites. They built this huge wall to control who goes in and out of Paris. :lol: Actually, that's not true. On the other side of that wall is the Boulevard Périphérique which freeway that goes around Paris-proper. Some areas have these walls to minimize the noise-pollution from that busy circular freeway. I think most places along the Périphérique don't have that wall so not sure why this place does.













More along the Périphérique.


































































































































Since the suburbs absorbed many former old small towns around present-day Paris, you can find old town-centers or squares with shopping like this:


























Leafy suburbs with detached houses are common too but they don't dominate the suburbs













Just outside Paris intra-muros in the various suburban communities, you can find somewhat old apartment buildings built roughly at the same time as those commonly found inside Paris (1800's, early 1900's) but very different-looking with very little or zero Haussmannian features.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Very nice pics


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Farrapo said:


> What an interesting thread!
> 
> I can say that I've learnt a lot of things about France and its architecture!
> 
> ...


Thank you and the others for your comments. As for Nancy, I don't know much about that city to dedicate a post to it. I've been there once but it's not a city that caught my attention enough. And I love Art Nouveau architecture but I find that Art Nouveau like other styles adapt to elements typical or common of a city or region. So I would need to better understand Nancy's characteristics first before showing its Art Nouveau buildings otherwise I would not be staying within the theme of this thread. I will next continue with Toulouse and Nice.


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

*La Ville Rose or The Pink City*

*Toulouse* (Southwestern France), not far from the border with Spain

Photos from www.photos.pagesjaunes.fr

Toulouse is along with Lille, Strasbourg and Nice a city that cannot be mistaken for another French city. The consistent use of earthy pink colors, often in the traditional terracotta brick, makes this city unmistakably Toulouse.























































































































I've always wondered if Toulouse had a certain tolerance for *graffiti*. Sure all French cities have them but in Toulouse you find them way too often, even in its historic center. These pics are all from consecutive buildings in a small, old street that leads to Place Saint Sernin, where the Saint Sernin Basilica is located, a true Romanesque icon of Toulouse. I can't think of too many French cities where THAT MUCH graffitti would be found near such a landmark. Anyway, these buildings are great examples of "Old Toulouse". Notice the persistence of the terracotta pink. 















































































































































Obsession with *pink*


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## KaEL- (Sep 22, 2008)

The main difference between France and other european countries is that u can find all european architecture in the same territory: Flemish (Lille), Mediterranean (Nice, Marseille, Nimes, Ajaccio), German (Strasbourg, Mulhouse,Colmar), British/Norman (Brittany/Normandy), basque/spanish (Toulouse/Perpignan), Alpine (Savoy)...plus French touch (Paris, Bordeaux and Loire Valley Castles)^^


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

*Nissa la bella*

*Nice* (Southeastern France), on the Mediterranean, very near the Italian border, in the French Riviera























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Nice would not be Nice without these contemporary ones:




























Old Nice


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## Boribel (Feb 2, 2008)

edubejar said:


> Let's head back north but this time to the *Northwest*
> *Brittany (Bretagne)*
> - has Atlantic and English Channel coast
> - known for its early Celtic inhabitants and culture
> ...


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Boribel said:


> edubejar said:
> 
> 
> > Let's head back north but this time to the *Northwest*
> ...


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## [email protected] (Oct 1, 2008)

Congrats! You're doing a great work on this thread. So many shots compiled... It helps to realise the amazing range of different local architectures that France has. I have to agree with you: I prefer cities like Lille, Toulouse, Strasbourg or Lyon which all have strong foreign influences. In fact I'm sick bored of Paris haussmanian architecture (fortunately the city has a lot more to offer when one takes care) or Bordeaux XVIIIe buildings. 

For the graffiti problem, some other cities like Lyon (though it's improving) or Marseille have plenty of them. And the street you featured in Toulouse is well known being infamous, unfortunately just near the magnificent St sernin basilica.


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