Port Marianne, the new Montpellier

Port Marianne is the new part of town in which Montpellier works and lives, a lively and convivial area with its terraces, parks and esplanades. From the luxurious gardens of La Lironde and across Parc Marianne, you reach the Ernest Granier square and its hub of offices as well as the Jacques Coeur basin. But Port Marianne is also a spot for leisure all day round. Lunching or dining on the banks of the Lez or boating on the river itself feature among the pleasures of the area. Port Marianne is the perfect example of an urban centre of the 21st century and it cropped from the inventive minds of architects Andre Fainsilber, René Dottelonde, Claude Vasconi, Rob Krier and Nicolas Lebunetel, Architecture Studio, Christian de Portzamparc, Jean Nouvel, François Fontès, Antoine Garcia-Diaz, Denis Bedeau or Philippe Bonon... Every one of them developed their own vision to create a urban entity. On November 14, 2011, the new town hall opened at the intersection of the old town centre and the new town to symbolise the extension of the city westward. It was conceived by Jean Nouvel and Francois Fontes like the admiral ship of a port city like the one fancied by Jacques Coeur in 1440. More than just an administrative building, it is an entire compound with parks, gardens and promenades.