The nameLa Ciutat, meaning 'the City' inOccitan (Provençal) andCatalan, became prominent in the 15th century. In 1429, La Ciotat was granted a charter recognizing it as an independent commune. Over the next century, it became a refuge forGenoese aristocrats escaping the conflicts between France and Spain in their homeland. These immigrants likely played a key role in establishing a shipyard, which specialized in constructing vessels to export local products such as olive oil, wine, wheat, and soap. In return, these ships brought back luxury goods—including spices, silks, carpets, perfumes, and porcelain—to satisfy the growing demands of the town’s increasingly prosperous residents.
Another three of the earliest Lumière films,Partie de cartes,L'Arroseur arrosé (the first known filmed comedy), andRepas de bébé, were also filmed in La Ciotat in 1895, at the Villa du Clos des Plages, the summer residence of theLumière Brothers. In 1904 the Lumiere Brothers also developed their first colour photographs in La Ciotat.[4]
In 1907 Jules Le Noir invented the game ofpétanque in La Ciotat, and the first tournament was held there in 1910. The history of the game is documented in the Musée Ciotaden.[5]
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La Ciotat has a large number of offices uptown. These offices are a major source of employment and income for the local people through the transport, catering and other services they require. Also, business travelers to La Ciotat drive the local hotel business, which otherwise depends mainly on the tourism season.
The centre has shopping malls along with branches ofCarrefour andMcDonald's. Route 10 passes through the city centre on its way downtown fromLa Ciotat station.
The primary mode of transport into La Ciotat is thetrain station. TheSNCF train service betweenMarseille andToulon stops at La Ciotat.
Most parts of La Ciotat are covered by its public transport bus service. The train station is serviced by route no. 10, 21 and 40 which all go to the La Ciotat downtown station by different routes.
Cap Canaille 394 metres (1,293 feet), between La Ciotat and Cassis, is one of the highest maritime bluffs in Europe. Theroute des crêtes is a coastal road between the two towns that passes over this cliff.
La Ciotat has an artificial sand beach because of its rocky location. The beach is located downtown and is at walking distance from local market, the ship yards and the main bus station. The beach faces the Alps mountain regions on one side and the uphill commercial area on the other side. Most hotels, restaurants and bars in La Ciotat are located on the same street.
The municipal park of La Ciotat, theParc du Mugel, located on the Anse deu Petit Mugel, is classified as one of theRemarkable Gardens of France by theMinistry of Culture. Sheltered by the massive rock called "Le Bec D'Aigle" (the eagle's beak), 155 meters high, it contains both a botanical garden of tropical plants and a nature preserve of native Provençal plants, covering the hillside below the rock.
The town has an annual film festival in early June called the 'Cinestival', and usually revolves around a specific topic. It also has two other annual film related festivals, with a scriptwriter festival in April and an associated film conference 'Berceau du cinema' around two weeks after Cinestival.[10]
^"Onze autres projections en France (Paris, Lyon, La Ciotat, Grenoble) et en Belgique (Bruxelles, Louvain) auront lieu avec un programme de films plus étoffé durant l’année 1895, avant la première commerciale du 28 décembre, remportant à chaque fois le même succès." From the site of the Institut Lumière in Lyon. See thewebsite of the Institut Lumière
^The rough guide to Provence & the Cote d'Azur,ISBN1-85828-892-4 page 212.
^Marco Foyo, Alain Dupuy, Louis Dalmas,Pétanque - Technique, Tactique, Entrainement, Robert Laffont, 1984
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