Yesterday and Today

Collioure is a very old typical Catalan village on the French coast where the Pyrenees fall into the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Click on the pictures below to display larger versions of these aerial views of Collioure:

Collioure has belonged to France since the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659. Before that time it was part of the Kingdom of Majorca (to which we owe the impressive Château which was the King's Summer Palace), the Kingdom of Aragon and many more rulers going back to the Romans. The Knights Templar built on Roman foundations before the present Château was begun in the late 13th Century.

The 17th Century church of Our Lady of Angels is a 'must see' on your visiting list. The main altar, sculpted by one man and gilded is a magnificent example of the Catalan Baroque style.

	Collioure is as famous today as in the past centuries for its production of anchovies. The fishing port is not as busy as it was 100 years ago but you can still see some of the brightly coloured Catalan fishing boats amongst the more modern craft in the harbour.
		Its landscape is known all over the world and has inspired, by it's beauty, great painters such as Matisse, Dufy and Picasso. The Fauvist movement was created here by Matisse and Derain who fell in love with the colours and the light. Painters are still drawn to this magical spot and are to be seen especially around the port area, easels silhouetted against the old town walls or in the many galleries in the old pedestrianised town.

Due to careful and reasonable planning and conservation Collioure is a thriving and vibrant town while keeping much of its medieval character. It has a rich selection of specialist shops, restaurants and boutiques, plus a bustling market on Sunday and Wednesday mornings where you can buy high quality local produce from cheeses to pottery.

People are unfailingly drawn back by the unique charm and atmosphere of this very special place.

The link opposite will load a WebCam page overlooking Collioure Bay which shows the current view.

From that page you can also access other webcams and mouse-controlled panoramic views of Collioure and other parts of the region.