Rotunda Fountain

Welcome to General de Gaulle Square! Here, you’ll find Aix’s most famous landmark, the Rotunda Fountain. It stands proudly in the middle of the roundabout, right at the end of the Cours Mirabeau boulevard. Designed by Théophile de Tournadre, General Inspector of Bridges and Roads, it was inaugurated in 1860, almost a century after the square itself was built. This giant fountain came to add to the charm of the new square and marked the entrance to Aix. It was actually named after the square, which was formerly known as Rotunda Square. After World War I, it was renamed President Wilson Square, then Marshal Pétain Square in 1940, Liberation Square in 1944 and finally General de Gaulle Square. Measuring 12 meters high and 32 meters wide, the fountain is a true testament to the city’s power and wealth. After all, Aix has been considered the water capital of the region ever since Roman times, hence its nickname “City of a Thousand Fountains”. If you look up at the top, you’ll see three statues representing the three Graces; that of Justice faces the Cours Mirabeau boulevard towards the courthouse, that of Commerce and Agriculture gazes towards Marseille –a reference to the trade between the two cities–, and that of Fine Arts looks towards Avignon and its prestigious art schools. Though sculpted by three different artists, they come together beautifully, crowning two basins adorned with statues of lions, swans, and children. Today, the fountain is supplied with water from the Verdon Canal, and it’s the crowning jewel of Aix-en-Provence. Behind it, across the square, you can see a statue of a local legend: the brilliant painter Paul Cézanne, who lived and died here. As you explore further, you’ll notice his artistic influence on many buildings and monuments. You see, he was the precursor of Cubism and Post-Impressionism, and the father of modern art. He created over 900 paintings and 400 watercolors, with more than 80 inspired by the majestic Sainte-Victoire mountain, just a few kilometers from Aix-en-Provence. This mountain, very much prized by the Aix painter, reaches a height of 1,011 meters and it’s one of the region’s best-known tourist attractions. It’s likely you’ve already encountered it in one of Cézanne’s paintings, displayed in some of the world’s greatest museums. Cézanne spent much of his youth walking the mountain’s trails and was deeply fascinated by it. One could say that it became a kind of obsession; he painted it time and time again, capturing its various forms and seasonal color changes from every possible angle. In so doing, he made this mountain a true emblem of Provence. If you’d like to find out more about this illustrious painter, the tourist office organizes guided tours retracing his footsteps in the city. You can also visit his studio located to the north of Aix, where he created some of his most famous paintings. There’s a statue of him on the other side of the fountain! Go and say hello!