Vence Postcards - Avenues & Boulevards - Steve And Carole In Vence

Location: Avenues & Boulevards – 40 postcards.

The avenues and boulevards of Vence (with one major exception) haven’t changed too much over the last 100 years and what you see in these postcards (for the most part) is very close to what you’ll see today. But, if you look carefully you can spot some very interesting developments over the years.

Avenue Marcellin-Maurel, which runs along the south side of the old town, was once lined with large plane trees. How beautiful it looks in a few of these old cards. The trees were all torn down in 1911 when a new tramway was built connecting Vence with the coast. It’s easy to spot the tracks in some of these photos. When the tramway was closed in 1932 the trees were not replaced.

The Basse Fontaine, located at the corner of Avenue Colonel Meyere (once known as Rue de l’Hôpital), was moved a bit closer to the buildings to make room for more traffic along the street. In many of these photos it holds a more prominent place near the center of the road.

The one major exception I mentioned above? Avenue de la Gare, which once ran in front of the Vence train station no longer exists, at least not in its original form. The portion that runs from Le Place du Grand Jardin to the big roundabout is now known as Avenue de la Résistance. Not surprising since the train station itself no longer exists as well. Parts of the line were destroyed during World War II and the decision was made to not rebuild it after the war.

Avenue des Poilus and Boulevard Paul-André are both represented here as well.

If you have any questions about any of the cards featured here, if you see any errors or if you would like more information, drop me an email at steve@steveandcaroleinvence.com.

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