Introduction to Orange, France

ORANGE was the former seat of the counts of Orange, a title created by Charlemagne in the eighth century and passed to the Dutch crown in the sixteenth century. The family's most famous member was Prince William, who ascended the English throne with his consort Mary in the 1688 "Glorious Revolution". Today the town is best known for its spectacular Roman theatre, which hosts the important summer Chorégies music festival. While the rest of the Orange is attractive enough, there's not a lot to detain you once you've visited the theatre and adjacent museum and taken a quick look at the Roman triumphal arch at the northern approach to the town centre. Unfortunately, the victory of Le Pen's Front National in the municipal elections of 1995, and again in 2001, has forced the May strip-cartoon festival, which brought in all kinds of weird and wonderful entertainment, to be abandoned.

Information by Rough Guides

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