Beausoleil is a
communeThe commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the
Alpes-MaritimesAlpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
department in southeastern
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It adjoins the Principality of
MonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
.
Beausoleil was formerly known as Monte-Carlo-Supérieur (Upper Monte Carlo).
Economy
The commune is very dependent on Monaco. It functions to some extent as a bedroom community for people employed in Monaco. The main part of the town consists of handsome
Belle ÉpoqueThe Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
houses with ornate entrances. Interesting attractions include the
Gustave EiffelAlexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures...
covered market, St Joseph's Sanctuary (a church with ornate stained-glass windows) and the Fontdivina Fountain and Wash House. It can be difficult to determine where Monaco starts or Beausoleil ends as the border meanders across streets and footpaths. Another attraction is its Stade Vanco, a well-appointed sports centre. Given the town's proximity to Monaco, real estate in Beausoleil is usually prohibitively expensive for people who work in the town. There is a sense in which Monaco exports its worker accommodation challenge to Beausoleil, which, in turn, exports its own acute accommodation challenge to other French towns.
Politics
The town's border with Monaco was largely fixed as long ago as during the 18th century. What is now Beausoleil was administered from
La TurbieLa Turbie is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-History:...
prior to 1904, when the town was incorporated. Along with other
FrenchThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
communes adjacent to
MonacoMonaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, the electorate has traditionally had a sizeable proportion which is left-leaning: Roger Bennati,
mayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the town 1989-1995, served under
CommunistThe French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
affiliation. Even though Monaco's political parties are more right leaning (
see hereThe politics of Monaco have traditionally been under the autocratic control of the Prince of Monaco, and from its founding, the principality was a monarchy ruled by the House of Grimaldi; however, with the creation of a Constitution in 1911, the Prince relinquished his autocratic rule and the...
).
Administration
List of former mayors
| Date | Name | Party |
| 1904 |
Camille Blanc |
|
| 1929 |
Jacques Subles |
|
| 1935 |
Paul-Joseph Chiabault |
|
| 1941 |
François Rochesani |
|
| 1943 |
Arthur Audoly |
|
| 1944 |
Marius Floret |
|
| 1944 |
Auguste Dubar |
|
| 1953 |
Paul-Joseph Chiabault |
|
| 1971 |
Paul Massa |
|
| 1986 |
André Vanco |
|
| 1989 |
Roger Bennati |
PCF The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
|
| 1995 |
Gérard Spinelli |
UDF |
| 2001 |
Robert Vial |
Divers Gauche |
| 2008 |
Gérard Spinelli |
|
Population
External links