Sophia Antipolis - Valbonne | French Riviera Sophia Antipolis - Valbonne
There are traces of prehistoric human settlement in the area that date back to the Iron Age, the first days of agriculture.
Many prehistoric artifacts such as Neolithic stone axes, funeral urns from the Bronze Age, and fragments of amphora, oil and grain jars (dolia) have been excavated. The remains of an aqueduct constructed during Roman settlement in the 3rd century A.D. are also present in the area of Clausonne. The history of two villages is linked and rich and goes far back in times. In the late 12th century, a monk named Guillaume discovered St. Mary's abbey which had originally been founded by the Chalaisan order in 1199 but which had subsequently been deserted. The abbey was located in a small valley watered by the rivers la Brague and le Merlet. At the time, this area was called Vallis Bona, meaning "the good valley." Later, it became known as Valbonne.This is when the history of the two linked villages really started. The village of Valbonne, however, was not founded until 1519, by Augustin de Grimaldi, bishop of Grasse and abbot of Lérins.
Augustin de Grimaldi commissioned the worker-monk Don Taxil to construct the village adjacent to the abbey to attract colons. The aim was to use exclusively local labour to build a community that would lead to the repopulation of the region, which had suffered greatly in the Black Death in 1351. This was accomplished by the importation of Italian artisans, to work the clay found in the nearby villages of Vallauris and Biot. The village is laid out along a grid pattern, under the influence of Roman military camps, with two principal avenues, arranged perpendicular to one another, and the forum at the intersection.
Arcades were added to the central square in the 18th century and it became known as La Place des Arcades. Originally, the grid consisted of ten streets crossing ten streets but the village has progressively expanded around the centre. The architectural plan of the village of Valbonne differs from that of many other villages located in the South of France that typically spiral around a hill. The history of the two villages slightly differs from other villages and towns in the area. In the last century the history of the two villages changed when a surrounding municipality of Valbonne has been constructed around the ancient village. Although the population of the town of Valbonne has greatly increased in recent years, the village itself has remained intact, retaining much of its 16th century charm.  Back to top.
While the village has been preserved in its original condition, nearby is the "new" high tech centre of Sophia Antipolis constructed in the 70's along the same lines as La Défense near Paris. The town is named after Sophia, the goddess of wisdom, and Antipolis, the ancient Greek name of Antibes. The place now a town is a technology park northwest of Antibes and southwest of Nice on the French Riviera. Much of the park falls within the commune of Valbonne, it is often called the French Silicone Valley. It houses primarily companies in the fields of computing, electronics, pharmacology and biotechnology. Several institutions of higher learning are also located here, along with the European headquarters of W3C.
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An international school known as le Centre International de Valbonne was founded in the town to complement the international companies in the area.  Back to top.
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A partial list of companies and institutions located in Sophia Antipolis:
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