Photos: Alexander Baranov from Montpellier, France, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Chabe01, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Marc Ryckaert (MJJR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo credits
Photos: Alexander Baranov from Montpellier, France, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 Chabe01, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Marc Ryckaert (MJJR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Antigone, a postmodern district by design
Your local guide
Mathieu Gasquet
View profile
Highlights
- Concrete columns built to look classical
- A district designed as one composition
- A straight axis running to the river
- 1980s architecture, explained properly
- Planning versus centuries of growth
About this tour
This session looks at Antigone, from its 1980s neoclassical facades built in concrete to the straight axis running toward the river. You see why an entirely new district was designed in a borrowed classical style and how the whole plan works as one composition rather than an accumulation over time. It is a short, architecture-focused session about a very deliberately designed piece of the city.
We move along the axis at an easy pace, pausing at each square along the way. I answer questions about the design or the architect's reasoning as they come up. A short note on the district's history follows the call.
This suits anyone interested in modern architecture and urban planning. It also works well as a contrast to a session in the older, organic streets of the Écusson.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 5 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Montpellier before heading out.
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The neoclassical facades 21 min
The camera follows a row of columned facades built in the 1980s to resemble classical architecture using modern concrete. I explain why the architect chose to design an entirely new district in this borrowed style.
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The axis to the river 21 min
Further along, you see the district's straight central axis running toward the river, squares and fountains placed at regular intervals along it. I point out how the whole plan was designed as a single composition rather than built up over time.
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Your questions 9 min
Time to ask anything about Montpellier: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 4 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Petits pâtés de Pézenas and Les Arceaux, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Paris time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 10 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Montpellier, showing you The neoclassical facades and The axis to the river live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need any background in art?
No. The guide explains what matters as you go, whatever you already know or do not.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I carry my phone through the district while we talk.
Times shown in Paris time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Fri 13 Nov · 10 seats left From 19,00 €
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