Argeles sur Mer

The presence of 2 Iron Age dolmens, more commonly known as collective tombs, confirms the presence of prehistoric man in this area. The town of Argelès is an ancient city dating back to the Middle Ages with mention first made in documents from 879 under the name “Villa de Argilariis” which makes reference to the clay soil on which the town is built.

In the 10th century, the town benefited from growth and wealth, during which time several architectural monuments were built – some of which can still be admired today. In 1659, the commune became French following the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees which allowed Roussillon to become permanently part of France.

It was in February 1939 that the town faced the dramatic “Retirada” (which means retreat in Spanish). More than 450,000 Spaniards were forced to leave their home country and headed for the France-Spanish border following the victory of the dictator, General Franco. The beach at Argelès sur Mer, amongst others, was chosen to site a camp for receiving refugees fleeing from Spain. More than 60 years later, many members of their families still live in the region and their descendants have become French nationals. 

From the 1950s Argelès became a significant tourist resort : after the cruel and painful wars, Argelès sur Mer saw a major turnaround in its economic status as it became the tourist capital of the region. in 1954, the first privately owned campsite was born, heralding the arrival of a development which we were part of. Today, the economy of the town is largely based on tourism and Argelès sur Mer has been classed as a “station balnéaire”( – bathing resort literally) since 1962. It has one of the biggest concentration of campers in Europe.