Castle Hill is a park that sits atop the hill of the same name and offers stunning views of Nice and its beaches below. Nik and I got up early to explore the park and beat the heat and crowds. It was a far more interesting exploration than we expected.
History
There was a castle that once stood on the hill overlooking the bay from the 11th century to the 18th century. It was constantly under siege and Louis XIV (Sun King) was the first to conquer it and decided to dismantle the castle so he wouldn’t have to reconquer it.
We have to up our picture taking game because we don’t have a good view looking up at Castle Hill. So Nik, with the hill in the background, will have to suffice.
Going to the Park
To get up to the top, you can walk up from Promenade des Anglais or Place Garibaldi. We chose the latter as it was near our Airbnb. (There is also an elevator, but it’s a roll of the dice whether it’s working or not.) We did take the stairs down at the end of our exploring and that comes out at the bottom of Castle Hill right near the #ILoveNICE photo attraction.
Jewish Cemetery
As Nik and I walked through the park, we first came upon a memorial to the Righteous Among Nations in Nice. Basically, a memorial for those who helped rescue and/or provided assistance to Jews in one way or another during World War II.
Perched high above in the park, with views that overlook the city are two cemeteries, one Christian and one Jewish. To the left of the Jewish cemetery wall is a memorial inscribed with the names of 3,602 men, women and children deported from Nice to the Nazi death camps.
Just inside the cemetery wall is a small building that looks like it has been there some time. The words on the walls translate to ‘The Israelite Community of Nice 1939- 1945 to the heroes of the resistance and to the martyrs of persecution.’
On each side of the door are two small marble urns on pedestals. On one, the text translates to ‘This urn contains the ashes of our martyrs killed in the gas chambers and ovens of Auschwitz’. The other urn contains ‘soap made from human fat by the Germans of the Third Reich with the bodies of our deported brothers.’ Really quite moving.
It is believed that many of the burials were transferred from an earlier Jewish cemetery that’s said to have been founded centuries earlier. Just by walking around the cemetery, there is no doubt these gravesites are old.
Some of the gravestones are very elaborate and almost monument-like due to their size and design.
The cemetery had an upper level which seemed a little more modern in some areas. I found it interesting that some of the gravestones had pictures on display, which was something I hadn’t seen before.
Cascade
Further into the park was a loud and luscious cascade, or waterfall. Though it’s an artificial waterfall, it is still pretty spectacular. You could hear the water flowing from a distance before even seeing it.
If you find yourselves in Nice, definitely take some time to walk through this park. There is so much history and some amazing views of the city and port below.
