Menton is a small city in France that has something with lemons. Besides the healing properties of the fruit that detoxicates your liver and is supposed to be good for your hair and metabolism, the lemon is used as an excuse to draw thousands of tourists to the small city. The festival of the sour fruit is known internationally and is one of the biggest touristic events of the year.
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The Lemon Festival is unique in the world and attracts yearly 160.000 visitors to the southeast of France. Since the fifteenth century, the city has a long relationship with the citrus fruit. The city is the biggest producer on the European mainland and is nicknamed ‘Lemon City’.
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It all goes back to 1929 when a local hotel owner founded a flower- and citrus exhibition. The event was an instant success and in 1934 the city council took over the organization and the yearly festival was born.
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Today more than three hundred people work to organize the event. A respectable one hundred and forty tons of lemons are used together with oranges to build giant constructions and to decorate the city streets and monuments. There is also an evening parade with floats and fairy-like sculptures. The Festival just had its 85th birthday and people say Menton should change his name in Lemon City, or Citron Ville in French.
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Anyone has to admit that the French know how to decorate their city and promote this unique tasting fruit. Fascinating tradition!
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