Argelès’ Modern History

1852 – Jules Pams is born

Probably Argelès’ most famous resident, Jules Pams was a lawyer, politician and both Minister for Agriculture and Minister of the Interior, who hailed from a family of prominent landowners and is best known for being the proprietor of Chateaux Valmy.

Pams was instrumental in promoting agricultural advancements, championing the construction of irrigation canals, the planting of vineyards and helped transform Argelès-sur-Mer into a thriving community as Mayor of Argelès from 1914 to 1927.

1860 – Argelès Beach town is born

The first houses, a few huts, were built on Argelès beach in 1860 when a pine forest was was planted to restore the marshy dunes along the coastline. In 1865, a Mr Llobet built a small shelter on the beach for the "convenience of bathers”.

1865 – Argelès Train station is built

The arrival of the railway in 1865, after many years and construction delays, allowed the first summer visitors to disembark to Argelès easily and quickly. It’s hard to understate how transformational the railways was to Argelès. It not only brought more visitors and tourists, but allowed farmers and artisan to transport their goods to larger markets.

By the early 20th century, a new train service specifically catering to beachgoers, known as the “beach trains,” was introduced. These “beach trains” stopped at all coastal stations along the line allowing passengers to easy access to the beaches.

1879-82 - The phylloxera epidemic devastates local Argelès vineyards

As with the rest of France, the infamous phylloxera epidemic, an invasive aphid species that originated in America, decimated wine production in the area and the economy suffered significantly. The vines across France were restored by using resistant vine rootstocks from American grapevines, which had evolved defences against phylloxera and European grape varieties were then grafted onto these American rootstocks.

Late 19th Century – The Spanish exodus to Argelès begins

As a result of the Carlist Wars - a series of civil wars that took place in Spain during the 19th century - young Catalans, many of whom were deserters from the Spanish army’s forced conscription, came to settle in Argelès.

1896 – Argelès first hotel is built

The first hotel in Argelès, Hôtel de la Réserve, was built in and it’s still going strong as both a hotel and restaurant. Described by one chronicler as “a makeshift hostel, built with wood, offering a few rooms with doors made of old crates." The owner, Herménégilde Noguès, would go and swim to retrieve live lobsters from a submerged tank near the shore whenever a customer placed an order for lobster.

1903 – Argelès creates its first festival and council

We can really say that Argelès Beach first became a town when a Council was assembled for its first festival and they even started to receive their first postal deliveries.

1914-1918 Argelès suffers tremendously during the First World War

A military camp and shooting range was built in the late 19th Century on the northern section of Argelès beach to train soldiers for a new marine infantry unit nicknamed “the porpoises” because “they follow the ships but are of no use."

After the onset of war in August 1914, forced troop mobilisation was enforced and local Argelès citizens were instructed to report to Argelès beach training camp, complete a short training course and then go by rail to the Front on the 9th August 1914.

Men were not the only ones affected by the mobilisation order – horses were also given to the army by the people of Argelès including horses named Bijou, Mignon, Tambour, and Prudent.

At the same time, women were mobilised to take over the jobs of the men who had gone to war and children and women were sent to the fields and workshops.

Tragically, many Argelès men never came back from the war. Our of just 2800 inhabitants, 126 men died or 20% of all working age men, and even many more were wounded or maimed. Others, like the Llose, Madern, Noguès, or Bocabaille families, saw almost all the men in their family disappear. Sadly, the Spanish Flu between 1918 and 1920 also decimated Argelès population.

For a time, the birth rate and population of Argelès fell after the war, but many Spanish refugees would come to Argelès before and after the Retrada and many would settle in Argelès and become part of the community.

In 1923, Argelès erected a War Memorial, with monies raised by the people of Argelès, which stands to this day.

1935 – The beginning of camp sites in Argelès

With the advent of paid vacations by law, people started camping on farming land and pine forests close to Argelès beach. Much later, local farmers would create the first campsites in Argelès for camping. The first cabin was built in in 1935 on Argelès first camping ground for 2 francs per day.

1936 – Le Racou beach opens

From 1936 onwards, small plots of land were sold off and simple beach house were built that are here to this day. Today, Le Racou is the local’s favourite beach and is quieter due to the dead end road, which is actually an ancient route dating back to the Middle Ages, which as used for trade between Perpignan and the Port of Collioure.

By the 1950s, Le Racou was known as the most liberal part of Argelès as demonstrated when the residents of Racou, inspired by Montmartre, self-declared their independence as a “free commune” on 14 July 1957, they appointed their own unofficial mayor and the street names were renamed in Catalan.

1939 – The Spanish Retirada Internment Camp at Argelès

The French authorities build a large detention camp surrounded by barbed wire on Argelès beach for Republicans escaping from Franco during the Spanish Civil War, which is popularly called the Retrada. See our chapter on the Retirada for more information.

1942-45 The Nazis occupy Argelès

Nazi troops begun to occupy Argelès on 12th November 1942 and began constructing defensive structures along the coastline to counter a potential Allied landing including the mammoth Mediterranean Südwall, which spread along most of the stretch of this coast including Argelès.

The Nazis also destroyed any buildings that could have served as landmarks for Allied submarines, such as the windmill known as the "Torre d’en Sorra," located on the Racou hill at the southern end of the beach. After Liberation, Argelès beach was practically devastated and 30% of the houses, including Racou’s chapel, was destroyed.

1939-1942 Argelès is part of the French Resistance escape networks

Up until November 1942, when the Nazis stationed significant troops to secure the area, Argelès and the Alberes area was a critical route for the escape networks run by the French Resistance to Spain.

1950s and 60s – Argelès becomes a tourism hotspot

Gaston Pams served as mayor from 1953 until 1981 oversaw Argelès becoming the capital of camping in France. During this period, the three towers on the North beach, the casino,and the chapel (with stained glass windows by famous artist Willy Mucha) were built. The flat coastal plain was perfect for camping, along with the shade of the many pine trees, and abundance of water made for an ideal environment for large-scale camping areas.

1962 – The “Pied-noirs” arrive to Port Vendres

After the Algerian independence in 1962, many repatriated French citizens disembarked at Port Vendres, referred to as “Pieds-noirs” as French citizens of European descent who lived in Algeria, any many of them settling in Argelès and the surrounding department.

1970s – Argelès seafront promenade is built

While elsewhere along the coast, developers built towering buildings, Argelès focused on green spaces and, in the 1970s, built the famously long seafront promenade lined with lawns and exotic trees, as well as its bike path. In the 1970s, a series of large-scale "concretisation" projects were also proposed, but were fortunately blocked thanks to the mobilisation of local associations.

1985 - Argelès Museum (Musée Casa de l'Albera)

The Argelès Museum, located in the heart of the old town, above the church, on Place des Castellans, was founded in 1985, by a group of local historians, who wanted to tell the rich history of Argelès and the Albères mountains. Check out our article on things to do in Argelès to learn more.

1989 – Argelès Port is opened

A major engineering achievement, Argelès Port was finally finished in 1989 after a huge development to convert part of the sandy beach into a port for 900 boats and can accommodate vessels up to 30m in length and a marina filled with restaurants.