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Office deTourisme
Place du Gl de Gaulle 06360 Eze France Tel : 33 (0) 4 93 41 26 00 Fax : 33 (0) 4 93 41 04 80 
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Path
of Nietzsche
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Eze,
The old Village
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| The Path of Nietzsche |
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"Many hidden corners
and quiets heights in the landscape of Nice were sanctified
for me by unforgettable moments" said Frederic
Nieztsche in Ecce homo about his first stay on the
Riviera from the December 2nd 1883 to April 20th 1884.
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When he arrives on the
coast called Azur yet, the mental of Nietzsche is very
bad. His books are sold badly, he comes just quarrel with
Wagner and reject by Lou Andréa Salomé.
On the French Riviera, Nieztche will find the creative emotion necessary to write, "here, I grow on the sun as the plants grows there" he writes. And in a letter to Peter Gast he adds :"…This splendid plenitude of light has on me, a miraculous action". |
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Eze in particular by
the path which takes from Eze station at the
seaside to the village, will play a dominating part
in his work. If it's proved that Nietzsche remained in
Nice during his stay, an oral tradition also affirms that
he stayed in Eze
Seaside, on the site of the old post office.
According to some people, he would have also slept on several occasions in the village. In Eze, the philosopher very sensitive to the influence of the climate and the landscapes, regenerates himself. Like many writers, he needs to walk to create." "I could, without having the concept of tiredness, be in the mountains during seven or eight hours of continuation". I slept well, I laugh much. I was in a perfect condition of patience." |
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There, in the middle
of olive-trees, euphorbia and holm oak, in the middle
of this wild nature, with the Mediterranean in the background
and the silhouette of the village. Nietszche composed
some parts of Thus spoke Zarathoustra that he qualifies
as "the decisive ones".
"The next winter, I found in Nice the third Zarathoustra - and I had thus finished", he writes adding : "This decisive part which have the name "Old and new tables" was composed during a laborious walk from the station to the Moorish village, built in the rocks." |
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In fact, when we walk
on the footstep of Nietzche on the path wearing his name,
we understand better his emotion, in particular when he
speaks about the climbing to the village.
Today still, the man finds himself there in full nature to attend the same show. |
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Nietzsche will come
back every year to the French Riviera until 1888 and even
if he does not evoke in his correspondence, it is probable
that he came to get back in touch with one's inner self
in Eze on several occasions.
Nieztsche travelled thousand of kilometres to find "the fabulous place" where he would find finally the calm. This place is perhaps Venice or Nice but more surely Eze whose landscapes correspond to his temperament. |
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| The Nieztsche path in practice |
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The climbing of Nieztsche
path from
Eze station to the village lasts approximately 1h30,
the descent about 45 min. Variation in level = 400 m.
Foresee adapted shoes. |
Bibliography :
Arthaud, (Christian), Paul (Eric L.), La Côte d'Azur
des écrivains, Edisud, 1999, pp 140-144.
Mille (Raoul), "La Terre tremble à Nice, Nietzsche
reporter" et "Un philosophe dans la ville",
Nice-Matin, 18 et 25 mars 2001.
Nietzsche (Frédérick), Ainsi parlait Zarathoustra,
oeuvres complètes, Paris, Gallimard.
"Nietzsche", Magazine littéraire, Hors série
n°3, 4e trimestre 2001.
