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Cannes City Information
In Cannes, the 20th century started with a bang. In 1910, the architect Marcellin Mayère was asked to build the Hôtel Carlton. It is said he was fascinated by the breasts of the famous courtesan, La Belle Otéro, which inspired his design of the luxury hotel's two cupolas. Thus adorned, the world's most famous hotel could only attract princes and rich businessmen from Europe, who invested millions as they vied for the charms of a few women, the most famous of whom were La Belle Otéro, Liane de Pougy and Émilienne d'Alençon.
World War I brought this carefree lifestyle to a sudden halt. In the hotels, the tourists were replaced by wounded soldiers and refugees. In 1921, Hôtel Carlton even hosted the Allies' Peace Conference.
In 1929, the festive spirit was back. The Palm Beach was inaugurated in the presence of the Aga Khan - who fell in love with a girl from Cannes, just elected Miss France, who became the famous Begum - André Citroën, Baron and Baroness de Rothschild and many other celebrities. King Edward VIII, now simply the Duke of Windsor following his abdication, became an habitué of Cannes, like Winston Churchill, the painters Jean-Gabriel Domergue and Kees van Dongen, the writer Tristan Bernard, entertainer Maurice Chevalier and so many others.
In 1936, "paid holidays" made their first timid appearance on La Croisette. On September 1, 1939, the first International Film Festival opened with great solemnity... only to close the very next day, with the Declaration of the Second World War. It was not until 1946 that Cannes finally earned the title of "Capital of Cinema".
The "little village", whose sole wealth was its absolutely unique, site became the haunt of crowned heads and billionaires, then the city of Stars, Festivals and International Conventions.
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