FRANCE	FRANCE
région: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
département: 13, Bouches-du-Rhône

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• el: Ταρασκόν
• be, bg, mk, ru, sr, uk: Тараскон

Tarascon is situated at an elevation of 6 m on the left bank of the river Rhône, about 15 km north of the chef-lieu of the arrondissement, Arles, about 82 km northwest of the préfecture of the département Bouche-du-Rhône and capital of the région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Marseille. The municipality has a population of about 15,500 (2022).

Located along the Rhône, at the crossroads between Avignon, the Camargue and the Luberon, Tarascon is still associated with fairy tales and legends dating back to prehistory. According to tradition, Martha of Bethany, who came from Judea, landed at Tarascon c. AD 48 where an amphibious dragon, the i>Tarasque, was destroying the river traffic. She tamed the beast only for it to be butchered by the townspeople. The name of the mythic dragon then became the origin of the name Tarascon; before that, the place is said to have been known as Nerluc ('black place'). Many pilgrims visit the Royal College of Sainte-Marthe, built in her honor. By tradition, this sanctuary, the main monument of the city, contains the relics and the tomb of St. Martha in the crypt which was built on the exact location of her house.

The Château de Tarascon [left, no. 4771] was first built between 994 and 1010 over the ruins of a Roman castrum. Severely damaged in an uprising by burghers in 1232, the castle was rebuilt and occupied by Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence (and later King of Sicily) and extensively renovated to its current layout by his son Charles II. In 1386, following an uprising of the ciizens of Tarascon, both the castle and the town left in ruins. However, the Anjou family decided to rebuild the fortress, and construction was started in 1401. Based off the Bastille in Paris, the fortress was completed in 1449. The fortress would survive several attempted sieges before being converted into a military prison housing prisoners of war after the French Revolution. After the closure of the prison in 1926, the castle was acquired by the state in 1932, restored to its former state, and opened to the public as a museum.

The bottom of the glass is marked IMPORTÉ DE SAXE ('imported from Saxony').

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarascon, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarascon; http://fallingrain.com/world/FR/B8/Tarascon.html; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Tarascon]