Les Baux / Les Baux-de-Provence
is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the province of Provence in
southern France. It has a spectacular position in the Alpilles mountains, set
atop a rocky outcrop that is crowned with a ruined castle overlooking the
plains to the south. Its name refers to its site: in Provençal, a bauç is a rocky spur. The village
gives its name to the aluminium ore bauxite, which was first discovered there
by geologist Pierre Berthier in 1821
