PETANQUE OR BOCHA

The homeland of which is considered to be the French province of Provence, dates back thousands of years and goes back to the ancient era. As you know, back in the  VI century before  our era, the ancient Greeks competed in  throwing stones at   range.

According to the legend, the petanque in its modern form was invented by someone Jules Lenoir in 1907. It happened in the port Provencal town of La Ciotat. By the way, this town has made history by the fact that it was in it that the Lumiere brothers shot their famous short film "Arrival of the train at La Ciotat Station", marking the beginning of the history of world cinema.

Jules Lenoir, despite the fact that he was already over 60 years old, loved to play balls with his friends. However, due to long-standing rheumatism, the Provencal could not play according to the rules (before throwing the ball, it was necessary to take three steps). Then Lenoir changed the rules and   began to throw the ball sitting on a chair (hence the name petanque, pied tanque   — translated from   French "legs together") or just standing on a   place.

The innovations were to the taste of most players, and exactly three years later, the first petanque tournament took place in La Ciotat.

Greve Square is the oldest and most beautiful in Paris. It is here that fans of petanque gather on weekends and  play until  dark.
In Barcelona, petanque has been known for two centuries. The most popular playground among Barcelona's petanque fans is equipped on Antonio Gaudi Square, where the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral, an unfinished architectural masterpiece, stands.
In New York, office employees can play a couple of games at petanque at  lunch time — everything you need for this is in Central Park.
On the Cote d'Azur, in Nice, petanque competitions are held on the respectable Promenade des Anglais, not far from the fashionable Negresco Hotel.