Editing Arles (section)

===Modern era===
[[File:Arles Place de la République.jpg|thumb|Place de la République and the [[Hôtel de Ville, Arles|Hôtel de Ville]]]]
Arles remained economically important for many years as a major port on the Rhône. The [[Hôtel de Ville, Arles|Hôtel de Ville]] was completed in 1676.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice&id=20|title=Hôtel de Ville d'Arles|publisher=Patrimoine de le ville d'Arles  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081126234331/http://www.patrimoine.ville-arles.fr/arles/ville.cfm?action=edifice&id=20|archive-date=26 November 2008}}</ref>

In the 19th century, the establishment of railways diminished river trade, leading to the city declining in prominence. This made it a destination for the painter Vincent van Gogh, who arrived there on 21 February 1888. He was fascinated by the Provençal landscapes, producing over 300 paintings and drawings during his time in Arles. Many of his most famous paintings were completed there, including ''[[The Night Cafe]]'', the ''[[Bedroom in Arles|Yellow Room]]'', ''[[Starry Night Over the Rhone]]'', and ''[[L'Arlésienne (painting)|L'Arlésienne]]''. [[Paul Gauguin]] visited van Gogh in Arles. However, van Gogh's mental health deteriorated and he became alarmingly eccentric, culminating in the ear-severing incident in December 1888 which resulted in two stays in the [[Hospital in Arles (Van Gogh series)|Old Hospital of Arles]]. The concerned Arlesians circulated a petition the following February demanding that van Gogh be confined. In May 1889, he voluntarily left Arles for the [[Saint-Paul asylum]] at nearby [[Saint-Rémy-de-Provence]].