Auch: Auch ist eine faszinierende Stadt mit einem reichen kulturellen Angebot. Sie ist berühmt für die atemberaubende Kathedrale Sainte-Marie, die zum UNESCO-Welterbe gehört und auf dem Pilgerweg nach Santiago de Compostela liegt. Schlendere durch die charmante Altstadt, vorbei an malerischen Treppen (wie der monumentalen Treppe mit 374 Stufen und der Statue von d’Artagnan) und dem gut erhaltenen Erbe des Römischen Reichs und der Renaissance, wo enge Gassen zu atemberaubenden Aussichtspunkten führen. Reisende können durch die malerischen Straßen spazieren und lokale Spezialitäten wie die berühmte „Magret de Canard“ (Entenbrust) und regionale Weine genießen.
Hautacam: Dieser Bergort bietet einen atemberaubenden Blick auf die Pyrenäen. Im Winter ist er bei Skifahrer:innen beliebt und im Sommer kommen malerische Wege zum Vorschein, die sich perfekt zum Wandern und Radfahren eignen. Das Dorf bietet aufregende Downhill-Bike-Erlebnisse ebenso wie eine ruhige Atmosphäre zum Entspannen im Herzen der Natur
Occitanie Region
Departments : Ariège, Aude, Aveyron, Gard, Haute-Garonne, Gers, Hérault, Lot, Lozère, Hautes-Pyrénées, Pyrénées-Orientales, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne.
Population: 5.9 million
Prefecture: Toulouse
Surface area: 72,724 km2
Specialities: foie gras, cassoulet, aligot, tielle in Sète, cod brandade, Tarbes beans, garbure (soup), sweet onions, Céret cherries, wines (Pic Saint-Loup, Corbières, Cahors, Costières de Nîmes, blanquette de Limoux, Minervois, Tavel, Madiran). Perrier spring water.
Sports clubs: Stade Toulousain, Castres Olympique, Montpellier HR, USAP Perpignan (rugby), Montpellier HSC, Nîmes Olympique, Toulouse FC (football), Dragons Catalans (rugby à XIII), Montpellier Handball, Fenix Toulouse, USAM Nîmes-Gard (handball)
Competitions: Tour de France, Open Sud de France (tennis), Route d'Occitanie (cycling).
Economy: aeronautics and space (Airbus, Ariane, Toulouse), defence, IT, nuclear, agri-food, agriculture (wine, cereals), tourism, pharmaceutical industry. Universities (Montpellier, Toulouse).
Festivals: ferias in Nîmes and Béziers, Rio Loco (Toulouse), l Radio France Festival Montpellier (classical music), Comédie du Livre (Montpellier), Electro Beach (Port Barcarès), Jazz in Marciac, Cinémed (Montpellier), Circa Auch, Frontignan Noir Novel Festival.
Tourist attractions: Cité de Carcassonne, Lourdes basilica, Toulouse (Capitole, Saint-Sernin, ville rose), Montpellier (Place de la Comédie, Écusson), beaches, Pont du Gard, Nîmes arenas, Cathar castles, Canal du Midi, cathedrals of Albi, Castres and Rodez. Millau Viaduct, Niaux and Maz d'Azil caves. Valentré Bridge in Cahors. Character villages. Beaches in Aude, Gard and Hérault. Ski resorts in the Pyrenees and Ariège.
Website: www.laregionoccitanie.fr
GERS (32)
Population: 190,000
Prefecture: Auch
Sub-prefectures: Condom, Mirande
Surface area : 6,257 km²
Specialities: goose and duck foie gras, duck breast, duck confit, Armagnac, Lectoure melon, Lomagne white garlic, apple crumble, Floc de Gascogne, Bigorre black pork, Gers garbure, Gascon beef, Lou Bethet veal, Côtes de Gascogne, Saint-Mont and Madiran wines...
Sports clubs: FCAG, rugby club.
Events : Automobile cups and championships at the Paul Armagnac Circuit in Nogaro.
Main tourist sites: Flaran Abbey, Sainte Marie d'Auch Cathedral, Bassoues dungeon, Lavardens castle, Condom cloister, Séviac Gallo-Roman villa, Fourcès circular village, Laromieu collegiate church.
Cultural events: Welcome in Tziganie / Festival Européen de Bandas y Pena / Festival Trad'Envie / Feria del Toro / Festival Eclats de Voix / Festi'drole / Cuivro'Foliz / Festival Galop romain / L'été photographique / Tempo latino / Nuits musicales en Armagnac / Jazz In Marciac / Festival d'Astronomie / CircA / Festival Indépendance et Création
Economy: Tourism, agriculture, agri-food, aeronautics, crafts
Websites and social networks: www.gers.fr / https://twitter.com/LeGers32 / www.tourisme-gers.com / https://twitter.com/GersTourisme
Km 8.7
Km 8.7: Labéjan (Pop: 290)
This is the birthplace of Philippe Urraca, former president of the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France and "king of profiteroles". Its 16th-century church of Saint-Abdon and Saint-Sennen has been a listed historic monument since 1962.
Km 18.4
Km 18.4: Mirande (Pop: 3,440)
A sub-prefecture of Gers, Mirande is a 13th-century fortified town, founded in 1281. It was protected by a solid fortified wall with four gates, some of which remained until the 19th century. A magnificent château stood outside the walls. Its development was hampered by the absence of a bishopric and it was best known for its fairs. Mirande was a bastion of women's basketball and its club, BAC Mirande, now defunct, won three French championship titles in 1988, 1989 and 1990. The town also organises one of the biggest country music festivals in France, which will be relaunched in July 2025 after a break of several years. The most imposing vestige of its prestigious past is the former Notre-Dame cathedral, now the Sainte-Marie church. Mirande's Musée des Beaux-Arts et Arts Décoratifs houses an interesting collection of Flemish, Italian and French paintings from the 14th to the 20th centuries, as well as a selection of antique pottery,
Sainte-Marie Church
Built: 14th century.
Style: Southern Gothic.
History: the church could be used as a citadel in the event of an attack on the town. Its 35-metre-high quadrangular bell tower with three storeys and five turrets was designed for defensive purposes, as was a terrace built above the church and connected to the attic above the nave by an outside staircase. The construction of the building was constrained by the checkerboard layout of the bastide town that Mirande was at the time, where houses were grouped in 50x50 m squares.
Characteristics: the church consists of a nave without transept, with a single nave of five bays measuring 38 m by 17 m and 25-m high, the aisles between the buttresses being flanked by chapels. The church also houses a neo-Gothic double sacristy. Later, buttresses were added, spanning the rue de l'Évêché to support the bell tower and forming an arch that acts as a fore-porch, giving access to the church through an imposing portal at right angles to the bell tower. Sainte-Marie church marks the expansion of Languedoc religious architecture into Gascony.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1921
Km 32.6
Km 32.6: Miélan (Pop: 1,130)
Miélan is one of a number of new towns known as "bastide" or fortified towns, founded in the 13th and 14th centuries in south-west France as part of a demographic boom and the assertion of royal power. Following the example of other cities and in the hope of a promising future, its name was inspired by that of one of the greatest capitals of medieval Europe: Milan. On 22 July 1284, local lord Guillaume Bernard de la Roque signed a parage contract with seneschal Eustache de Beaumarchais, representative of King Philip the Bold, providing for the erection of a town in the Affites region, near his château de Baray and on the Ténarèze road. The town was thus built on the borders of several large fiefs: the counties of Pardiac, Bigorre and Astarac. Ransomed by Henri de Trastamare in 1368, Miélan was besieged, taken and destroyed by the English in 1370 during the Hundred Years' War. The town was rebuilt with the help of King Charles V. It remained protected by its ramparts until the 18th century, when its old buildings were demolished. It had over 2,000 inhabitants during the Second Empire and declined thereafter. Miélan has preserved elements of medieval architecture, including half-timbered houses. But many homes and public buildings are also in the Second Empire style.
Km 43.3
Km 43.3: Villecomtal-sur-Arros (Pop: 880)
Count Arnaud Guilhem III wanted this small fortified town to become the seat of the Little States of Pardiac. All that remains of its walls is an old doorway with a broken barrel vault, known as the "château d'Arcourt tower".
HAUTES-PYRÉNÉES (65)
Population: 231,453
Prefecture: Tarbes
Sub-prefectures: Argelès-Gazost, Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Surface area: 4,464 km²
Specialities: Tarbes beans (IGP, Label Rouge), Black pork of Bigorre (AOP), Madiran (AOC), Pacherenc, Mouton de Barèges-Gavarnie(AOP), Astarac Bigorre black hen, Garbure (soup), spit cake, Pyrenees cheese, Onion of Trébons, Pyrenees trouts.
Sports clubs: National 1, National 2 and Federal 1 rugby union clubs (Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby, Lannemezan, Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Lourdes), Tarbes Gespe Bigorre in the women's basketball league.
Events: Loudenvielle Downhill and Enduro Mountain Bike World Cup from 29 May to 1 June 2025 / Montée du Géant du Tourmalet (June 2025) / Grand Raid des Pyrénées (20 to 24 August 2025) / Balneaman Triathlon (13 September 2025) / Pyrénées Cycl'n trip (11 passes reserved from 21 to 25 July 2025) / Patou Trail (20, 21 and 22 June 2025) / La course des étoiles Bagnères (October 2025)
Festivals: L'Offrande Musicale / Equestria Tarbes / Jazz in Luz festival in Luz St Sauveur / Piano Pic Festival/ Little Mountain churches Festival / Tarbes en tango / Contemporary art exhibition at the Abbey of l'Escaladieu Bonnemazon / Les Escales d'Automne / Big Bag Festival in Bagnères de Bigorre / Pyrenean Musem in Château de Lourdes / Massey Museum in Tarbes, Le Parvis National Stage in Ibos / Madiran Wine Fest/ Traditions Fair in Loudenvielle
Major tourist sites: Pyrenees National Park, Neouvielle Regional Nature Reserve, Cirque de Gavarnie UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pic du Midi International Starry Sky Reserve, 5 Grands Sites d'Occitanie (Pic du Midi, Gavarnie - Cauterets Pont d'Espagne, Lourdes and Pyrénées Aure Louron), 5 Grands Cols (Peyresourde, Val Louron-Azet, Aspin, Tourmalet, Soulor)
Economy: Tourism is the department's leading economic activity, accounting for almost a third of the total. Agriculture is also very present. Hautes-Pyrénées ranks second in terms of pastoralism. Finally, industry also contributes to economic development, with companies such as Alstom, Daher and Tarmac.
Websites / FB / Twitter: www.pyrenees-trip.com / www.hautespyrenees.fr / www.facebook.com/DepartementHautesPyrenees / https://www.instagram.com/departementhapy / https://twitter.com/DepartementHaPy / www.facebook.com/hautespyrenees / www.instagram.com/hautespyrenees / https://www.tiktok.com/@hautespyrenees / www.hautespyrenees.fr / www.facebook.com/DepartementHautesPyrenees / https://www.instagram.com/departementhapy / https://twitter.com/DepartementHaPy / https://www.tiktok.com/@hautespyrenees
Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde...names that conjure up fantastic landscapes. Yes, but here's the thing. Not everyone has the heart and skills of a cycling hero, an ace climber or a polka-dot jersey wearer. When it comes to riding mountain passes, peaks and kilometres, many prefer the car. Who can blame them? It's for them that Hautes-Pyrénées has created a Pyrenees Roadtrip, following in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors, Route 66, the Silk Road and the Transamazonian Railway.
On the programme: 2 countries (France and Spain); 8 legendary passes; 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites; 4 nature parks and secret corners that only the Pyrenees can offer. All in all, an authentic and unforgettable adventure, but above all an idea for a holiday with friends, lovers or family. When it comes to logistics, the Boutique des Pyrénées, specialists in tailor-made holidays, will take care of everything: top-quality accommodation, access to the Grands Sites, entry to spa centres, guided walks, fine dining, etc.
Km 47.2
Km 47.2: Rabastens-de-Bigorre (Pop: 1,420)
The bastide town of Rabastens was founded by Seneschal Guillaume de Rabastens in 1306. The Gothic church built in the following decades is one of the few surviving architectural features from this period. In July 1570, Blaise de Montluc, the King's lieutenant, laid siege to Rabastens, then occupied by the Protestants of the Queen of Navarre. Disfigured by an arquebus shot, Montluc asked for a truce and promised to save the lives of the population of Rabastens, a promise he betrayed by massacring them as soon as he entered the castle. This earned him the nickname lou nase de Rabastens. In 1594, the castle and fortifications were destroyed. Today, Rabastens is home to a major livestock market, the fourth largest in France and the largest in the region, specialising in calves reared in their mother's womb. Accordionist Yvette Horner lived and took her first music lessons in Rabastens, where her father, Louis Hornère, was a building contractor. Winner of the Grand Prix du Disque de l'Académie Charles-Cros in 1950, she established her popularity ny accompanying the Tour de France caravan. In 1952, Calor, the company sponsoring the Tour, asked her to play on the race. She performed on a podium at the finish of each stage. Wearing a sombrero and perched on the roof of a Citroën in the colours of the Suze aperitif brand, she did it again in the following years, following the Tour de France a total of eleven times (from 1952 to 1963). She was also queen of the Paris Six Days in 1954. Yvette Horner died in 2018 at the age of 95. She sold over 30 million records during her career.
Km 54.5
Km 54.5: Vic-en-Bigorre (Pop: 4,830)
This is the hometown of Jean Dupuy, alias Pipiou, who ran a bar of that name in Vic-de-Bigorre. Known for his moustache, the winger, who ended his career as a flanker, won 40 caps for the French national rugby team and won the Five Nations Tournament four times. A member of Stadoceste Tarbais from 1953 to 1969, he was also nicknamed Le Phénomène (The Phenomenon) and the Indestructible. He died in 2010.
PYRENEES-ATLANTIQUES (64)
Population: 664,057
Prefecture: Pau
Sub-prefectures: Bayonne, Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Surface area: 7,645 km2
Specialities: piperade, wines (Madiran, Pacherenc, Jurançon, Irouléguy...), poule au pot (hen in the pot), garbure, axoa, piment d'Espelette (pepper), poulet basquaise (chicken in Basque sauce), gâteau basque, Bayonne ham...
Sports clubs: Elan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez (basketball), Section Paloise, Biarritz olympique, Aviron Bayonnais (rugby union).
Competitions: Pau Canoeing World Cup, Pau Grand Prix, Pau International Eventing Competition.
Festivals: Fêtes de Bayonne, Festival Hestiv'Òc
Economy: agropastoralism, hydroelectricity, agri-food, aeronautics, thermal baths, etc.
Websites / FB / Twitter: http://www.le64.fr / https://www.facebook.com/pages/D%C3%A9partement-des-Pyr%C3%A9n%C3%A9es-Atlantiques/720037604708106 / https://twitter.com/departement64
Km 64
Km 64: Montaner (Pop: 420)
In 1370, Gaston Febus made Montaner a strategic position on the borders of Béarn facing Bigorre and Armagnac. He had a fortress built overlooking the Adour valley.
Montaner Castle
Construction: 13th century.
Style: medieval.
History: Montaner castle was built in the 14th century by Sicard de Lordat at the request of Gaston Febus to protect the borders of Béarn from Bigorre and Armagnac. It comprises a vast polygonal enclosure with two gates and a high square keep. The gateway to the keep, through which the fortress is still accessed today, is surmounted by the coat of arms of Foix-Bearn, itself topped by the phrase "Febus me fe", meaning "Febus built me". Since 1854, the castle has been developed and managed by the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Council.
Current use: in summer, a number of shows and events are organised on the theme of the Middle Ages.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1910.
Km 86.4
Km 86.4: Pontacq (Pop: 2,930)
Pontacq, the town of Empire generals Guillaume Dauture and Joseph Barbanègre, is also a rugby union stronghold. Four local children have played international rugby, including Jean-Pierre Garuet, one of the most successful prop players in the history of the French national team (42 caps). The Lacaze brothers, Claude and Pierre, also from Pontacq, were internationals in both rugby league and rugby union. Finally, Jean Estrade, four-time French champion with Lourdes, was mayor of the town for thirty years (1965-1995).
Km 98.8
Km 98.8: Coarraze (Pop: 2,170)
All that remains of the medieval castle of Coarraze is a pentagonal keep built around 1350, with another part dating from the 16th century. It was here that Henry IV spent his childhood. The château was rebuilt in its current state in 1755. Prime Minister and Mayor of Pau François Bayrou was born in Bordères, 3 km from Coarraze.
Coarraze Castle
Construction: 16th and 18th centuries.
Style: medieval for the keep, classical for the dwelling.
History: the seigneury is mentioned as early as the 12th century. At the end of the 15th century, Gaston de Foix, Count of Carmaing, became the owner of the land of Coarraze and indulged in all sorts of abuses that led Jean of Albret to raze the castle in 1508. The castle burned down in 1684 and was rebuilt around 1755. Built on vaulted basements, the building has a slightly projecting central forecourt topped by a triangular pediment. Inside, on the north side, a monumental staircase leads to the upper bedrooms. On the south side, a drawing room decorated with Chinese wallpaper featuring branches and birds forms the centrepiece of the complex. The park features a succession of terraces. To the north are the large cross-vaulted stables, topped by hay lofts. Below, towards the entrance, are the outbuildings. Henry IV spent his early childhood here, his governess, Suzanne de Bourbon, having been Baroness of Miossens and Coarraze.
Trivia: in his book on Henri IV, future Prime Minister François Bayrou talks about Château de Coarraze as follows: "Henry of Navarre grew up at the Château de Coarraze, some two kilometres as the crow flies from my birthplace [...]. I used to dream a lot about the motto that still adorns the castle gate today: lo que ha de ser no puede faltar: what must happen cannot fail.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 2011.
Km 105.3
Km 105.3: Asson (Pop: 2,000)
Caves of Bétharram
Asson is the starting point for a 2.8km walk through the Betharram caves, which have been open to the public since 1903 thanks to the work of Léon Ross, a pioneer of electricity in the town of Lourdes. The caves are still run by Léon Ross's great-grandson, Albert. Asson is also home to a zoo with unusual species such as tamarins and red pandas.
HAUTES-PYRÉNÉES (65)
Population: 231,453
Prefecture: Tarbes
Sub-prefectures: Argelès-Gazost, Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Surface area: 4,464 km²
Specialities: Tarbes beans (IGP, Label Rouge), Black pork of Bigorre (AOP), Madiran (AOC), Pacherenc, Mouton de Barèges-Gavarnie(AOP), Astarac Bigorre black hen, Garbure (soup), spit cake, Pyrenees cheese, Onion of Trébons, Pyrenees trouts.
Sports clubs: National 1, National 2 and Federal 1 rugby union clubs (Tarbes Pyrénées Rugby, Lannemezan, Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Lourdes), Tarbes Gespe Bigorre in the women's basketball league.
Events: Loudenvielle Downhill and Enduro Mountain Bike World Cup from 29 May to 1 June 2025 / Montée du Géant du Tourmalet (June 2025) / Grand Raid des Pyrénées (20 to 24 August 2025) / Balneaman Triathlon (13 September 2025) / Pyrénées Cycl'n trip (11 passes reserved from 21 to 25 July 2025) / Patou Trail (20, 21 and 22 June 2025) / La course des étoiles Bagnères (October 2025)
Festivals: L'Offrande Musicale / Equestria Tarbes / Jazz in Luz festival in Luz St Sauveur / Piano Pic Festival/ Little Mountain churches Festival / Tarbes en tango / Contemporary art exhibition at the Abbey of l'Escaladieu Bonnemazon / Les Escales d'Automne / Big Bag Festival in Bagnères de Bigorre / Pyrenean Musem in Château de Lourdes / Massey Museum in Tarbes, Le Parvis National Stage in Ibos / Madiran Wine Fest/ Traditions Fair in Loudenvielle
Major tourist sites: Pyrenees National Park, Neouvielle Regional Nature Reserve, Cirque de Gavarnie UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pic du Midi International Starry Sky Reserve, 5 Grands Sites d'Occitanie (Pic du Midi, Gavarnie - Cauterets Pont d'Espagne, Lourdes and Pyrénées Aure Louron), 5 Grands Cols (Peyresourde, Val Louron-Azet, Aspin, Tourmalet, Soulor)
Economy: Tourism is the department's leading economic activity, accounting for almost a third of the total. Agriculture is also very present. Hautes-Pyrénées ranks second in terms of pastoralism. Finally, industry also contributes to economic development, with companies such as Alstom, Daher and Tarmac.
Websites / FB / Twitter: www.pyrenees-trip.com / www.hautespyrenees.fr / www.facebook.com/DepartementHautesPyrenees / https://www.instagram.com/departementhapy / https://twitter.com/DepartementHaPy / www.facebook.com/hautespyrenees / www.instagram.com/hautespyrenees / https://www.tiktok.com/@hautespyrenees / www.hautespyrenees.fr / www.facebook.com/DepartementHautesPyrenees / https://www.instagram.com/departementhapy / https://twitter.com/DepartementHaPy / https://www.tiktok.com/@hautespyrenees
Tourmalet, Aspin, Peyresourde...names that conjure up fantastic landscapes. Yes, but here's the thing. Not everyone has the heart and skills of a cycling hero, an ace climber or a polka-dot jersey wearer. When it comes to riding mountain passes, peaks and kilometres, many prefer the car. Who can blame them? It's for them that Hautes-Pyrénées has created a Pyrenees Roadtrip, following in the footsteps of its illustrious predecessors, Route 66, the Silk Road and the Transamazonian Railway.
On the programme: 2 countries (France and Spain); 8 legendary passes; 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites; 4 nature parks and secret corners that only the Pyrenees can offer. All in all, an authentic and unforgettable adventure, but above all an idea for a holiday with friends, lovers or family. When it comes to logistics, the Boutique des Pyrénées, specialists in tailor-made holidays, will take care of everything: top-quality accommodation, access to the Grands Sites, entry to spa centres, guided walks, fine dining, etc.
Km 134.1
Km 134.1: Col du Soulor (1,474 m)
The Soulor pass, which is often ridden by the Tour de France peloton, has not always been rated, the finish taking place at the summit of the Aubisque which runs alongside it. At an altitude of 1,474 m, it links the Arrens and Ouzom valleys within the Val d'Azun and its picturesque villages and chapels. The Soulor was rated for the last time in the 2019 Tour, with Tim Wellens in the lead.
Km 141.4
Km 141.4: Arrens-Marsous (Pop: 700)
Situated in the heart of the Val d'Azun, Arrens-Marsous is a popular destination for hikers. The town lies at the gateway to the Pyrenees National Park. Arrens-Marsous is home to the Val d'Azun winter sports resort.
Notre-Dame de Pouey-Laün chapel
Construction: 12th century.
Style: Occitan Baroque.
History: located on the Via Tolosana on the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela, this former oratory was converted into a church in 1717, due to the growing number of pilgrims. During the French Revolution, the building was used as barracks and then sold as national property. The church was reopened in 1808, when Hortense de Beauharnais approached the Emperor to celebrate an anniversary mass in memory of her deceased eldest son, Napoleon Louis Charles Bonaparte. Between 1812 and 1813, during the war between France and Spain, the sanctuary was once again converted into barracks. In 1856, the fathers of Notre-Dame-de-Garaison opened a college, which provided the diocese with around fifty priests. A sanatorium was opened there after the 1914-1918 war and was converted into a medical institute in 1973.
Listed as: historical monument in 1954.
Pyrenees National Park For over 25 years, this park has protected an area of 46,000 ha, to which 15,000 ha have been added from the Ordesa National Park in Spain, with a rich flora of over 400 species, including ramondie, fritilaria, saxifrage or Pyrenean lily and an exceptional wildlife. Bearded vultures, golden eagles and Egyptian vultures can also be seen in the sky. but also, closer to home, marmot, isard and, by chance, brown bears…
Km 158.7
Km 158.7: Arras-en-Lavedan (Pop: 500)
Worth seeing for its church of Saint-Martin, listed as a historic monument in 1979, and the restored ruins of the small fortress of Castet-Naou, built when the Black Prince ruled the region.
Km 166.3
Km 166.3: Argelès-Gazost (Pop: 3,400)
It is the capital of the Lavedan region, at the confluence of the Gave de Pau and Gave d'Azun rivers. The gastronomic speciality is pastis, which here is a cake. This picturesque old town with its steep or staircase lanes, formerly known as Ourout, then Argelès, added Gazost to its name for its thermal waters. It is in fact a climatic and spa resort (phlebology and ENT) with a thermal establishment in the English park (sulphurous, sodic and iodobromide waters). Argelès-Gazost is also the home of René Billières (1910-2004), former Minister of State for National Education, Youth and Sport, and Clément Dupont (1899-1993), a member of the French national rugby union team (16 caps). After Adolphe Jauréguy (1898-1978), he was the second Frenchman to beat the British Four Nations before the war. In 1996, Argelès was the starting point for a stage to Pamplona, won by Swiss rider Laurent Dufaux.
Abbey and abbey church of Saint-Savin
Construction: from 935
History: Saint-Savin Abbey was one of the largest religious centres in the Bigorre region. The monastery was built on the site of a Gallo-Roman fort formerly known as Palatium Æmilianum ("Emilian Palace") by Charlemagne. Saint Savin was a hermit in Bigorre in the 8th century.
Characteristics: the abbey church, built in limestone in the Romanesque style, dates from the 12th century. It bears witness to the monastery's prosperity. It was raised and a lantern tower was built in the 14th century. In 1791, the abbey became a parish church. Together with the chapter house and the surrounding walls, it is the only remaining part of the Benedictine abbey.
Listed as: Historical Monument in 1840.
Km 178.1
Km 178,1: Beaucens
Beaucens Castle, built in the 11th century on a rocky outcrop, was the residence of the Viscounts of Lavedan over the centuries. It has been converted into an aviary for birds of prey from all over the world (over 45 species), with a seasonal animal show.
Château de Beaucens / Eagle Keep
Built: 10th century
Style: fortified castle
History: Château de Beaucens was the most powerful viscountal house in Bigorre, with vast holdings including the seventeen towns in the Barèges valley. Inhabited until 1643, it then belonged to the House of Montaut-Bénac.
Current use: the site has been transformed into a zoo, the Donjon des Aigles (Eagles Keep), where you can admire birds of prey in flight around the ruins of the castle, with a view over the Gaves valley. This is one of the largest collections of birds of prey in the world.
Trivia: in Bigorre, legend has it that a long siege of the castle ended when an eagle released a trout, leading the attackers to believe that food was still plentiful and fresh.
Listed as: Historic Monument since 1927
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