LANNEMEZAN
Lannemezan Park
Characteristics: The Demi-Lune Leisure Park offers all kinds of activities for children and parents alike in a natural wooded setting, such as walks around the lake and the chance to discover fish and various species of animals (llamas, swans, chickens, mandarins, ducks, goats, deer, etc.).
Children's area: Sleeping Beauty's castle, the house of the seven dwarfs, Alice in Wonderland's house of cards, etc.
The Gargas Caves
Characteristics: These caves offer a journey back in time, taking you 27,000 years into the past. Stone Age hunters used to frequent these caves. On the walls, you can see traces of their daily lives and their hunting exploits. Two hundred hands with incomplete fingers are depicted. Created using stencils, they are a real mystery for historians.
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church
Construction: 12th and 19th centuries
Style: Romanesque and Neo-Gothic
History: The church was built at the end of the 12th century. In August 1569, Huguenot troops led by Montgommery ravaged the village and set fire to the church. After the damage caused by the Revolution, restoration work was undertaken. In 1851, the bell tower was demolished and rebuilt. In 1854, the south portal was moved to enlarge the nave.
Listed as: 12th-century gate listed as a historic monument in 1945
Les Ocybelles: natural organic swimming
Characteristics: Located in the heart of a wooded natural area on the border between the villages of Saint Laurent de Neste and Nestier, the Ôcybelles natural and organic swimming area covers 1.5 hectares within a vast leisure complex. The principle behind this ecological swimming area is the use of natural water, which is filtered and purified solely by plants and bacteria.
The Domain of the Gods
Characteristics: The Nistos Cap Nesté Nordic area, known as "Domaine des Dieux", occupies a dominant position. This magnificent site, which is well covered in snow during the winter, offers a variety of trails on ridges, plateaus and in forests. It is a great place for hiking in mild weather, with unique panoramic views of the main Pyrenean peaks (Aneto, Pic du Midi de Bigorre, Arbizon, Maladetta, etc.).
PAU
Tour of Giants
Characteristics: For several summers now, the city of Henri IV has also been the city of the Tour des Géants, statues honouring the winners of the Tour de France. Each of these totems features the name and photo of the winner of each individual year, as well as a text written by French writer Christian Laborde. The totems, which are nearly two metres high, form a permanent monument set in the green surroundings of Bois Louis, near the Philippe Tissié Stadium. The site, laid out in a spiral shape, welcomes a new sculpture every year. Each aluminium and glass effigy (three of which are made of bronze) displays the name and photo of the winner of the year, the number of kilometres covered, their average speed and photos or drawings, accompanied by a dynamic and original text. A QR code is affixed to each structure; by scanning it, visitors can listen to the text translated into several languages.
Boulevard des Pyrénées
Completed: 1900
Characteristics: Offers an exceptional panorama of nearly 150 km of the Pyrenees mountain range. Its 850-metre-long balustrade serves as a guide rail. Jean-Charles Alphand envisioned the project, stating: "Pau needs a Promenade des Anglais like in Nice". The boulevard was therefore designed as a mountain replica of the Nice thoroughfare, a privileged place to "see and be seen". This promenade on the edge of a steep, completely artificial balcony is a technical and aesthetic feat, structuring urban development since its creation.
Park and Palais Beaumont
Construction: 1900
Style: Neoclassical
Architect: Émile Bertrand
Characteristics: Built to accommodate wealthy holidaymakers, the Winter Palace, known as Palais Beaumont, now houses a casino and a conference centre. The site is located in the heart of a park with remarkable trees and an outdoor theatre. The Tour de France starting village has often been set up here.
National Museum of Château de Pau
Construction: 12th to 19th centuries
Style: Medieval and composite
History: Standing on a rock overlooking a ford on the Gave river, the foundations of Château de Pau date back to the early Middle Ages. Henri IV was born there on 13 December 1553. Restored under Louis-Philippe, the château became a museum in 1926.
Characteristics: It has a very irregular polygonal layout, at the top of two embankments surrounded by the first and second enclosure. Inside the second enclosure, the castle follows the same polygonal plan. Today, it is flanked by six towers, while a seventh, the Monnaie tower, is part of the first enclosure. The towers are rectangular and connected by a thick wall against which the residential buildings are built.
Current use: A prestigious residence for centuries, the castle became a national museum dedicated to Henri IV in 1926.
Listed as: Historic Monument since 1840
Website
The banks of the Gave
Characteristics: This 250-hectare park is crossed by 13 km along the banks of the Gave. Remarkable for its natural heritage, the park aims to allow everyone to enjoy a natural space in the city. Facilities include benches, picnic tables, and a whitewater stadium, as well as a Blue Way for sporting and aquatic activities such as canoeing or rafting.
Domaine de Sers
Characteristics: Domaine de Sers (Sers Estate), a newly inaugurated 25-hectare green space, prioritises local residents. In addition to the municipal greenhouses, it is home to the Maison du Jardinier (House of the Gardener), offering information, advice and activities related to sustainable gardening. It also supports citizens in projects to green public spaces.
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