- Stage town for the 6th time
- Commune in Hautes-Pyrénées (65)
- Population: 5,900 (Lannemezanais and Lannemezanaises)
The town has produced significant talents in both winter sports and rugby. Former France rugby captain Pierre Berbizier honed his tactical skills at CA Lannemezan. A good while later, the commune was the birthplace of one of his successors, Antoine Dupont, who’s the current captain of the French national team. Other notable athletes who’ve emerged from Lannemezan include Paul-Henri de Le Rue, a snowboarding bronze medallist at the Turin Olympics (2006), and Marie-Laure Brunet, who was third in the biathlon pursuit in Vancouver (2010). With regard to the Tour, the fifth stage start from Lannemezan in 2015 was the launchpad for Joaquim Rodríguez’s third stage victory at Plateau de Beille.
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.).
