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Le Chateau (the castle) is the main “attraction” (in the original sense of that word!) of Pau.
The castle of Pau (le chateau de Pau) is the birthplace of King Henri IV, but its history began before. In the middle age it was a fortified castle, meant to watch the ford on the Gave River; three towers from this period are still there with some modifications.
In the 14th century, Gaston Fébus built the brick donjon of 33 m height.
I propose you to first walk around and have a look at the walls and the general shape and lay-out.
The main picture, shows the eastern side of the chateau, as seen when coming from the old city, on the Place de la Déportation. Left is the massive middle age old Tour Montauser, and right the Tour Napoleon III, and the Napoleon III wing. These last buildings have been added during the renovation initiated in the 19th century by king Lois-Philippe and then Napoleon III; these renovations were symbolically undertaken in order to reinforce “French unity”, reconciling republican ideals and monarchy, as reference to Henry IV who as a protestant (converted to Catholicism), became king of catholic France and preserved peace in Bearn.
Picture 2 is a view from place de la deportation; the renaissance style (but from 19th century) entrance portico links the donjon to the N. III wing.
Looking from North, the same towers are visible, and we see also the massive brick donjon on the left and the tour Billère on the right (picture 3).
From south (picture 4), the chateau looks the most impressive, with this long renaissance wing between the donjon and the middle age tour Mazeres. On the right side of the picture is the bell tower of the Parlement de Navarre (Navarre Parliament).
From west (picture 5), from the gardens (Parc du Domaine National de Pau), on the right is the tour Mazeres and left the Tour Louis Philippe (19th century).
Despite numerous changes and renovations, this castle seems to have an architectural unity and coherence, from outside. Address: Musée national du château 64000 PauPhone: 05 59 82 38 02Directions: Visit inside possible only with a guide Entrance:5 € Free first Sunday of the month. Open all year, except: Jan 1st, May 1st, and Dec 25th Sept.16th to Jun.14th: 9h30 - 11h45 / 14h - 17h Jun.15th to Sept.15th: 9h30-12h15/13h30-17h45Website: http://www.musee-chateau-pau.fr/
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At the Eastern end of the Boulevard, you arrive in sight of the Palais Beaumont.
This classique-baroque-art deco (not to be confused with art nouveau) mixture style palace has a 100 years history, linked to the dynamism of the mayors of Pau at the time. Aristide de Montpezat acquired properties from aristocrat families in order to create a public park and a place for cultural events and entertainment and leisure for the Pau residents and visitors. The Palais Beaumont was formerly known as Villa Beaumont, and became Palais Beaumont after renovation works in 2000.
Architect Emile Bertrand (creator of the Bois de Boulogne, (Paris) greenhouses), build this villa in that special style, with the purpose of capturing light and keeping some confidentiality to the library and museum visitors. After the recent renovation, I can understand what he meant.
Main picture shows the southern side in the morning light, reflecting in a wading pond in front.
The picture 2 shows one of the campaniles from inside (many roofs are of glass), and the picture 3 shows both campaniles on the classique-baroque general style and layout of the palace viewed from south.
The main entrance is on the North west side. A closer view shows the exuberant decoration of the campaniles (picture 4) and the renovation has used trompe-l’oeil techniques (picture 5) for decoration.
Palais Beaumont is presented on the website below
http://www.paucc.com/
For history, you may have a look at this website.
http://www.remcomp.fr/asmanet/paucc-histoire-palais-beaumont.html
General information on Palais Beaumont:
Contact : Le Palais Beaumont, Parc Beaumont F 64000 PAU
Tél : +33 (0) 559 112 000 Fax : +33(0) 559 112 001
email: dsportes@paucc.com
Site internent : http://www.paucc.com
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Palais Beaumont, since its 2000 renovation has become a congress and conference centre. I visited it several times for professional reasons, but when it is empty you much more appreciate the greenhouse layout; big windows, inside mirrors covering totally some walls, palm trees and ferns inside, all this is really a change of scene. The main picture displays one of the huge halls with wide windows, glass roofs, a rotunda ceiling which by far give enough light to the bamboo and palms to grow. Through the big windows it is of course possible to have a look at the mountains (pictures 2 and 3); and, looking on the other side, you see the windows reflecting in the big mirrors (picture 4). In the basement there are temporary exhibitions (picture 5) of paintings, photographs, generally of local interest (have a close look at the pictures displayed).
The Palais Beaumont, as I told, is today mainly a conference centre proposing 2 amphitheatres which can accommodate 540 and 200 people. The big halls of 750 and 900 square meters can host up to 800 persons for special events like congress lunches or company gatherings. Many other rooms of various sizes are also available. The Palais Beaumont is a member of “the historic conference centres” association .
General information on Palais Beaumont:
Contact : Le Palais Beaumont, Parc Beaumont F 64000 PAU
Tél : +33 (0) 559 112 000 Fax : +33(0) 559 112 001
Email: dsportes@paucc.com
Site internet : http://www.paucc.com Phone: 33 (0) 559 112 000Directions: Eastern side of Boulevard des PyrénéesWebsite: http://www.paucc.com
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One thing to do if you have only 2 hours to spend in Pau, is to have a walk on the Boulevard des Pyrenees. It is a long East West oriented street, on a belvedere with open view on the mountains located about 50 km away (Picture 1). You have a look over 200 km mountains and with fine weather lots of future hike destinations can be seen. One of my favourites is the Pic du Midi d’Ossau you can see on picture 2 through the water drops of a fountain. Pic du Midi de Bigorre is seen on Picture 3 and here on picture 4 at sunrise.
Walking here early morning to see the mountains is the best, because later during the day the misty weather always appears and you cannot see details of the mountains, only their general shape; wake up early! Last picture is Pic d’Anie also in the morning light.
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The parc Beaumont is the place where the Palois (Pau inhabitants) go when sun comes back in spring. Not only do they enjoy the spring, but in summer the shades of the big trees make it a place where to get a bit fresh air, because summers can be very hot here in South Western France.
This parc was created at the same time as the Villa Beaumont, from land properties of local nobles, including the Noailles family, of which you certainly know the famous poetess Anna de Noailles. The landscaping architect Henri Martinet, in 1898, took advantage of the topography and the location on the belvedere to create a parc where the view is open everywhere and in the same time, there are hedges, trees, shrubs, which almost never prevent from far views. Birds on the water, young people on the grass, music kiosks, all here tends to serenity.
On the 21st of June (spring, fete de la musique in France), during all night local groups perform music in the parc and the ambiance, the short time I spend there on that occasion is quite . . . interesting! Directions: East and North of Palais Beaumont
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A small funicular links the railway station to the Boulevard des Pyrenees, and it is just a bit fun to take it to go one or the other way, as the elevation is not that big; if you have heavy luggage may be; . . . This funicular has been built in 1908, and operates free since 1978. It is open every day (Sundays, afternoon only), and it operates from 6-45 in the morning till 20-00 evenings.
It has been designed with two cabins operating in the same time, one going up and the other going down, crossing on a double track in the middle (picture 3).
In front of the little building on the lower end, is a memorial (picture 4) to Jesus Fernandez Duro a balloon traveller who, the first crossed the Pyrénées by air , in 1906. Address: Boulevard des Pyrénées or railway station
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When you begin the guided visit, you have to follow the guide who repeats two-three times, flashlights are not allowed for photography; frustration, but there is an explanation: it seems the Gobelins inside do not like the flashlights, and may be it is true, they have wonderful colors.
Well getting in you go through the kitchen (picture 2) where the fireplaces look like new, without any soot, which for me belongs to a “normal” fireplace.
After having crossed the officers room, decorated with “modern” (19th century) furniture, you enter the 100 dishes room; this is a huge room which contains a table where 100 people could sit and have dinner in the same time (main picture ) ; the table is of oak wood resting on fir legs; it does not look massive, looks even elegant, but if you want to tell something to the person at the other end of the table. . . . . At the other end of the room is a statue of . . . . Henry IV , of course, but the interesting things here are the gobelins you already could see on the main picture. On picture 3 a rural celebration and on picture 4, a hunting scene; the colors are not very good on the pictures, but these big, more than 3 meters high tapestries are impressive with realism, and details.
Pity is that being in a guided tour you have no time to have a detailed look at these wonderful pieces of art.
The main staircase which leads to the first floor has an interesting “en caissons” ceiling. (picture 5), and again are the M and H initials on the right part of the montage.
Visit inside possible only with a guide
Entrance fee: 5 €
Free for young people until 17 and free every first Sunday of the month.
Open throughout the year, every day except: January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th
Opening hours:
September 16th to June 14th:
9h30 - 11h45 / 14h - 17h
June 15th to September 15th:
9h30 - 12h15 / 13h30 - 17h45
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I told in the intro the influence of the English on Pau, lets say the British in general. The brought rugby, horse racing, fox hunting, and they left some beautiful houses which give some special character to the areas where they have been built; these houses are mainly found in the Trespoey and Buisson areas the chic area of Pau, to the East, near the corniche where the view to the Pyrenees is bright and open, and in some other places like Billere a North Western residential area, St Dominique area.
Just have a walk in the Trespoey area, for one or two hours, here and there typical houses (they call them “Anglaises” locally) will appear generally hidden behind big gardens, and there may even be some little palaces.
Some of these houses take advantage of the local style using pebbles as main construction or as siding materials (main picture ), others, classic with a French garden, surrounded by an English garden (picture 2).Others are big houses, quite classical (pictures 3 and 4), and the one I like the most is the one featured on picture 5.
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The brochure of this museum says it is one of the biggest museums of Aquitaine.
Located in a 1930 style building, it is a bit an eclectic museum, with paintings from the 15th to 20th centuries, of various origins (Dutch and Italian mainly, with of course, local and French paintings). Many sculptures and modern art are also displayed. The museum organises also thematic temporary exhibitions (2-3 per year).
Not easy to tell about all what is in this museum in one tip; the entrance is quite impressive with the monumental Deveria flanked by the smaller paintings and sculptures on the left and right stairs (main picture). On the basement you will discover 2 Rubens (picture 2) on the left and late Italian Renaissance paintings on the right. You will not find Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe but “le Déjeuner dans la serre” from Louise Abbeme above a A. Boucher sculpture (picture 3), better seen from the stairs, with other paintings around.; from the other stair you may like these 3 beauties (Tango from Berges,on the right, a “Bacchante” by Etcheto, and the more anonymous Dupuy (Mme Chinon et son colley) on the left (picture 4). Upstairs right you may admire this “wedding in Laruns” from local painter Capdevielle (picture 5).
Entrance: 3 Euros Address: Rue Mathieu Lalanne 64000 PauPhone: +33(0)5 59 27 33 02Directions: Opposite Centre Bosquet (Bosquet commercial centre) East of Place Clemenceau and the old city
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Palais Beaumont hosts also the Pau casino; I never was there, and, well, the people at the entrance do not look very welcoming and from far, they tried to prevent me taking pictures from the entrance; I know from my dentist who is working not far from there that many locally well-known people go there (even at 9 am, he told me) who do not want to publicise their special illness!
For those who want to go there, there is an underground parking. And before you loose all your money, may I advise you to have a dinner at the restaurant of the Palais Beaumont, called Les Terraces de Beaumont where you can have international as well as local food, like magret (duck fillets), garbure soup, for a reasonable price as it is in a very nice setting, with a glass greenhouse type terrace. There is also le Hunt brasserie, which I do not know, as well do I not know the Billiard academy located in the Palais Beaumont. .
General information on Palais Beaumont:
Contact : Le Palais Beaumont, Parc Beaumont F 64000 PAU
Tél : +33 (0) 559 112 000 Fax : +33(0) 559 112 001
Email: dsportes@paucc.com
Site internet : http://www.paucc.com
Casino, Tel: 05 59 27 06 92
Les terrasses de Beaumont, Tel: 05 59 11 21 07
Billiard academy, Tel : 05 59 27 07 00
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on December 30, 2006
