Theme Week Gascony – Pau

Friday, 27 March 2015 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  4 minutes

Boulevard des Pyrénées © Flo641/cc-by-sa-3.0

Boulevard des Pyrénées © Flo641/cc-by-sa-3.0

Pau is a commune on the northern edge of the Pyrenees, capital of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Département in Aquitaine. It was also the capital of the historical Béarn Province. It forms the communauté d’agglomération of Pau-Pyrénées with 13 neighbouring communes to carry out local tasks together. Place Clemenceau, the heart of the downtown area, is the site of many public festivals, great shopping, and a beautiful fountain.

The Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, founded in 1972, accounts for a large student population. The Boulevard des Pyrénées extends for 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles) from the Château de Pau to the Parc Beaumont, with views of the mountains. Alphonse de Lamartine said: “Pau has the world’s most beautiful view of the earth just as Naples has the most beautiful view of the sea.”

Place Royale © Flo641/cc-by-sa-3.0 The Chateau above the Gave de Pau © Jibi44/cc-by-sa-3.0 Rue du Maréchal Joffre © Flo641/cc-by-sa-3.0 Palais Beaumont © Florent Pécassou/cc-by-sa-3.0 Jean-Baptiste Bernadottes birth house and museum © Jacob Triedson Demitz for Ristesson Boulevard des Pyrénées © Flo641/cc-by-sa-3.0
<
>
Jean-Baptiste Bernadottes birth house and museum © Jacob Triedson Demitz for Ristesson
In the centre of Pau is a large castle, the Château de Pau, that dominates that quarter of the city. It is famous as the birthplace of Henry IV, the 16th-century king of France. Its small garden was tended by Marie Antoinette when she spent her summers in the city. Napoleon used it as a holiday home during his period in power. The château has been designated as a French historical monument and holds a collection of tapestry. King Charles XIV of Sweden, the first royal Bernadotte, was also born in Pau. The castle was built near the river, Gave de Pau, which provides a scenic spot for kayaking and fishing. Near the château is a large park with walking trails and plenty of open space, for outdoor activities in the middle of the city. Parc Beaumont has views of the Pyrenees. Pau is known for its green spaces and is said to have more green space per inhabitant than any other European city.

Since 1930, Pau has become a mainstay of the Tour de France cycling race, thanks both to its geographical location and to its marvelous infrastructure. Perhaps the highest-profile sporting event is the Étoiles de Pau (“Stars of Pau”). Held annually in October, it is one of only six annual competitions in eventing that receive the highest rating of CCI**** from equestrianism‘s world governing body, the FEI. Pau Golf Club from 1856 is one of the oldest golf clubs in continental Europe.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on City of Pau, Pau Pyrenees Tourism, Château de Pau and Wikipedia Pau. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

The MSC Preziosa

The MSC Preziosa

[caption id="attachment_223553" align="aligncenter" width="590"] MSC Preziosa at Hook of Holland © flickr.com - kees torn/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]MSC Preziosa is a Fantasia-class cruise ship owned and operated by MSC Cruises. She entered service in March 2013. She is an enhanced version of her first two class member ships, MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia, and is identical to the previous MSC Divina. She debuted on March 13 as the fourth ship in the Fantasia class. MSC Preziosa was constructed from 2010 to 2013 at ...

[ read more ]

Seoul, the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea

Seoul, the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea

[caption id="attachment_4599" align="aligncenter" width="590" caption="Gangnam district © Sakoku"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Seoul, officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world. The Seoul National Capital Area is the world's second largest metropolitan area with over 25 million inhabitants, which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province. Almost a quarter ...

[ read more ]

Bushwick in New York City

Bushwick in New York City

[caption id="attachment_206076" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Brownstones and apartment buldings on Bushwick Avenue © Noremacmada[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Bushwick is a working-class neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Park to the southeast; Brownsville to the south; and Bedford-Stuyvesant to the southwest. The town was first fou...

[ read more ]

Brela on the Makarska Riviera

Brela on the Makarska Riviera

[caption id="attachment_160902" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © flickr.com - Nikolaj Potanin/cc-by-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Brela is a municipality in the Split-Dalmatia county of Croatia, population 1,700. The municipality consists of two villages: Brela and Gornja Brela. Village Brela is located on the Adriatic coastline of Dalmatia, about 15 km northwest of Makarska. Brela is a tourist town located between the Biokovo mountain and the Adriatic Sea. It's known as the pearl of Makarska riviera. The pearl of Adr...

[ read more ]

Sandhamn, in the eastern part of Stockholm's archipelago

Sandhamn, in the eastern part of Stockholm's archipelago

[caption id="attachment_153832" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Arild Vågen/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Sandhamn ("Sand Harbour") is a small settlement in the central-peripheral part of the Stockholm Archipelago in central-eastern Sweden, approximately 50 km (30 mi) east of Stockholm. Sandhamn is located on the island Sandön ("Sand Island"), which is, however, colloquially referred to as Sandhamn. One of the most important natural ports in the archipelago with easy access to the Swedish capital, Sandhamn...

[ read more ]

Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire

Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire

[caption id="attachment_184697" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Palais du Grabatoire © Fafner/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Le Mans is a city on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region. Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles. First mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy, the Roman city Vindinium was the capital of the Aulerci, a s...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Taiwan - Penghu

Theme Week Taiwan - Penghu

[caption id="attachment_191989" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Double-Heart of Stacked Stones © Zeze0729/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Penghu or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait. The largest city is Magong, located on the largest island, which is also named Magong. Covering an area of 141 square kilometers (54 sq mi), the archipelago collectively forms Penghu County of the Taiwan, and is the second smallest county, after Lienchiang. The traditional English name o...

[ read more ]

Český Krumlov in South Bohemia

Český Krumlov in South Bohemia

[caption id="attachment_236756" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Xth-Floor/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Český Krumlov (German: Krumau or Böhmisch Krumau) is a town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. It is known as a tourist centre, which is among the most visited places in the country. The historic centre with the Český Krumlov Castle complex is protected by law as an urban monument reservation, and since 1992, it has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site...

[ read more ]

The Sophienterrassen in Hamburg

The Sophienterrassen in Hamburg

[caption id="attachment_153905" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © sophienterrassen.de[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]From time immemorial, Harvestehude, lying on the banks of the Alster, has been one of the most privileged residential locations to be offered by Hamburg. Venerable white Wilhelminian style and art nouveau villas in large parks and town houses resembling the London town houses, still distinguish the banks of the Alster today. As it was in this period, the Alster plays a central role as an area for rowing and sailing a...

[ read more ]

Block Island off Rhode Island

Block Island off Rhode Island

[caption id="attachment_151143" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Old Harbor © Swampyank/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean about 13 miles (21 km) south of the coast of Rhode Island, 14 miles (23 km) east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The island is part of the Outer Lands region, a coastal archipelago. The Nature Conservancy added Block Island to its list of "Th...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
Moon Rise over Saba Rock Island © Louis 92 B/cc-by-sa-3.0
Virgin Gorda in the Caribbean

Virgin Gorda is the third-largest (after Tortola and Anegada) and second most populous of the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Located...

Wagnergasse © Hamster 3
The university town of Jena

Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and...

Town Hall © Florent Pécassou/cc-by-sa-3.0
Theme Week Gascony – Tarbes

Tarbes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. It was known as Turba or Tarba in Roman...

Schließen