Chateau Fort of Lourdes, Lourdes

Chateau Fort of Lourdes, Lourdes

Situated at the entrance to the valleys of Lavedan in Hautes-Pyrénées, the 1000 year old Château Fort de Lourdes has never been captured.

Situated at the entrance to the valleys of Lavedan in Hautes-Pyrénées, the 1000 year old Château Fort de Lourdes has never been captured. Used variously as a military prison and barracks, the fort today houses the Pyrenean Museum, dedicated to the history of the French and Spanish Pyrenees. It exhibits 18th century ceramics, Samadet earthenware and furniture, paintings, iconography, traditional costumes, reconstruction of a shepherd's hut, and articles from the parish church of Lourdes in the chapel. Outside, there is a botanical garden at the foot of the 14th-century keep, models of traditional Pyrenean houses and a reconstruction of a Pyrenean cemetery. You can get great views of the French countryside from here.