Pau (; ; ) is a
commune overlooking the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
, the prefecture of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
department in the
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
of Southwestern France.
The city is located in the heart of the former sovereign principality of
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
, of which it was the capital from 1464. Pau lies on the
Gave de Pau, and is located from the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
and from
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. This position gives it a striking panorama across the mountain range of the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
, especially from its landmark "Boulevard des Pyrénées", as well as the hillsides of
Jurançon. According to
Alphonse de Lamartine, "Pau has the world's most beautiful view of the earth just as Naples has the most beautiful view of the sea."
The site has been occupied since at least the
Gallo-Roman
Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...
era. However the first references to Pau as a settlement only occur in the first half of the 12th century. The town developed from the construction of its
castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
, likely from the 11th century by the Viscounts of Béarn, to protect the
ford which was a strategic point providing access to the Bearn valleys and to Spain. The city takes its name from the stockade (''pau'' in
Béarnese) which surrounded the original castle.
Pau became the capital of
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
in 1464 and the seat of the
Kings of Navarre in 1512 after the capture of
Pamplona
Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain.
Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
by the
Kingdom of Castile
The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...
. Pau became a leading political and intellectual centre under the reign of
Henry d'Albret. With the end of Béarnaise independence in 1620, Pau lost its influence but remained at the head of a largely autonomous province. It was home to the
Parliament of Navarre and Béarn during the
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, when it was dismantled to create the Department of
Basses-Pyrénées. The
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...
marked a resurgence for the Béarnaise capital with a massive influx of wealthy foreign tourists, who came to spend the winter to take advantage of the benefits of Pau's climate. It was at this time that Pau became one of the world capitals of the nascent aerospace industry under the influence of the
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...
.
With the decline of tourism during the 20th century, Pau's economy gradually shifted towards the aviation industry and then to
petrochemical
Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable s ...
s with the discovery of the
Lacq gas field in 1951. The
Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, founded in 1972, accounts for a large student population. The city plays a leading role for
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
but also for a wide segment of the
Adour
The Adour (; ; ) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High- Bigorre ( Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean ( Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. is known as the ' ...
area. Pau's heritage extends over several centuries, its diversity and its quality allowed it to obtain the label of
City of Art and History in 2011.
The
name of its people is ''Palois'' in French, and ''paulin'' in Occitan. The motto of Pau is in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: ''Urbis palladium et gentis'' ("protective of the city and its people").
Geography
Location

Pau is from the Atlantic Ocean and from the border with Spain on the Pyrenees. The frontier is crossed by the col du Somport () and the col du Pourtalet (). Access to the crossings partly accounts for Pau's strategic importance.
Pau is located west of
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
, from
Tarbes
Tarbes (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of southwestern France. It is ...
and
Lourdes
Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...
, from
Oloron. The conglomeration of Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz is at ,
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
.
Communal boundaries
* To the north:
Buros,
Montardon and
Morlaàs
* To the east:
Bizanos and
Idron
* To the south:
Gelos and
Jurançon
* To the west:
Lons and
Billère
Hydrography
The city, located at an average altitude of , is crossed by the
Gave de Pau, where a ford gave passage to the Pyrenees. ''Gave'' is the name given to a torrent in the Pyrenees. The Gave de Pau, which becomes a torrent when mountain snow melts, takes its source in the
Cirque de Gavarnie and is the main tributary of the
Adour
The Adour (; ; ) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High- Bigorre ( Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean ( Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. is known as the ' ...
, into which it empties after . The crossing was used for pasturage for sheep in the high meadows. The old route is now a hiking path,
GR 65, that runs south to the border.
The lands of the commune are also watered by the
Luy de Béarn, a tributary the
Luy, and by its tributaries, the
Aïgue Longue and the
Uzan, as well as the Soust, the Herrère, the
Ousse and the Ousse des Bois, tributaries of the Gave de Pau. The Aygue Longue is in turn joined the territory of Pau by the Bruscos and the Lata streams, just as the Ousse is joined by the Merdé stream. The Lau Creek that feeds the Canal du Moulin, meanwhile is also present in the municipality.
Climate
Pau features wet mild winters, with warm, mild summers that are drier. Its geographical location, not far from the Pyrenees, gives the city a contrasting, warm
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
. Temperatures colder than are rare and those below are exceptional. Temperatures reached lows of in February 1956 and in January 1985. Snow falls about 3 days per year ( in 1987), from November to March.
In summer, the maximum temperatures are of the order of , and temperatures above are reached very rarely. During some days of winter, the
foehn, a warm wind, can raise the temperature over . As soon as the wind stops, snow can fall.
Rainfall
Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...
is high, of the order of per year (compared to in Paris, in Bordeaux, and in Toulouse). Sunshine averages around 1850 hours per year, or a little less than its neighbour of the Hautes-Pyrénées,
Tarbes
Tarbes (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of southwestern France. It is ...
, which averages 1940 hours of sunshine per year.
Fog is infrequent and does not persist much beyond noon. The lack of wind especially characterizes the climate of the Pau region. Strong winds are very rare, in general, winds are very low or zero.
This climate has helped Pau to become, at the end of the 19th century, a winter resort spot popular with the English, Russian and Brazilian bourgeoisie. In 1842 a British doctor, Alexander Taylor, attributed healing 'sedative' virtues to the Pau climate.
This mild and rather wet climate, is also an enhancement to the gardens, parks and public spaces of the city, and for plants from more exotic regions such as Chinese windmill palm (
Trachycarpus fortunei), originating in the Chinese mountains, but also for giant sequoias (
Sequoiadendron giganteum
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...
) and laurel magnolia (
Magnolia grandiflora
''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is a ...
) of American origin.
History
Toponymy

The origin of the name is uncertain. One tradition suggests it is a derivation of ''pal'' (fr. ''pieu''), from the palisade around the original château. Another is that the name refers to a
ford across the river administered by the church, the pious. According to Michel Grosclaude and other onomasticians, more recent research suggests the pre-Indo-European root for a rockface was ''*pal'' or ''*bal'', and that the name refers to Pau's position at the foot of the mountains. The palisade or pal, from the Latin ''palum'', also has the same ancient basis but it is not under this meaning that formed the name of Pau, this can be compared to the Col de Pau in the Aspe Valley (,
Lescun) which has nothing to do with the city. Its name in the
Béarnese dialect
Béarnese (Endonym and exonym, endonym or ; ) is the variety of Gascon dialect, Gascon spoken in Béarn.
The usage of a specific name for Béarnese lies in the history of Béarn, Viscounty of Béarn, a viscounty that became a sovereign principa ...
is ''Pau''.
The name of the town was recorded in the 12th century. The inhabitants of the city are known as ''paulins'' in Occitan, and ''palois'' in French. Their motto is ''Urbis palladium et gentis''.
Origins
Before the 10th century, there are no traces to date of occupation of the site on which the city is now built. The city was built on a site with very special qualities. The
Gave de Pau, which descends from the Pyrenees, was a river which was fairly difficult to cross, and for a distance of approximately , only three fords existed: from Nay to the east, from Orthez to the west and that of Pau, strategically located between the two. The northern extremity of a plateau, formed to a point, overlooks this ford of almost . In summary, it is an ideal natural location to control the passage and the arrivals from the Pyrenees, and a small monitoring station was built around the year 1000, a fort surrounded by a simple palisade.
The site was fortified in the 11th century to control the ford across the Gave de Pau. It was built on the north bank, equidistant from
Lescar, seat of the bishops, and from
Morlaàs.
Until the 12th century, this fort was consolidated and some houses were combined there, together, in a small hamlet. The lords of Béarn then granted the status of
viguerie (a small administrative district in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
) to this new village which continued to expand gently. In
Bearnese, the palisade was called Paü. Historians agree to this being the origin of the name of the city.
In the 13th century, new recognition of the importance and the expansion of Pau, which had become the town of Castelnau, with a
bailli
A bailiff (, ) was the king's administrative representative during the ''ancien régime'' in northern France, where the bailiff was responsible for the application of justice and control of the administration and local finances in his bailiwick ...
appointed by the
viscounts of Béarn
The viscounts of Béarn (Basque: ''Bearno'', Gascon: ''Bearn'' or ''Biarn'') were the rulers of the viscounty of Béarn, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinc ...
.
Gaston Fébus (descendant of the counts of Foix and one of the first iconic figures of Béarn), who was very attached to the independence of his small country. He began his major work to reinforce the strongholds of Béarn, including the Château of Pau where he finally settled.
Pau was made the capital of
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
in 1464, instead of Orthez. During the early 16th century, the Château de Pau became the residence of the
Kings of Navarre, who were also viscounts of Béarn.
Pau is the only city in Europe in which two founders of royal dynasties were born:
Henry IV of France
Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...
of the
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...
, born in 1553, and
Charles XIV John of Sweden of the
House of Bernadotte
The House of Bernadotte is the monarchy of Sweden, royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John of Sweden. It was also the monarchy of Norway, royal family of Norway between 1818 and 1905. Its founder was born in Pau, Py ...
, born in 1763.
History
Middle Ages
Pau was a castelnau founded at an unknown date, in the second half of the 11th or the very beginning of the 12th century, to control a fording of the Gave de Pau which was used for the passage of the shepherds in
transhumance
Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or Nomad, nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and low ...
between the mountains of Ossau and pasture of the plain of the Pont-Long. A castle was built, overlooking the north bank, at equal distance from
Lescar, seat of the bishops, and from
Morlaàs, capital of the Viscounts of Béarn.
In 1188,
Gaston VI assembled his ' there, predecessor of the ''conseil souverain'' and roughly equivalent to the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
.
Gaston VII added a third tower in the 13th century. Gaston Fébus (Gaston III of Foix and Gaston X of Béarn) added a brick
donjon (keep), known as ''la tour Billère''
he Tower of Billère
16th–18th century
In 1464,
Gaston IV of Foix-Béarn, after he married the Infanta
Eleanor of Aragon, transferred his Court of Orthez to Pau. Pau thus became the fourth historic capital of
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
, after
Lescar,
Morlaàs and
Orthez
Orthez (; ; , ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, and region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
It lies 40 km NW of Pau on the Southern railway to Bayonne. The town also encompasses the small village of Sai ...
. The city had a municipal charter; fairs took place, like the Béarn states. He transformed the curtain walls of his castle home.
In 1512, it became the capital of the
Kings of Navarre, who were refugees north of the Pyrenees, after the capture of
Pamplona
Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain.
Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
by the Spaniards. In 1520, it had a sovereign council and a chamber of accounts.
In 1527,
Henri d'Albret, King of Navarre and sovereign viscountcy of Béarn, married
Marguerite of Angoulême, sister of
Francis I of France
Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...
: She transformed the château in the
Renaissance style
Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
and created its gardens.
In 1553, his daughter,
Jeanne d'Albret
Jeanne d'Albret (, Basque language, Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572.
Jeanne was the daughter of He ...
, gave birth to
Henry III of Navarre by singing a song of Béarn to the Virgin Mary, so that the future Henry IV was "neither fearful nor balked." She had crossed into France to ensure her son would be born there. The baby's lips were moistened with the local
Jurançon wine and rubbed with garlic shortly after birth. When Henry IV left Pau to become King of France, he remarked to local notables that he was not giving Béarn to France, but giving France to Béarn.

The troops of
Charles IX took the city, but d'Albret took over in 1569.
Catherine of Bourbon, sister of Henri IV, governed
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
in his place.
In 1619, Pau revolted.
Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
occupied it and, after receiving the submission of the fortified town of
Navarrenx
Navarrenx (; ; , ) is a town and commune in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
The demonym is Navarre. Since 2014, the town has been in the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.
It is ...
, pronounced the attachment of Béarn and Navarre to France by the edict of 20 October 1620. It thus transformed the sovereign Council of Béarn in the Parliament of Navarre, joining the future courses of Pau and
Saint-Palais.
Pau had a new enclosure in 1649, and then a university in 1722.
King
Charles XIV of Sweden, the first royal
Bernadotte, was born in Pau in the 18th century.
On 14 October 1790, it was declared, after Navarrenx, the new capital of the Department of Basses-Pyrénées. This status was removed on 11 October 1795 in favor of
Oloron, then made permanent on 5 March 1796.
19th century
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
expressed his interest and helped to save the château, which became a prison for a time. In 1838,
Louis-Philippe
Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...
did boldly restore it, to highlight the
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
and Renaissance character.
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
added a double tower framing a false entry, to the West. He also added streets of
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...
architecture, before the fashion transferred to
Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...
.
After the
July Monarchy
The July Monarchy (), officially the ''Kingdom of France'' (), was a liberalism, liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 9 August 1830, after the revolutionary victory of the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 26 Februar ...
, Pau became, between 1830 and 1914, had the most famous climate and sports resort in Western Europe. In 1842, the Scottish physician
Alexander Taylor (1802–1879) advocated Pau for a winter cure. The success of his work was important and Pau became a holiday resort for the British. In 1876, there were 28,908 inhabitants of Pau. The English settled there and took advantage of the first golf on the continent, of
fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, normally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hounds" ...
(Pau fox hunt), and held races at the Pont-Long Racecourse. From the 1870s the ''Boulevard du Midi'' was gradually extended to the east and west to form the current ''
Boulevard des Pyrénées'', the lavish Winter Palace – with a palmarium; and internationally renowned hotels, the Gassion and the France, which offered a majestic and luxurious setting for concerts and receptions to take place.

From 1894, Pau was served by a network of horse tramways. A few years later,
electric traction was commissioned by the Béarnaise Society of Urban Streetcars. The network consisted of three lines, with a length of . It disappeared in 1931. The town of Pau was also served by the Pau-Oloron-Mauléon railway (POM), whose main station was found at the ''Place de la République''. Three lines served
Monein,
Pontacq and
Lembeye.
Steam traction was used on the network, which disappeared in December 1931.
While the upper town thrived because of the coming of the rich European tourists, the lower city specialised in industry. Many small structures gradually developed at the foot of the château, the production focused on textiles and the food industry. Many of them marked this industrial fabric, such as Courriades dyes, the Heïd
flour mill and the tram factory.
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (Birth name, née Todd; December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) was First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.
Mary Todd was born into a large and wealthy ...
, the widow of the American president, also lived in Pau for several years in the late 1870s.
20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century, Pau was still a resort town where European nobility spent the winter. Good English, American, Russian, Spanish or Prussian society met in the Béarnaise city. Many public amenities were from this period, including the
Pau Funicular to connect the station to the upper town. Next to these public amenities, wealthy foreign visitors were building villas to improve the conditions of their stay. First built in the centre of town, these residences spread out more and more to enjoy the great outdoors and views of the Pyrenees. Between 1850 and 1910, many residences were thus built and still evoke the splendour of this period, today. This golden period of climate tourism in Pau stopped abruptly at the outbreak of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
File:Pau1900-2.jpg, Pau at the dawn of 20th century
File:LL 128 - PAU - La Montée de la Gare.jpg, A tramcar of the Tramway de Pau on the ''Montée de la Gare'', at the start of the 20th century
File:DT s%C3%A9rie 2 n%C2%B023 - PAU - Rue Nouvelle Halle.jpg, Rue de la Halle-Neuve, in 1904
File:CC 88 - PAU - Le Pont de Juricon et le Chateau.jpg, A general view, around 1910
The first balloon flights took place in Pau in 1844 and the first flights by
plane, from 1909, the year in which the
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...
transferred to Pau (on the moor of Pont-Long, in commune of Lescar). They had originally initiated a first aviation school at
Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
(Sarthe Department), formed of three student pilots, who they were committed to train in France. Pau alone hosted seven global aircraft manufacturers until 1914 and became the world capital of aviation. The military aviation school, which trained the
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
s of
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, then the fighter school of France, settled there. French aviators Thénault, Simon,
Paul Codos,
Georges Bellenger Bellenger,
Garros,
Nungesser,
Guynemer, and the
Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
ais aviators Artigau and Mace, among many others, and finally the American aviators
Lufbery, Thaw, Chapman, Prince and the McConnell brothers, were among those who flew there.
Pau hosted the
18th régiment d'infanterie
18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. It is an even composite number.
Mathematics
18 is a semiperfect number and an abundant number. It is a largely composite number, as it has 6 divisors and no smaller number h ...
,
1st
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
and
18th Parachute Chasseur Regimen (parachute regiment) who were stationed in the town. All participated in the various conflicts of the 20th century. The 18th RCP was dissolved in 1961, due to having contributed to the
putsch of the generals of Algiers. It had previously participated in the
May 1958 crisis which had ended the
Fourth Republic. The 1st RCP remained in barracks in 1983 in
Idron camp when one of its elements was struck in Beirut by the
attack of the Drakkar building, which had 58 victims among its troops.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Continental Hotel collected many refugees, including Jews hounded by Vichy and the Nazis, even when the soldiers of the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
requisitioned two floors of the hotel.
From 1947, during the four mandates of Mayor
Louis Sallenave, the town of Pau experienced strong growth. In 1957, exploitation of the
Lacq gas field, discovered in 1951, gave new momentum to the region with the industrial development of Béarn and the Lacq area (
SNPA,
EDF,
Pechiney
Pechiney SA was a major aluminium conglomerate based in France. The company was acquired in 2003 by the Alcan Corporation, headquartered in Canada. In 2007, Alcan itself was taken over by mining giant Rio Tinto Alcan.
Prior to its acquisitio ...
and
Rhône-Poulenc being the most important employers), the population of the town doubled in 20 years. Major infrastructure projects were carried out, such as the construction of several schools representing more than 100 classes, creation of the Pau-Uzein airport in 1955 (now the
Pau Pyrénées Airport) to modernise the old Pau-Pont-Long airfield (in the commune of Lescar), creation of social housing (all of the ''Ousse des Bois'' in 1961, and Dufau Terrace from 1962), creation of the exhibition centre, the
University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour and construction of a second bridge over the River Gave in Jurançon. A vast town planning scheme allowed the extension of the commune to the north through the ''coulée verte''
reen corridor The configuration of the city shortly moved from the end of the 1960s. The fame and prestige of the city increased thanks to the conference of the Indochinese States from June to November 1950, visits of Heads of State such as president
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
in February 1959 and the first Secretary of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
,
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...
, travelling in Lacq in 1960.
André Labarrère, mayor from 1971 to 2006, worked towards a first step of the beautification of the city. Within its recent mandates, on the outskirts, the university was expanding and the Pau-Pyrénées was one of the first in France to develop a
fibre-optic
An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...
network, infrastructure offering a very high-speed internet access both to individuals and companies. New facilities were created, including sports, such as the
Zénith de Pau}, the
Palais des Sports, the
Jaï Alaï, and the
artificial whitewater arena. The city acquired an important centre of health. The racecourse and the airport (depending on CCI) were renovated. The centre of town also saw significant upheavals with the rehabilitation of the
Palais Beaumont and the construction of a new private commercial centre named ''Centre Bosquet''. Pau finally embarked on the pedestrianisation of its centre with the reconfiguration of its bus network, the renovation of the
Place Clemenceau, the central square of Pau, and the modernisation of the ''Palais des Pyrénées'', a shopping centre in the city centre, near to the ''Place Clemenceau''. New underground parking compensated for the removal of 400 parking spaces on the surface; also two underground car parks gained redesigned access. Finally, a media library was created in 2012 in the Les Halles quarter.
21st century
In 2008, at the end of a bitter political struggle, which included
François Bayrou
François René Jean Lucien Bayrou (; born 25 May 1951) is a French politician who has served as Prime Minister of France since December 2024. He has presided over the European Democratic Party (EDP) since 2004 and the Democratic Movement (France ...
,
Martine Lignières-Cassou became mayor of Pau. During this term, she included the rebuilding of the water stadium and making the ''Rue Joffre'' pedestrian. She also allowed the realisation of the City of the Pyrénées which brought different associations related to Pyreneeism into one place.
In 2014, François Bayrou became mayor, after standing against
David Habib in the election. Bayrou was clearly ahead in the second round of voting.
Bayrou was named
Prime Minister of France
The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers.
The prime ...
in December 2024, but vowed to stay on as mayor.
Heraldry
Politics and administration
Fourth city in
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...
(after Bordeaux, Limoges and Poitiers), Pau is the prefecture of
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
and the chief town of four cantons:
*
Canton of Pau-1, formed from part of Pau
*
Canton of Pau-2, formed from part of Pau and the commune of
Idron
*
Canton of Pau-3, formed from part of Pau and the communes of
Bizanos and
Mazères-Lezons
*
Canton of Pau-4, formed from part of Pau and the commune of
Gelos
Municipal administration
Below is the sharing of seats on the Pau City Council:
Political trends and results
List of mayors
André Labarrère died of cancer on 16 May 2006. He was succeeded by Yves Urieta, elected by the municipal council on 30 May 2006. In the meantime, the interim was ensured by Martine Lignières-Cassou, first assistant and deputy of the First Constituency of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
Intercommunality
The town of Pau is part of five intercommunal structures:
*The
Communauté d'agglomération Pau Béarn Pyrénées
The communauté d'agglomération Pau Béarn Pyrénées is a ''communauté d'agglomération'' in the ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine ''région'' of France. It provides a framework within which local tasks com ...
*The Union of the Ousse basin water development
*The Trade Union of Energy of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
*The Intercommunal Association of the recreation centres of Narcastet
*The Intercommunal Association of Defence against flooding of the Gave de Pau
Pau hosts the headquarters of ten intercommunal groups:
*Public local management agency
*The Communauté d'agglomération Pau Béarn Pyrénées
*The Trade Union of energy of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
*The Intercommunity Association of defence against flooding of the Gave de Pau
*The Aeropolis Joint Union
*The Joint Union of Studies of the Pau-Oloron road link
*The Joint Union of Pau Urban Transport – doors of the Pyrenees
*The Joint Union of the basin of the Gave de Pau
*The Joint Union of Greater Pau
*The Joint Union for the treatment of household and similar waste of the east basin
International relations
Pau is
twinned with:
*
Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
, Spain, since 1970
*
Mobile, United States, since 1975
*
Pistoia
Pistoia (; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about north-west of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typic ...
, Italy, since 1975
*
Kōfu
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Overview Toponymy
Kōfu ...
, Japan, since 1977
*
Setúbal
Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...
, Portugal, since 1981
*
Swansea
Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...
, Wales, since 1982
*
Göttingen
Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...
, Germany, since 1983
*
Daloa, Ivory Coast, since 1984
*
Xi'an
Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...
, China, since 1986
Population and society
Demographics
Pau and the agglomeration population
The communal population of Pau amounts to 75,665 inhabitants, as of 2020 (legal populations of 1 January 2023).
[ The ]Communauté d'agglomération
An agglomeration community (, ) is a consortium of communes in France, communes (municipality, municipalities) in France, created as a government structure by the Jean-Pierre Chevènement, Chevènement Law of 1999. It is one of four forms of co ...
of Pau Béarn Pyrénées has 162,618 inhabitants, and the urban unit
In France, an urban unit () is a statistical area defined by INSEE, the French national statistics office, for the measurement of contiguously built-up areas. According to the INSEE definition , an "unité urbaine" is a commune alone or a grou ...
of Pau had 201,784 inhabitants in 2020. Pau is the most populous city of the Department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
, and the fourth of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...
region after Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, Limoges
Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...
and Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
.
The towns of Billère, Lons and Lescar are the first three communes in the agglomeration after Pau (they have approximately 35,000 inhabitants combined).
Demographic evolution
Education
Kindergartens and primary schools
* Public school groups
Legend: K: Kindergarten / P: Primary school
Secondary
Legend: S: Secondary College / T: Technical college
Legend: G: General education high school / V: Vocational high school
Higher education
University
The city of Pau has a long academic tradition, as a university was established in Pau in 1722. Pau now has the second largest student population in Aquitaine. The city has 17,000 students and 3,900 researchers. It has a multidisciplinary university (law, economics, sciences, social sciences and humanities), an , an , several engineering schools, business schools and art schools.
The University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (UPPA) had 11,200 students, in May 2012, spread across five sites: Pau, Anglet
Anglet (; , )[ANGELU]
Auñamendi Encyclopedia, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia is a Communes of Fra ...
, Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan (; Gascon dialect, Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a communes of France, commune and capital of the Landes (department), Landes Departments of France, department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Population
Milit ...
( Landes) and Tarbes
Tarbes (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of southwestern France. It is ...
(Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...
). Its location exceeds the strict framework of the Academy of Bordeaux and overlaps somewhat with that of the Academy of Toulouse. The University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour had 25 laboratories and 650 researchers in 2007.
The university group and Pyrénées Oceanes Research Campus unites the Groupe ESC Pau, five schools of engineers ( ENIT Tarbes, ENSGTI, CY Tech, ESTIA Bidart-Bayonne, ISA BTP), the (IAE) and the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (UPPA), with 15,000 students. The Pyrénées Oceanes Campus takes a European dimension and will soon join the University of Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...
, the University of Pamplona
Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain.
Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
and several Spanish business and engineering schools. Philippe Lafontaine, Director of the ESC Pau is the University President.
Colleges and other institutions
* École nationale supérieure en génie des technologies industrielles (ENSGTI): School of Engineering University of Pau, it is located north of campus and offers training in engineering processes and in chemical engineering, research masters and doctorates.
* CY Tech, formerly EISTI : School of engineering in computer science, the CY Tech grew around the PBC (Pau Broadband Country).
* École nationale supérieure of oil and engines (ENSPM- IFP) office of Pau.
* École des mines d'Alès (EMA, laboratory).
* Groupe ESC Pau: School of Management created in 1962, the Groupe ESC Pau has 1,400 students and 4,700 former students. In addition to Pau, it is present in Paris, in India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
(Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, MATS School campus) and has offices in Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
(Recife
Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...
), and in the United States in Washington. Group ESC Pau is part of the and shapes future executives and business leaders. The diploma of the ESC Pau is of master grade (BAC+5) and recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research
The Minister of Higher Education and Research (formerly Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation or ) is a French government ministers, cabinet position in the Cabinet of France, French Government overseeing university-level educatio ...
. Group ESC Pau is AFAQ ISO 9001
The ISO 9000 family is a set of international standards for quality management systems. It was developed in March 1987 by International Organization for Standardization. The goal of these standards is to help organizations ensure that they meet ...
certified and accredited EPAS (international accreditation of the EFMD) since 2006.
* École supérieure d'art des Pyrénées (ESA of the Pyrénées): School of art and graphic design, the ESA of the Pyrénées is located at 25 Rue René Cassin.
*National School of music and dance (DMNT): DMNT de Pau is located in the former convent of the Servicers and has (1,200 students.
* School of Airborne Troops (ETAP): reference school of the Army, it trains all French paratroopers.
*Centre national professionnel des commerces de sport (NCPC): A training centre specialising in sport trade occupations. The centre depends on the ICC Pau Béarn.
* (IAE): Member of the network of the IAEs, the IAE de Pau offers professional and research masters and doctorates.
*Institut de formation supérieure à l'action commerciale (IFSAC). Institute of higher education in the commercial action.
*Institut de promotion commerciale (IPC). Institute of sales promotion.
*Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
The (; ; abbr. CNAM) is an AMBA-accredited French ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement''. It is a member of the '' Conférence des Grandes écoles'', which is an equivalent to the Ivy League schools in the United States, Oxbridge in th ...
(CNAM).
*School of engineering of CFAI Adour (centre of training for apprentices of industry in Adour)
*Centre for training and development for extended communications.
* (EXIA).
*Centre for industrial studies (CESI).
*Institute of nursing training (IFSI).
*Pierre Bourdieu Institute of social work Pau – Pyrénées (ITS): ITS de Pau was renamed in 2006 as ITS Pierre Bourdieu, in homage to the Pau sociologist and offers training in medical fields.
* of Aquitaine (attached to the University Bordeaux IV).
*Institut National Formation Recherche Éducation Permanente (INFREP).
*Various economic, literary and scientific preparatory classes for Louis Barthou
Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the French Third Republic, Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the ...
and Saint-Cricq high schools.
*: departments GTE and STID.
Research centres
The university has 34 teams of research including 11 teams associated with the CNRS
The French National Centre for Scientific Research (, , CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe.
In 2016, it employed 31,637 staff, including 11,137 tenured researchers, 13,415 eng ...
and INRA team. Some groups of public or private research teams:
* The Institute for Research on Companies and Development (IRSAM)
* The IRMAPE, the Centre for Research in Management and on the organisation of the Groupe ESC Pau
* The Institute of Environmental Biology Aquitaine South (IBEAS)
* Psychosensory Properties of Materials (2psm) founded by the École des mines of Alès and the University of Pau.
* The Environment and Materials Multidisciplinary Research Institute (IPREM), comprising four teams of CNRS. The new building was inaugurated in 2006 on the Heliparc technopole.
* The ''Ecole des Mines de Paris'', which has a drilling test centre within the Helioparc technopole (heir to the drilling bench designed by the NFSS then ELF Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total ...
teams in 1970–1997), for the design and optimization of cutting tools
* The Multidisciplinary Institute for Applied Research in the field of petroleum engineering (IPRA)
* The French Petroleum Institute ( IFP) office of partnership with PME-PMI
* The Jean-Feger Scientific and Technical Centre, centre for research and development of TotalEnergies (formerly ELF Aquitaine (exploration and production sector), main place of oil research in Europe, bringing together more than 2,000 people including 800 researchers.)
Centre of Research and Legal Analysis
(C.R.A.J. – EA 1929), federative structure which is made up of most of the faculty members of private law of the UPPA around several research units: Jurisprudence Observatory (O.D.J.), the Centre of Comparative Law on Family and People (O.F.A.P), Research Unit in Obligational Law and Affairs (Brussels) and the Research Unit of Criminal Law and Criminal Sciences (Jean Pinatel Criminal Sciences Unit / U.J.P.).
The centre is the home of master students of private law, and doctoral students in private law in partnership with the graduate school SSH 481.
* Training Institute in Music Pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
: IFPM
* Centre for Research in Pedagogy. Training of music teachers and teaching of the applied to all matters. The Kaddouch pedagogy is in collaboration with the Sorbonne, Paris 5, research unit of the GINDEV headed by Professor Olivier Houdé.
Health
Hospitals
*The de Pau is composed of three home centres arranged as follows:
**The François Mitterrand Hospital
**The Hauterive Centre, including the functional rehabilitation service, care and medical rehabilitation unit and the nuclear medicine service, among others
**The Jean-Vignalou Centre, intended for Gerontology
*A specialised facility, Centre Hospitalier des Pyrénées, situated on ''Avenue du Général-Leclerc'', is a public establishment of mental health.
Paramedical training institutes
*The Institute of training of health (IFCS) provides the training of healthcare managers, nursing sector
* (IFSI) and the Institute for training of the caregivers (IFAS)
*The centre for continuing education of health professionals (CFCPS)
Private clinics and centres
The Centre Hospitalier de Pau has contributed to the establishment of an important centre of health by enabling the consolidation of different private institutions close to the hospital area:
*The ''Jeunes Chênes'' oung Oaks establishment of care and rehabilitation (access from the ''Boulevard de l'Europe'')
*The Polyclinic of Navarre, ''Boulevard Hauterive''
*The Princess Clinic, ''Boulevard Hauterive''
*The Béarnais Nest, ''Boulevard Hauterive''
It also hosts the site of the French Establishment of Blood (145, ''Avenue de Buros'').
The Marzet Polyclinic, situated on ''Boulevard Alsace-Lorraine'', was bought by the Polyclinic of Navarre in 2013. The new arrangement has 400 beds and employs nearly 700 people.
Gastronomy
Pau, became the historic capital of Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
in 1464, offering the gastronomic specialities of the southwest and typical Béarnese or Palois dishes:
*Garbure
''Garbure'' (; ) is a thick French stew traditionally based on cabbage and Confit#Meat confit, confit d'oie,ROBUCHON, J., & MONTAGNÉ, P. (2001). Larousse gastronomique. New York, Clarkson Potter. though the modern version is usually made with ha ...
, a comforting soup made from cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...
, beans
A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...
, confit of goose, ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
or bacon
Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...
*The confit
Confit (, ) (from the French language, French word ''wikt:confire#French, confire'', literally "to preserve") is any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period as a method of food preservation, preservation.
Confit, as a cooking term, ...
, breast
The breasts are two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso among humans and other primates. Both sexes develop breasts from the same embryology, embryological tissues. The relative size and development of the breasts is ...
and other dishes derived from duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
or goose
*The ''ventrèche'', slice of dried pork belly, eaten plain or accompanied by a fried egg
*The ''broye'', thick and salty boiled maize flour, with added whey
Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard c ...
or goose fat, consumed as fried slices from the pan, or cubes with coffee with milk
*The ''trinxat'', a local mountain dish consisting of mashed cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...
and potatoes mixed in smoked bacon
Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...
, which is fried
*The ''palombe'', regional name for wood pigeon, a migratory bird that crosses the southwest region, cooked in a sauce or roasted
*The , a sort of stew in which a stuffed chicken is boiled
*Ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
known as "de Bayonne" is in fact a Béarnese ham, made from the pigs of the Aspe and Ossau Valleys. This ham was historically salted at Salies-de-Béarn then exported via the Adour
The Adour (; ; ) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High- Bigorre ( Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean ( Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. is known as the ' ...
River from the port of Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, from where the incorrect name of ''jambon de Bayonne'' ayonne hamarose. Today, the bulk of Bayonne ham is made in Bearn. Pork, and in particular the black pig, was introduced in the Basque country in the 1960s to deal with a serious agricultural crisis
*The , the mountain sheep's milk, whom the best known is the Ossau-Iraty ( AOC). This cheese can be enjoyed especially with cherry jam, which is the renowned black cherry jam from Itxassou
*The ''greuil(h)'', annealed whey from sheep, eaten cold and plain, often sweet and elongated with a bit of coffee or salted (the ricotta equivalent)
*The ''Coucougnettes du Vert Galant'', hazelnut coated with a thin layer of chocolate all in almond paste
Almond paste is made from ground almonds or almond meal and sugar in equal quantities, with small amounts of cooking oil, eggs, heavy cream or corn syrup added as a binder. It is similar to marzipan, with a coarser texture. Almond paste is used a ...
, elected best sweet
Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketones, ...
in France in 2000
*The ''gâteau à la broche'' (or Gâteau of the Pyrenees, or Rock of the Pyrenees), monumental pyramidal cake, usually cooked for weddings. It is slowly built by accumulation of layers of a dough rich in eggs, registered on a spindle turning over a fire, so that the bright yellow crust is bristling with many points or nipples
*'' Merveilles'', crispy fritters traditionally made for Mardi Gras, from a thick paste of wheat flour, eggs, sugar and fat, stretched to a roll, cut and then fried
*Honey
Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...
from the hillsides of Jurançon and Saint-Faust. Béarn is one of the premier honey regions. It is used in sauces, desserts and joined with duck produce (duck breast with honey)
* Jurançon, a dry white wine, renowned as mellow
* Madiran wine
*The Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
wine, a light red wine whose vineyards are located to the west of Béarn
* wine, a sweet white wine produced high on the borders of Gers
Gers (; or , ) is a departments of France, department in the regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southwestern France. Gers is bordered by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques to ...
and Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...
Restaurants and bars
Pau has more than 160 restaurants, found in the historic city center (Château, Hédas), and beyond. The Béarnaise capital has several quarters which are particularly animated at night, including the quarters of the triangle, the ''Boulevard des Pyrénées'' and also ''Rue des Orphelines''.
Culture
The town of Pau is marked by a strong cultural identity, with the presence of a French-Occitan bilingual school ( calandreta ''Paulina'') (90 students) in Pau and one in the metropolitan area in Lescar (60 students), by a living practice of Béarnese and the success of the Occitan cultural groups. The city has, however, received foreign influences of major importance (English, Spanish, Russian, Brazilian) and remains very open to the outside with a large English student community, along with the presence of Dutch, Portuguese, Spaniards and Moroccans. Near Dax
The DAX (''Deutscher Aktienindex'' (German stock index); ) is a stock market index consisting of the 40 major German blue chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is a total return index. Prices are taken from the Xetra t ...
, Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
and Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...
, the Pau people have a love of city ferias
In the Catholic liturgy, liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday.
In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''.
If the Calendar of saints, feast da ...
. The bandas, bodegas (drinking places with typical animation) and Béarnese singing groups are numerous including ''Nadau'', ''Lo Cèu de Pau'' and ''Balaguera''. Since 2005, the city hosts the festival Hestiv'oc which is the grand festival of Occitania. The University of Pau, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, also often hosts concerts and cultural events.
The Association of the Palois and Béarnese in Paris, ''La Garbure'', was founded around 1890 by a Béarnese pharmacist who went to the capital to open a shop on Boulevard Haussmann. The history of this association, which has never had official status, is transmitted only orally. However, the original spirit remains the same. The "expatriates" meet two or three times a year in a friendly atmosphere to speak of the country around a good meal. Without issue, and without political dimension, although politicians like Louis Barthou
Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the French Third Republic, Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the ...
, François Bayrou
François René Jean Lucien Bayrou (; born 25 May 1951) is a French politician who has served as Prime Minister of France since December 2024. He has presided over the European Democratic Party (EDP) since 2004 and the Democratic Movement (France ...
and others have never neglected this "sounding board" which also brings together celebrities from entertainment, from information and from gastronomy.
Language
The Béarnese state language, before 1789, was a Gascon dialect of Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
. For the anecdote, there is an English-Béarnese dictionary for the use of the British who were vacationing in Pau. One theory of the origin of the word ''caddie'' was that it was formed at Pau Golf Club (Billère) from the Béarnese ''capdèth''.
The Ostau Bearnés is a Pau organization bringing together all who practice or teach the language.
Centres and cultural facilities
*The : Very modern with a capacity of 6,800 (or up to 4,500 seats), it hosts national and international artists in operas, concerts, cabarets, shows and circus on ice. It is located near the Palais des Sports, on ''Boulevard Cami Salié''.
*The André Labarrère Intercommunal Library, on ''Place Marguerite Laborde'', is the work of architect Daniel Rubin, and opened its doors in June 2012. It was intended as the bridgehead of a network of ten libraries in the Pau-Pyrenees agglomeration. A sober architecture, block compact glass and steel and occupying less than , the ground space revolves around a huge interior with a -high atrium serving 3 floors: , 184,000 documents (including 14,000 CDs and 7,000 DVDs) and 400 titles of journals are thus made available to all. A 120-seat auditorium, an exhibition hall of , the news space or Interlude Space has also been built within the structure. Originally laid down on a section of Beaumont Park as part of a project by architect Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Mohammad Hadid ( ''Zahā Ḥadīd''; 31 October 1950 – 31 March 2016) was an Iraqi-born British architect, artist, and designer. She is recognised as a key figure in the architecture of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Born ...
(Priktzer 2004 Award winner), financial and technical constraints changed the views of the mayor in early 2007 and finally brought the media library to a part of the site occupied by the Henry-IV School.
*The , auditorium, home of the Symphony Orchestra of Pau-Pays de Béarn. The congress centre is part of the grouping of the HCCE (Historic Conference Centres of Europe).
*The : Located to the west of the city, straddling Pau and Billère, it welcomes 450,000 visitors and 200 events per year.
*The Méga CGR Cinema located next to the university is equipped with 12 digital and 3D screens. The multiplex offers a large and public programming.
*The CGR Saint-Louis Cinema in the city centre is equipped with 7 digital rooms. Renovated in October 2012, it offers intermediate programming between arthouse
An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
and trials and commercial movies, including several movies per week operated both in VF (French version) and OVFST (original version subtitled French).
*The ''Le Méliès'' Cinema: Housed in a former church, this arthouse and trial cinema offers a rich and diverse programming with three labels; "young audiences", "research and discovery" and "heritage and directory". It has two rooms (306 and 100 seats). The cinema offers thematic evenings and events in partnership with various cultural actors (''Cin'es'pace'', a summer at the movies, etc.) and organises a festival every year (the International Festival of Film of Pau).
*''Les Abattoirs'' he Slaughterhouses Is an intercommunal cultural hub (PCI) at Billère: The old slaughterhouse was renovated into cultural centre of modern art, ''Le Bel Ordinaire'', the centre houses a concert hall, ''l'Ampli'', exhibition halls, a theatre stage and recording studios. Public cultural facilities, the PCI puts support for contemporary art and the territorial cultural cooperation at the heart of its missions. One of the specifics of the project is to enable cultural structures, associations, artists and inhabitants to join the project, so that they can be involved in its development and its implementation.
*The Centrifuge: The Centrifuge is the cultural service of the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour but also a room for concerts, performances and an exhibition space located in the student home on the campus. Throughout the year, eclectic and quality international programming is offered.
*The ''La Pépinière'' urserySocio-cultural centre.
Museums
*National Museum of the Château de Pau: created in 1929 and housed in the castle in which was born the future Henry IV on 13 December 1553. Not only a genuine medieval fortress, but also a Renaissance palace and Royal residence, this museum located in the center of the city is one of the most visited national museums of France (average of 100,000 visitors per year). Successive conservators are keen to bring together paintings, art objects and documents relating to the time of Henry IV. Inside, simple and warm decor with wood-panelled walls, enhanced with threads of gold, coffered ceilings and Gobelins tapestries, houses one of the collections of France.
*: Inaugurated in 1864 under the initiative of ''Société béarnaise des amis des arts'' éarnaise society of friends of arts this museum only housed a collection of twenty-five pieces, completed in 1872 by the donation of the Béarnais collector Louis La Caze. It was the first museum in 1878 to show a significant work by Degas
Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French people, French Impressionism, Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings.
Degas also produced bronze sculptures, Print ...
, ''Le bureau du coton à la Nouvelle-Orléans'' he cotton office in New Orleans It presents ancient and contemporary works from the 15th to the 20th century, with paintings of Spanish, Flemish, Dutch, English, French and Italian schools: Brueghel, Degas, El Greco
Doménikos Theotokópoulos (, ; 1 October 1541 7 April 1614), most widely known as El Greco (; "The Greek"), was a Greek painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ...
, Guillaumin, Jordaens, Lhote, Morisot, Nattier, Ribera, Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...
, Van Loo, Zurbarán and regional artists Eugène Devéria
Eugène François Marie Joseph Devéria (22 April 1805, in Paris – 3 February 1865, in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau) was a French Romanticism, Romantic history painter, portraitist and muralist.
Biography
He was one of five children born ...
(1805–1865) and Victor Galos (1828–1879). There is a large collection of sculptures of the 19th century, with works by Arp, Glioli and Lasserre. Of many fine art prints relating to the region, including the watercolour
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the ...
by Gustave Doré
Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6January 1832 – 23January 1883) was a French printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravings illustrati ...
''Cirque de Gavarnie'', as well as contemporary works by Soto, Vasarely and the hyperrealistic Pau school artists, which complete the picture.
*: The modest home of a cooper that saw the birth and growth of Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, who became Marshal of France and King of Sweden in 1818 and founder of the current ruling family of that country. It contains a collection of works and objects relating to the history of this Béarnese person, it also has a realisation of classical living conditions of a family of the 18th century in Pau.
*The Béarnese Museum: Its reopening to the public is not currently scheduled. There were collections of popular arts and traditional objects of Béarn: Fauna
Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
, flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
, costume
Costume is the distinctive style of dress and/or makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture.
The term also was traditionally used to describe typica ...
s, furniture and crafts
A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...
(manufacture of the beret, sneakers and clogs, weaving, quarry).
*
*Museum of the resistance and the deportation, located since 2007 in the Villa Lawrance (Germanic-style villa created in 1857 and which is also the current headquarters of the ''English Circle'' which perpetuates the British tradition)
*Pau, land of aviation, at the Palais Beaumont, a permanent exhibition that traces the history of aviation in Pau.
Exhibition spaces
*The
*The
*The peristyle
In ancient Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture, a peristyle (; ) is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. ''Tetrastoön'' () is a rare ...
of the Hôtel de Ville
*The André-Labarrère media library
*The Nouste-Henric Hall
*The Chapel of the Perseverance
*The ''Cité des Pyrénées''
*The department hall
Theatres and orchestral formations
*The (OPPB), was conducted from 2002 by Fayçal Karoui. This symphonic orchestra sits in the Alfred de Vigny Auditorium of the Palais Beaumont, but also in France and abroad (Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
, Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
for La Folle Journée, Festival de La Roque-d'Anthéron, Ravenna
Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...
, Venice, Paris for the ). In 2012 the orchestra moved to Nantes, Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
, and Tokyo for "Les Folles Journées" of these three cities.
*Two amateur orchestras: The Ossau and the EOP (Orchestral Ensemble of Pau)
*The Théâtre Saint-Louis, historic theatre of Pau near the and the city hall
*The Saragosse Theatre, a subsidised dance-theatre Pau/Béarn with plural spaces in the Saragosse Quarter
*The Tam-Tam Theatre
*The Artscène Theatre
*The ''Théâtre du Monte-Charge''
*The Bourbaki Theatre (it closed its doors in 2014)
The ''Comédie des Mutins'' in Lescar, in the Pau agglomeration, can be added to this list.
Festivals
The city of Pau is home to many festivals throughout the year, including:
*Carnival Biarnés
*Festival Hestiv'Oc, a "festival of music and culture of the south" established in 2005
*Festival CulturAmerica
*Ciné Cité
*''L'Été à Pau'' he summer in Pau*Festival accès)s(, created in 2000 (electronic culture)
*Festival Amplitudes
*Festival Beta Project
*''Festival Bulles d'Afrique''
*''Festival de danses plurielles''
*Festival of the Caribbean
*Festival of Portuguese-language Cinema
*Gay and lesbian film festival
*Board Game Festival of Pau
*Images Mountain Festival
*Festival HIP HOP NON STOP (organised by the Gare-urbaine association)
*Festival ''Regarder sur les Côtés'' ook on the Sides*''Festival Le Brésil frappe à ta porte''
*Festival Mosaïka
*''Festival Pau ville Russe''
*Urban Session Festival
*
*International festival of Film of Pau (1st edition in November 2010)
*''Rencontres Internationales de Danse-Rezodanse''
*Tremplin Salsa Festival: International competition of Salsa
Media
Print
The region is covered by three local newspapers dependent on :
*'' Sud Ouest'', Béarn and Soule edition
*, (the number one daily of the Béarn)
*''L'Éclair des Pyrénées''
Television
* France 3 Aquitaine and its regional variation as ''France 3 Pau Sud-Aquitaine''
Radio
* France Bleu Béarn, which provides a national joint programme that reflects local programs of the stations in the regions
*NRJ
Nouvelle Radio Jeune, (Acronym: NRJ, , ) is a private France, French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981 in France, 1981. Widely popularized by its "godmother", singer Dalida, who prevented it from closi ...
Pyrenees, national music radio with a time slot reserved for local programming (4pm to 8 pm) as well as flashes of morning information
*Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio is a branding of radio stations broadcast in Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. As of April 2024, there were over 40 stations globally.
The stations ...
Pyrenees, national music radio with a time slot reserved for local programming (4pm to 8 pm) as well as flashes of morning information
* RFM Béarn, national music radio with a time slot reserved for local programming (1pm to 5 pm) as well as flashes of morning information
*''Atomic'', pop, rock and dance music programming (from September)
*, general music programming and local information
*''Radio Inside'', pop, rock and dance music programming.
*''RPO'' (Radio Pau Ousse)
*, community radio station dedicated to the Occitan culture
*''IMETS'' (Euro Info Pyrénées Métropole), community radio station dedicated to jazz music
Sport
Pau has many sports facilities and several high level sport clubs.
Clubs
*Basketball: The professional club Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez accounts for nine titles as Champion of France (1986, 1987, 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004), six Cups of France (1991, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2003, 2007), three Tournament of "A"s (1991, 1992, 1993), a week of "A"s (1993) and a title of winner of the Korać Cup Korać is a surname. Notable persons with that name include:
* Dušan Korać (disambiguation), multiple people
* Milorad Korać (born 1969), Serbian football player and manager
* Radivoj Korać (1938–1969), Serbian basketball player
* Vitomir ...
in 1984 (European Cup). In 2007, the club climbed into the European top 16. Its results at the end of the 2008–2009 season demoted it Pro B. After a reorganization of its capital, the club changed its name and became the Élan béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez (ÉBPLO). The following 2009–2010 season was totally successful with a first place in the regular season (meaning an immediate promotion to Pro-A) and a title of Champion of France of Pro-B won at Paris Bercy against CSP Limoges. Pau-Orthez play its home matches at the Palais des Sports de Pau and former players include Boris Diaw
Boris Babacar Diaw-Riffiod (born 16 April 1982), better known as Boris Diaw, is a French basketball executive and former player who is the president of Metropolitans 92 of LNB Pro A. Diaw began his playing career in Pro A and returned to that lea ...
, Mickaël Piétrus and Johan Petro.
*Rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
: the Section Paloise, club created in 1902 is one of the oldest French rugby clubs. Pau has won three titles of Champion of France (1928, 1946 and 1964), three Cups of France (1939, 1952, 1997) and a European Challenge Cup (2000). Recently, the club participated in two semi-finals of the French Championship (1996, 2000) and a semi-final of the Heineken Cup (1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
). The club appeared in the elite Top 16 which became the Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
, until 2006. It is now in Pro D2
The Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was introduced in 2000. It ...
, and reached the finals of accession for the Top 14 in 2012 and 2013. Two current French International players, Imanol Harinordoquy and Pau native Damien Traille, once played for the team.
*Canoe
A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles.
In British English, the term ' ...
-kayak
]
A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...
: The Palois university club Pyrénées-Eaux-Vives (CUPPEV) has four champions of very high level: Patrice Estanguet, bronze medalist at the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, Tony Estanguet, the younger brother of Patrice, triple Olympic champion in 2000, 2004 and 2012 and triple champion of the world (2006, 2009 and 2010), Fabien Lefèvre, double champion of the world (2002 and 2003) and twice medalist at the summer Olympics (2004 and 2008) and Julien Billaut champion of the world in 2006.
*Fencing: is one of the most prestigious clubs in France. Since its creation, in the , many Olympic and world champions are from the club. Since 1959, the Section ensures the continuity of this Olympic discipline with its assets, three global medals, several places of finalists in the World Cup and 26 titles of Champion of France. Fencers are taught the six disciplines of épée, foil and sabre for men and for women, under the leadership of the fencing masters Alain Coicaud, Laurent Vicenty and Michel Salesse. The Section is classified first in clubs of the Southwest in all three weapons and among the best French clubs. The 2005–2006 season was an exceptional year which had several Pau competitors, led by Julien Médard, Gavin Lallement and Romain Miramon, winning national and international individual and team titles.
*Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
: Pau Football Club played in the Championnat National
The Championnat National (), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, is the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of ...
from 1998 to 2008 before suffering relegation. After an 8-year stint in the Championnat National 2
The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a Association football, football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of French football league system be ...
(fourth division) Pau FC were promoted back into the French third division in 2016. It hosted many players having completed a successful professional career thereafter. André-Pierre Gignac, Tino Costa, Aurélien Chedjou, Julien Escudé, Édouard Cissé and Xavier Gravelaine have all worn the colours of Pau FC during their career.
* Athletics: CUP, Club Universitaire Palois (also called CUPau), founded on 29 August 1947.
*Handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...
: Club Pau- Nousty (National 1).
*American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
: The ''Sphinx de Pau'', club was created in 1998.
*Baseball and Softball: The Pumas de Pau were Champions of France in 2004 and finalist in 2006.
*Parkour
Parkour () is an athletic Training#Physical training, training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment ...
: Association "Shock of Street – Pau Parkour" created in 2010, affiliated with the Federation of Parkour.
*Pyrénéa Sports is a mountain club for mountaineering
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
, rock climbing
Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...
, hiking, mountain skiing and Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...
and was created in 1939. it organizes the Pyrénéa, the Pau triathlon at Gourette.
*Aerial sports:
**The Aéro-Club du Béarn, the oldest Aero-Club of France, was founded by Paul Tissandier in December 1908 to approve the flights that the Wright brothers were to perform in Pau. These transferred effectively to Pau from January 1909. The Wright flight school had initially opened at Le Mans in the summer of 1908.
**The Pau Pyrénées Air Club (CHP), founded in 2004, is a club dedicated to aerobatics, it is located in the Pau Pyrénées airport sheds.
* French Alpine Club: The section of Pau was created in 1886 for mountaineering
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
, hiking, ski mountaineering, canyoning
Canyoning (canyoneering in the United States, kloofing in South Africa) is a sport that involves traveling through canyons using a variety of techniques, such as walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling (rappelling), swimming, and raft ...
.
*Parachuting
Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes.
For hu ...
: The region of Pau, renowned for its low exposure to the wind, is a centre of parachuting and the focus of several clubs. Pau has hosted several World Championships and is the seat of the ETAP.
*Chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
: Being one of the oldest clubs of chess, the Exchequer Henri IV, established in 1925, is the largest club of Aquitaine. It is also one of the 45 clubs to receive, until 2013, the label of trainer of clubs.
Facilities
*The Stade du Hameau amlet Stadium a 13,966-seat stadium located to the east of the city, home to Section Paloise rugby and Pau PC. The stadium has two covered grandstands, a fitness room and a club house.
*The Palais des Sports de Pau: With 7,856 seats, it is the 2nd largest hall in France after Bercy. The Élan Béarnais home, it has also served in Davis Cup events, at the handball World Championships, the official 1999 European Basketball Championship and the gymnastics Championship of France.
*The Circuit de Pau-Ville, is a temporary motor racing circuit in the streets of the city and which hosts the Pau Grand Prix.
*The whitewater stadium of Pau-Pyrénées opened in 2008. It is a man-made basin fed by the Gave de Pau. It welcomes in particular elite division of the team of France of kayak
]
A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...
and the centre of hopefuls. It hosted a round of the World Cup in 2009 and 2012. It will host the Canoeing, canoe-kayak 2017 World Championships.
*The water stadium: This outdoor pool is housed two basins, which is "almost Olympic" (it lacked only a tiny centimetre to be approved), and a diving pool.
*The rugby stadium of the Croix du Prince, historic seat of Section Paloise, in which the youth teams play again today.
*The equestrian field of Sers and the : It is the second equestrian centre of France, behind Chantilly and before Maisons-Laffitte for steeplechase. It holds twenty-eight meetings of steeplechase and flat per year. The steeplechase course is one of the most formidable in Europe. The Sers training centre houses six hundred horses.
*The Basque pelota
Basque pelota (Basque: '' pilota'', Spanish: '' pelota vasca'', French: '' pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or fronto ...
Complex, inaugurated in 2006, is for Jai alai, a ''mur à gauche'', a trinquet and an open place fronton. It is the largest Basque pelota facility in Europe (2,600 seats). This facility is known to be underemployed. The Amateur World Championships of Basque pelota (Basque sport) should have taken place there in 2006 and were held in 2010. Since May 2007, the converted trinquet has reopened to its original sport, real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...
, on Sundays.
*Two golf courses are located near Pau: The Artiguelouve golf course and the Pau Golf Club, located in Billère. Created by Scots and laid out in 1856, it was the first of the European continent and one of the oldest in the world. It offers an 18-hole course and its Victorian-style clubhouse features a restaurant and a bar with a British atmosphere.
*The Plantier de Pau: For the game of , an ancestor of bowling, to practice with a ball and nine bowling pins of .
*The André-Lavie Stadium, stadium of Pau athletics and for the training of university sports teams. This site held the ''Interville'' competition between Pau and Saint Jean de Luz, on 13 August 2007.
*The SUAPS climbing wall: The highest climbing wall of Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrénées, it is a top place of training for Pyrénéan climbers.
For amateur joggers the Gave de Pau river bank footpath is a most valued itinerary, which starts near the castle and passes along Pau's golf course heading west. Another spot is Pont-Long wood north of the town.
Events
Since 1930, Pau has become a mainstay of the Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
cycling race, thanks both to its geographical location and to its marvelous infrastructure. Pau hosted its 63rd stage in 2010, and only one other city besides Paris has done better. The 2010 Tour visited Pau on three occasions: First as a passing town, second time as a finish, and the third time as a departure town on the way to the Col du Tourmalet
Col du Tourmalet (; elevation ) is one of the highest paved mountain passes in the French Pyrenees, in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées. Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is at the foot on the eastern side and the ski station La Mongie two-thirds ...
. Pau is behind Bordeaux as the town of the province to have had most stages in the history of the Tour. Pau will receive the Tour for the 75th time in 2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
.
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
Eventing (also known as three-day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where the same horse and rider combination compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...
that receive the highest rating of CCI**** from equestrianism
Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...
's world governing body, the FEI. It's also the only event of this level in France.
In 2008, between 11 and 23 August, Pau hosted the 83rd French Chess Championship. The men's event was won by Étienne Bacrot
Étienne Bacrot (; born 22 January 1983) is a French chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster, and as a child, a chess prodigy.
He competed at the World Chess Championship 2007, Candidates Matches in 2007 and won the Aeroflot Open in 2009. He pas ...
, on tie-break from Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, while the women's event resulted in a victory for Sophie Milliet. Thirty-six players took part. Pau was previously the Championship venue in 1943 and 1969.
Other events include:
*Stages of France's canoeing Championships.
*, whose departure takes place every year from the Palais Beaumont.
*The ''Féminine'' de Pau, walking race held twice per year from 2012.
*International meeting of capoeira.
*Dance international meetings organized by the Rezodanse association.
*Frequent events such as the Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
of tennis (four times), every November tennis ATP Challenger Tour, the World Championship of handball, the Championship of European nations of basketball, France's Gymnastics Championships, the Championships of France of parachute jumping.
Pau Grand Prix
Pau held the first race to be called a Grand Prix in 1901. After that the 1928 French Grand Prix was held in nearby Saint-Gaudens, Pau also wanted to arrange the race and in 1930 the French Grand Prix was held on a Le Mans
Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
-type track outside the city with Philippe Étancelin winning for Bugatti
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French automotive industry, manufacturer of high performance vehicle, high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German Empire, German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the ...
. Pau returned to the calendar in 1933 with a track in the town centre inspired by Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
.
The track, long, is winding and has remained largely unchanged. The first curve is the station hairpin. After that the road climbs on the Avenue Léon Say, alongside the stone viaduct that carries the Boulevard de Pyrenées, to Pont Oscar. A tunnel is followed by the narrow hairpin at the Louis Barthou high school that leads the track into the demanding Parc Beaumont section at the top of the town. After the Casino garden and another hairpin, the track winds back to the start along the Avenue Lacoste.
Pau traditionally opened the season but mid-February for the 1933 GP meant the race took place in a snowstorm
A winter storm (also known as snow storm) is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, Rain and snow mixed, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In Continental cl ...
with slush. After a one-year pause the race was back in 1935 with Tazio Nuvolari dominating in an Alfa Romeo P3 entered by Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...
. The 1936 race saw the only major victory for the Maserati
Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...
V8-R1, driven by Ètancelin. In 1937 the race was part of the French sports car series with Jean-Pierre Wimille
Jean-Pierre Wimille (; 26 February 1908 – 28 January 1949) was a French racing driver and a member of the French Resistance during World War II. He was a two-time victor of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning in 1937 and 1939. He is generally re ...
dominating, running three to four seconds a lap faster than the rest of the field. GP racing was back in 1938 and Pau became a test track for Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
before the Grandes Epreuves.
The 1938 race saw René Dreyfus' Delahaye
Delahaye was a family-owned automobile manufacturing company, founded by Émile Delahaye in 1894 in Tours, France. Manufacturing was moved to Paris following incorporation in 1898 with two marriage-related brothers-in-law, George Morane and Le ...
sensationally beating the Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...
team. In 1939 Mercedes wasn't to be taken by surprise, Hermann Lang leading the team to a double victory. After World War II Pau continued as a non-championship Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
race until 1963. Thereafter the race was run to Formula Two
Formula Two (F2) is a type of Open-wheel car, open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 FIA Formula Two Championship season, 2009 to 2012 FIA Formula Two C ...
rules until 1985, and thereafter by its replacement, Formula 3000
Formula 3000 (F3000) was a type of open wheel, single seater formula racing, occupying the tier immediately below Formula One and above Formula Three. It was so named because the cars were powered by 3.0 L engines.
Formula 3000 championship ...
. In 1999, the event again changed, with Formula Three
Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers.
History
Formula Three (adop ...
cars racing. Finally, in 2007, the race became a round of the World Touring Car Championship
The FIA World Touring Car Championship was an international touring car championship promoted by Eurosport Events and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). It has had several different incarnations, including a sing ...
.
The ''Grand Prix de Pau Historique'' is organized on the Circuit de Pau-Ville once a year, a week before or after the modern Grand Prix, this event brings together vehicles with animated racing of the past.
Economy
From the 1950s to the 1990s Pau depended on the production of natural gas and sulphur which were discovered nearby at Lacq
Lacq (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. On 1 January 2024, the former commune of Urdès was merged into Lacq.
It lies just northwest of the prefecture (department capital) Pau.
Economy
In mo ...
. In the 21st century, the mainstays of the Béarn area are the oil business, the aerospace industry through the helicopter turboshaft engines manufacturer Turbomeca, tourism and agriculture. Pau was the birthplace of Elf Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total ...
, which has now become a part of TotalEnergies. Halliburton has an office in Pau.
Pau is the second economic hub of Aquitaine, after Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. A university city, it has concentrated several industrial centres and centres of important research in the fields of petroleum engineering and geosciences, petrochemistry and chemistry, Food industry, food, Automotive industry, automotive, aeronautics and computer science.
Pau benefits from its central location in the region of the ''Pays de l'Adour'' and its location between two major areas of population: Bayonne/Anglet/Biarritz (160,000 inhabitants) and the area of Tarbes/Lourdes (110,000 inhabitants) and secondary, more diffuse, areas: South of Landes/Dax (90,000 inhabitants) and the areas of Auch (40,000 inhabitants), Orthez/Lacq (30,000 inhabitants) and Oloron (20,000 inhabitants).
The municipality is partially within the Ossau-Iraty AOC area.
*Tertiary functions: administrative (prefecture, general council, etc.), cultural (university), judicial ( Court of Appeal (France), Court of Appeal), commercial.
*CSTJF, Science Centre and technology Jean-Feger, of the oil group TotalEnergies (formerly Elf Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total ...
).
*The Research Centre.
*The Technopoles of Hélioparc, Pau Cité Multimédia and Pole E-Business southern Aquitaine (PEBA).
*Aeronautical and space industry.
*Electrical industry.
*Food and wine industries.
*Fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industry.
*Computer science, NTIC.
*''Pau Broadband Country'' ().
*Business travel, seminars, congresses.
Industry
Pau experienced an important economic boom based on the discovery of the giant deposit of natural gas in Lacq
Lacq (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. On 1 January 2024, the former commune of Urdès was merged into Lacq.
It lies just northwest of the prefecture (department capital) Pau.
Economy
In mo ...
. Discovered in the 1950s (by engineer Jean Féger), it was then the largest terrestrial deposit of gas in Europe and helped France to be self-sufficient in gas for almost thirty years. The ''Société Nationale des Pétroles d'Aquitaine'' (SNPA) was born at Lacq in 1941, after merger with ELF in 1976 it became part of the Elf Aquitaine
Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total ...
group, then Total S.A., Total during its integration into the Group TotalFinaElf (in Lacq, known now the SNEAP, Société Nationale Elf Aquitaine Production). Oil and focussed businesses (Total Exploration Production France, TotalEnergies, Total infrastructure Gaz France (TIGF), Schlumberger, Halliburton) and chemical (Arkema, Air Liquide) settled in Pau or the surrounding area (in Lacq at the Chemparc chemical park but also in Pardies and Artix).
The CSTJF, scientific centre of Total in Pau is one research centre for exploration and production of gas and oil in Europe, more than 2,000 people, including 900 doctors and engineers in the geosciences, resulting from the merger of ELF Aquitaine and Total. Research in the geosciences is also based on university partnerships/companies notably with the Federation of research applied to petroleum engineering (IPRA), consisting of teams of research CNRS/University of Pau and the Pays de l'Adour (UPPA) and Total (the IPRA represents 130 teachers, researchers and beneficiaries, an annual budget of 1.5 million euros and six scientific Masters). Research and engineering in the geosciences are also present through specialised companies (CGG, Paradigm Geophysical, TTI, VERITAS, etc.) implanted, for the most part, on the site of the Hélioparc technopole and specialised training centres (IFP Training, NExT-Schlumberger, Wellstaff, Baker Hughes, etc.).
The area of Pau-Lacq is also geared towards fine chemicals (Acetex, now closed) and new materials. High-tech composite materials and nanomaterials have gradually been developed in Béarn with the Carbon Fibre Company (SOFICAR) and the GRL (Group of research of Lacq), one of the main centres of research of ARKEMA.
Industry has also developed recently around new energy investments and other energies: Bio-fuels (manufacturing site of bioethanol from the AB Bioenergy France Company, €150M investment), biomass (cellulose) and the production of electricity from gas (production site of Société nationale d'électricité et de thermique, SNET, investment of €400M). One driver of uptake and Carbon dioxide, CO2 sequestration process is also underway (industrial investment of €100M).
Ultimately, these activities for fine chemicals and specialties, will ensure the reconversion of the traditional activities of extraction from the Lacq area.
The entire energy complex (Chemparc) now represents 12,000 direct jobs.
Pau is part of the global competitiveness cluster of Aerospace Valley, in the aerospace sector, with Toulouse and Bordeaux. The aviation industry is represented by major industrial groups (Safran, Turbomeca, Messier Dowty, Examéca, MAP, etc.), and a significant number of subcontractors. With Biarritz/Bayonne (Dassault) and Tarbes (EADS Socata, Tarmac), the area of the Pays de l'Adour is strongly oriented towards aeronautics (12,000 jobs). These firms are involved on the Airbus programmes of Airbus A380, A380/Airbus A300, A300/Airbus A330, A330/Airbus A320, A320 (landing gear, carbon fibre, welding, aerostructures), Airbus Helicopters, Eurocopter (engines, machining parts), Boeing (landing gear) and Embraer. Pau also hosts the service centre of the French Army (French Army Light Aviation, ALAT) Eurocopter Tiger, Tiger helicopters. The airport area in particular (aeropole Pau Pyrénées) is expanding and includes aeronautical and automotive subcontractors.
The pharmaceutical sector is growing and is represented by Pierre Fabre, Boiron, Sanofi and Finorga companies. A bio-health centre grouping of industrial pharmacy and biology was created in 2006 around the Pierre Fabre and DBI enterprises.
The Pau economy is also based on the agri-food industry in the fields of maize, processed products (dairy products, canning, meat) and the wine industry (Group , Candia (brand), Candia, Bongrain, 3A, Michaud and Miot). With 400 researchers, Pau is the first European research centre for maize-growing.
The electronics and electrical engineering sector also has several industrial sites in the Pau agglomeration (Legrand, Arelec, Aquitaine electronics, Siemens).
Services
Pau also concentrates the regional headquarters of many service companies as capital of the ''Pays de l'Adour'' region: The banking sector (Crédit Agricole, CA Pyrénées Gascogne, Banque Pouyanne), insurance (MIF, MSA), construction (Groupe MAS, Cance) and business services (APR, YSA, Vitalicom).
Information and communications technology, ICT businesses have experienced an important development with the deployment of Optical fiber, optical fibre in the agglomeration and the implantation of companies specialising in information technology, networks and image processing. The technopoles [technological hubs] of ''Helioparc'' (close to the university, 1,000 jobs), ''Pau Cité Multimédia'' (north of the town, 700 jobs) and the ''@LLEES'' (Villa Ridgway built in 1905, former headquarters of Elf) concentrate a large number of systems integration and computer engineering information technology consulting schools. Pau should, ultimately, be fully connected to a fibre optic network (Pau Broadband Country) of the agglomeration of Pau-Pyrénées communities which will allow a data transfer rate of 10 to 100 megabits per second (and 1 gigabit per second for some companies) and applications of types such as Voice over IP, VoIP, online services and ''Web television, webTV''. Pau is the third city in Europe, after Stockholm and Milan, to have developed a very high-speed fibre optic network. The project has cost 30 million euros and has been spread over five years. This network has encouraged the location of French and foreign companies to Pau, which are specialised in imaging, services or design online.
Pau combines all the functions and administrative headquarters of a regional agglomeration: , Court of Appeal for the departments under the purview of Pau (Pyrenees Atlantiques, Landes and Gers), the regional hospital, , Chamber of Trade of Pyrénées Atlantiques, Chamber of Agriculture of Pyrénées Atlantiques, SDIS 64, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour. The Chamber of commerce and industry of Pau Béarn manages the Pau-Pyrénées airport, the Groupe ESC Pau, the consular hotel, the CNPC and the IPC de Pau.
In 2006, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pau Béarn had 11,000 industrial and commercial companies registered as headquartered in Pau.
Pau is also a city of congress, symposia and business travelers with infrastructure allowing it to host national and international events. The Congress Centre, a casino, a park of exhibitions and 4-star hotels (Parc Beaumont Hotel, Villa Navarre Hotel) all help to provide this infrastructure.
The town of Pau is home to many corps of the army. The (RHC), which was the first regiment of France to be equipped with the new Eurocopter Tiger, the school of airborne troops (ETAP), the staff of the special forces land brigade, its air component (DAOS), and the central military administrative archive () office. The defence sector represents a little more than 2,000 direct jobs in Pau.
Tourism
The town of Pau is located 45 minutes from the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
and its ski resorts. It is a holiday resort for tourists to the Pyrenees (hiking, climbing, skiing) and Spain. Located near the Basque Country (greater region), Basque and Landes coasts (an hour's drive), it is possible to practice water sports (surfing, Underwater diving, diving, sailing, etc.).
Pau is the gateway to the five Béarn
Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
ese valleys (the Ossau Valley, Vallée d'Aspe, , the and Vath-Vielha) that receives winter sports tourists (the ski resorts of Gourette, Artouste, and ), spas (Eaux-Bonnes and Eaux-Chaudes) and green tourism (white-water sports, cultural and gastronomic tourism).
Its location at the foot of the Pyrenees gives Pau an exceptional panorama of the chain of the Pyrenees, in particular from the Boulevard des Pyrénées which is a long avenue of , facing the Pyrenees mountain range.
Pau, a former royal town and capital of Béarn, is also a city of cultural tourism and important business (Congress, conferences, notably in the ). The city, a former climatic health resort, also hosts a casino (the ''Casino de Pau'').
The city is historically closely linked to the United Kingdom and remains popular with the British on holiday. The British discovered Pau and its climate, and left their imprint when Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Wellington left a garrison there in 1814.[Horace A. Laffaye, ''The Evolution of Polo'', Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2009, p. 27] He defeated Marshal Soult at Orthez (some to the north-west) on his way into France from Spain towards the end of the Peninsular War. Vacationing British began arriving before the railway established the Boulevard des Pyrenées. The first full 18-hole golf course in Europe, created by people from Scotland, and in fact located at Billère, was laid out in 1856–1860 and is still in existence, and also a real tennis
Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...
court. Spanish people are also very present in the city, as well as Portuguese and Morocco, Moroccans (consulates of Spain and Portugal). The Germany, Germans and Dutch, attracted by the climate of Pau and its heritage, are also more and more numerous.
Transportation
Train
The railway station Gare de Pau offers connections to Bordeaux, Bayonne, Toulouse and Paris, and several regional destinations.
*The TGV linking Gare Montparnasse, Paris-Montparnasse to Gare de Tarbes, Tarbes with Pau at 5hrs 10 m – 5hrs 30 m from Paris.
*Intercités linking Gare de Bordeaux-Saint-Jean, Bordeaux-Saint-Jean to Tarbes and Gare d'Hendaye, Hendaye/Irun railway station, Irun (Spain) to Gare de Toulouse-Matabiau, Toulouse-Matabiau.
*The night Intercités linking Gare d'Austerlitz, Paris-Austerlitz to Tarbes or Hendaye/Irun to Genève-Cornavin railway station, Geneva-Cornavin (Switzerland).
Two railway construction projects are under consideration: the extension and renovation of the line rail network France current online high-speed TGV from Bordeaux to Spain via the east of Landes (which would put Pau at about three hours from Paris) and the reopening of the Pau–Canfranc railway, cross-border link Pau-Canfranc (Spain) linking Pau to Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
. La Croix du Prince station in the southern part of the town has rail connections to Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Bedous.
Airport
The international airport of Pau Pyrénées Airport, Pau-Pyrénées, located to the north-west in the commune of Uzein, is connected directly to Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly Airport, Paris-Orly, as well as airports in Marseille Provence Airport, Marseille, Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport, Lyon, London City Airport, London, Southampton Airport, Southampton and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Amsterdam, among other destinations. In 2009, it recorded 690,000 passengers, a decrease of more than 15%, making it the third busiest airport in Aquitaine after Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, Bordeaux and Biarritz – Anglet – Bayonne Airport, Biarritz airports.
Motorways
*The A64 autoroute, A64 (European route E80) called ''la Pyrénéenne'', joins Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
to the east in 2hrs 5 m, and Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
in 1hr 17 m to the west.
*The A65 autoroute, A65 (European route E07) called ''A'Liénor – autoroute de Gascogne'' connects Pau to Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
in 2hrs 21 m via the A62 autoroute, A62 between Bordeaux and Langon, Gironde, Langon, a point of connection of two motorways. Its inauguration took place on 16 December 2010. The A65 autoroute is the most expensive in France, with a Toll road, toll of 14.67 cents/km (April 2015).
Funicular
The Funiculaire de Pau, opened in 1908, provides, free of charge, a link between the city centre and Boulevard des Pyrénées to the railway station in the valley. After a year of refurbishment to standard, service resumed on 25 November 2006. It carries an average of 500,000 passengers per year. It works every day and its hours are Monday to Saturday, from 6:45 am to 9:40 pm and Sunday from 1:30 pm to 8:50 pm.
Bus
The Société des Transports de agglomération Paloise (STAP) or IDELIS bus network, operates 13 urban bus routes, serving Pau and the adjoining communes of Billère, Jurançon, Gelos, Mazères-Lezons, Lescar, Lons, Bizanos, Gan, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Gan, Ousse, Sendets, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Sendets, Lée, Idron, Artigueloutan, Uzein, Morlaàs, Serres-Castet and Aressy. A free shuttle bus service, Coxitis, circles the city centre at brief intervals from early morning to early evening.
The main stops are at ''Pôle Bosquet'' and also at the markets, the ''Place de Verdun'', the SNCF railway station and the Auchan shopping centre.
File:Bus IDELIS ligne Temporis 2.jpg, ''IDELIS''
Bus network
File:La Coxity et La Coxistis STAP - IDELIS.JPG, ''Coxitis''
Shuttle in the city centre
File:Auto partage Pau Halles-Médiathèque.JPG, ''IDElib''
Carsharing service
File:IDELIS - IDEcycle station Funiculaire.JPG, ''IDEcycle''
Cycle sharing service
The connections between the departmental and regional routes are at the ''Pôle Bosquet'', since August 2006:
*Rue Mathieu-Lalanne
*Boulevard Joseph-Barbanègre
The city is engaged in a ''Bus à haut niveau de service'' [Bus to high level of service] (BHNS) project for a first route, the railway station to the hospital. Work started towards the end of 2014.
Heritage
Pau has a heritage which stretches from the 12th to the 21st century, which is represented through numerous sites and monuments, including the castle of Henri IV.
Religious monuments
Main Catholic churches
* The Church of Saint-Martin is situated in the centre of the old town, on Rue Henri IV. It was designed according to the plans of the architect Émile Boeswillwald. The construction of the church, of neo-Gothic influence, began in the 1860s. Every Sunday, the automatic carillon of St. Martin peals the notes of ''Eine kleine Nachtmusik'' and the ''Twelve Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman"'', by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart.
**
* The Church of Saint-Jacques, also of Gothic influence, regained its two spires in 2012. Following the ancient chapel of the convent of the Cordeliers, it was completed in 1867. Its spires had been removed in 2001, due to being weakened by a storm in 1999.
**
* The Notre-Dame Church is capped by a monumental statue of the Virgin and child of Art Deco inspiration. The church was built in the first half of the 20th century, in continuity with the ancient church dedicated to the pilgrimage which came before.
* The Church of Saint-Joseph was designed by the architect . It was built in 1935. Neo-Byzantine style, it is recognizable because of its domes and its bell tower, which is high and of reinforced cement.
* St Peter's Church was built in 1970. It was designed by the Prix de Rome architect . Largely covered with slates, it has married its modern structure with concrete buildings which surround it.
File:Eglise Saint-Jacques Pau.JPG, The in Pau
File:Eglise Saint-Martin de Pau.jpg, The in Pau
File:Paueglisenotredame.jpg, The Church of Notre-Dame
File:Église Saint-Joseph (Pau, 64).JPG, The Church of Saint-Joseph
Outstanding Catholic chapels
*The former Convent of the Réparatrices, an imposing chapel, now houses the National School of Music and Dance and combines ancient and contemporary architecture.
*The Chapel of Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, classic architecture, accompanied by the establishment of a college of Society of Jesus, Jesuits (current Lycée Louis-Barthou). Begun in the 1660s, it was not completed until 1851.
* The Chapel of Notre-Dame-du-bout-du-Pont, the former place of worship of the Ursulines de Pau, was built in 1872 and relocated in 1932. The Ursuline convent was, in fact, demolished to give space to the ''Palais des Pyrénées'' on the current . The chapel was dismantled stone by stone (each being numbered) and then rebuilt at its present location across the Gave de Pau.
* The Chapel of the Château de Pau, visible from the main entrance, is adjacent to the brick keep.
Reformed, Anglican and Presbyterian churches
* In the 16th century, slaughterhouses were constructed along with the , the cagots worked on the two buildings.
* Responding to demand from English residents, Christ Church was built on the ''Rue Serviez'' from 1837 to 1841. Since then, it has become a Reformed tradition, Reformed temple.
* Similarly, the Anglican Church of Saint Andrew was built in 1866. The rectory is known to be shaped according to local taste, the façade is dotted with pebbles from the Gave de Pau.
* The Méliès Cinema was housed in a former place of worship, a Scottish Presbyterian Church.
Other religious buildings
Pau has a Russian Orthodox Church, a mosque, a synagogue and a number of smaller churches such as St-Jean-Baptiste, Sainte-Bernadette and Sainte-Thérèse.
Civil monuments
Until the 18th century
The Château de Pau dominates the Gave de Pau. Its two oldest towers date from the 12th century. The quadrangular tower of brick was raised by Sicard de Lordat in the 14th century. Thus constituted fortress was turned into a Renaissance palace by Marguerite d'Angoulême and then restored under Louis-Philippe
Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...
and Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
. In summary, the castle was fortress of the Viscounts of Béarn, Castle of Fébus, birthplace of the good King Henry IV (''Nouste Enric'') and royal residence in the Renaissance.
A first defensive tower desired below the castle by Gaston Fébus, then called the "Tour du Moulin" [tower of the mill] for a time, was built along a water channel operating the mill of the castle as early as the 15th century. The ''Tour de la Monnaie'' [Money Tower] was named according to Henri d'Albret who, in 1554, used it as a Mint (coin), mint. Today containing a Elevator, lift within, it was used for the coinage of money until the French Revolution.
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, tapestries.
File:Château de Pau depuis jardin.JPG, Château de Pau
File:Carapace-berceau d'Henri IV (château de Pau) .jpg, Birthplace of Henri IV
File:Tour de la monnaie Pau.JPG, ''Tour de la Monnaie'' [Money Tower]
Close to the castle, the ''Parlement de Navarre'' [Parliament of Navarre], so named, saw its origins in the annexation of Béarn to the Crown of France under Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
in 1620. Though, in fact, he established himself in a very old courthouse that had been built as early as 1585 in place of the house of the Bishop of Lescar. Burned down in 1716, it was rebuilt but quickly abandoned in favour of the current courthouse. The General Council settled there and it still holds its sessions.
Lycée Louis Barthou, originally a Society of Jesus, Jesuit college, was built in Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
's appeal, probably between 1622 and 1645, for the restoration of Catholicism. It has illustrious alumni such as Comte de Lautréamont, Lautréamont, Louis Barthou
Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the French Third Republic, Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the ...
, Saint-John Perse, Pierre Bourdieu, Daniel Balavoine and Henri Emmanuelli.
The Birthplace of Bernadotte Museum is today of particular interest to Swedish tourists, it dates from the 18th century. Bernadotte was a French non-commissioned officer who was born in Pau and became a general of Napoleon and then King of Sweden under the name Charles XIV John of Sweden, Charles XIV.
In the 19th century
Former grand hotels of the Belle Époque
The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...
which were in direct competition, the ''Hotel de Gassion'' and the ''Hotel de France'', are located on the '' Boulevard des Pyrénées''. The ''Hotel de Gassion'', located between the château and the Church of Saint-Martin, now houses apartments. The ''Hotel de France'', located to the east of the ''Place Royale'', now houses the services of the Communauté d'agglomération de Pau-Pyrénées and is the second decision-making centre in Pau.
The ''Palais Beaumont'', originally referred to as the ''Palais d'Hiver'' [Winter Palace], was created at the end of the 19th century. Mixing architectural styles, it was repeatedly altered and was renovated from 1996, after half a century of neglect. It hosts a casino but is primarily a convention centre, a space for events such as seminars and fairs.
The funicular, which joins with the upper town, the historic centre, has carried travellers to and from the railway station, since 1908.
Municipal services settled in the current premises of the Hôtel de Ville in 1876. The building, located north of the , is actually a former theatre dating from 1862. The project to erect the Church of Saint-Louis, on the site, launched in 1685 and revived in 1788, was never successful.
The climate tourism which took over in Pau has left a set of prestigious villas as a legacy. Rich English, American and Russian tourists built villas to facilitate their stay during the winter. These buildings, English-style, were mainly built at the end of the 19th century. These villas now have various uses such as a charming hotel (Villa Navarre, an Anglo-Norman Manor built between 1865 and 1870), a reception room (Villa Saint Basil's built in 1889), apartments (Palais Sorrento in 1888) and as a residence of the prefect (Villa Saint Helena) etc.
The current courthouse was built on the territory of the former convent of the Cordeliers. The ''Place de la Libération'' today participates in the majesty of a building whose façade is classically decorated with columns, themselves topped by a pediment in white marble. Its construction began in 1847.
The railway station, of Gustave Eiffel, Eiffel style, was inaugurated in 1871 below the city centre.
It was natural that a barracks was progressively built in Pau from 1825 to 1875, the prefectural town close to the border. The Bernadotte Barracks, which today contains the national archives of the army, thus welcomed two regiments as early as 1830. The current which has become parking and was formerly known as ''Place Napoleon'', was, in fact, an area of close exercises.
Of the 20th century to the present day
*Inaugurated in 2000 at the foot of the original Parliament of Navarre, the Hôtel du Département [Departmental Administrative Building], a building of glass on which some buildings of the ''Boulevard des Pyrénées'' are reflected, now includes all administrative services linked to it.
*Renovated in 2007, the Bosquet Centre, is a shopping centre of contemporary architecture in the centre of town. Borrowing its name from Pierre Bosquet, Marshal Bosquet who has a nearby statue, it was built on the site of the former Hospital of Pau.
*The ''Palais des Pyrénées'' [Palace of the Pyrenees], the second shopping centre in the heart of the city, has had a tumultuous history. In its current form, it seems to have regained its spirit of 1808, that of the "Passage of Napoleon", a commercial route which heralded the modern covered market of 1838, destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century. The ''Palais des Pyrenees'' from 1930, or the ''Palais du Commerce et des Fêtes'' [Palace of trade and celebrations], was an art-deco complex covered with shops but also theatres, a casino and even a mini golf course. Return to its original condition began in 1951 with the removal of the roofing over the central path, Pau people regained views of the Pyrenees. Four buildings were then raised. It was in 2006 which it appeared in its current form, proud of its canopies of glass and steel.
*Since 1971, the ''Archives Départementales'' [Departmental Archives] have settled into two buildings, one of them of particularly atypical appearance due to its tiny triangular windows, which are designed to give the best protection to the preserved documents.
*The ''Archives Communautaires de l'Agglomération de Pau-Pyrénées '' [Community Archives of the Agglomeration of Pau-Pyrénées] are grouped, since March 2011, in the buildings of the former tram factory (on the site of what was previously a gas plant, as evidenced by the high chimney).
*The ''Faculté de Lettres et Sciences Humaines'' [Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences], and the ''Maison de l'Agriculture'' [House of Agriculture], with similar architectures dating from the start of the 1970s, break in their likeness as the first seems to humbly blend in with the vegetation, while the second seems to display a relative majesty.
Outstanding built-up areas
Town squares
* and the ''Palais des Pyrénées'', the market square and centre commercial-street. In the heart of the downtown area, this is the site of many public festivals, shopping, and a fountain.
*''Place d'Espagne'' [Spain Square]: Containing buildings of contemporary architecture as well as the Bosquet commercial centre
*''Place des sept cantons'' [Seven Cantons Square]: This square is joined to not seven but six streets
*''Place des États'' [States Square]: The crossroads of transhumance
Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or Nomad, nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and low ...
until the Renaissance era, in the area of the Château de Pau
*: An architectural ensemble from the 18th century, with many summer terraces
* [Queen Marguerite Square]: bordered by arcades with pebbled arches, it once was the marketplace, and a gallows and wheel for executions once stood here
*: Created by Louis XIV, it was built in its present form with a statue of Henry IV during the reign of Louis Philippe. It includes the Pau Town Hall
*: A large square today occupied by ample free parking and bordered to the west by the Bernadotte military barracks
*''Place de la Libération'': The Palace of Justice and the Santiago Church are in this square
File:Place Clemenceau - Pau.JPG, Place Clemenceau
File:Place Royale de Pau.JPG, Place Royale
File:Paupalaisdejustice.jpg, Place de la Libération
File:Arcades de la Place Gramont Pau.JPG, Arcades of the Place Gramont
File:Paucasernebernadotte.jpg, Place de Verdun
File:Place Reine Marguerite de Pau.JPG, Place Reine-Marguerite
Streets
*The ''Boulevard des Pyrénées'', created on the initiative of Napoleon I as a continuation of the ''Place Royale'', is long. The panoramic view from the boulevard extends beyond the hills of Gelos and Jurançon to include the Pic d'Anie at , the Pic du Midi de Bigorre at which is topped with an astronomical observatory known worldwide for the quality of its sun, solar and planetary photographs (NASA used it to prepare for the Apollo program, Apollo missions), the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, Midi d'Ossau at is of Volcano, volcanic nature and of distinctive and symbolic shape, as well as Balaïtous at and the Vignemale at , the highest peak in the French Pyrenees. One of the peculiarities of this avenue overlooking the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
is the presence of plates of orientation, allowing an alignment with a lightning rod on a factory chimney below, for recognizing the great peaks of the mountain range.
*The ''Rue du Maréchal-Joffre'' connects the Château Quarter to ''Place Clemenceau'', it was first named ''Grande Rue'' and helped Pau to expand eastward at the end of the Middle Ages. The street assured freedom of movement for traffic as much as it helped to distribute the housing. The large houses of the parliamentarians and notables, from the different eras, can show their façades or give a more discreet entry to the rear of the houses. The revenue houses, smaller but just as numerous, punctuate the blocks with the succession of their bays. The merchant past is recalled by the presence of the arches of the ''Place de la Vieille-Halle'' (''Place Reine-Marguerite''). The ''Rue du Maréchal-Joffre'' is now fully paved and pedestrianised, after work undertaken between 2011 and 2012.
File:Rue Serviez de Pau.jpg, ''Rue Serviez''
File:Rue Joffre de Pau.JPG,
File:Boulevard des Pyrénées Pau 5.JPG, The arches of the '' Boulevard des Pyrénées''
Typical districts
*The Château Quarter: The historic Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Pau in the narrow old lanes, which gives the quarter a medieval appearance.
*The Hedås Quarter: An old quarter which was built in a ravine which previously crossed a stream, in the heart of the historic city.
*The Trespoey Quarter: A very wooded area with many 19th century English-style villas. It is the area of the city of the more bourgeois, historically upmarket. The most prestigious hotels in the city are now here, such as the ''Villa Navarre'' and the ''Beaumont''.
Environmental heritage
Parks and gardens
Pau is also a green city, having more than occupied by green areas, with many rare and exotic species. Pau has been classed "4 flowers" by the Competition of Flowery Cities and Villages. In some districts, for example Trespoey, the villas are bathed in vegetation. Pau is thus one of the European cities that have the most square meters of greenery per capita ( per capita):
*''Parc Beaumont'' with a lake, river and waterfall, many flower beds, a large Garden design#Rock garden, rockery and a rose garden. The rugby ball-shaped park contains 110 species of trees. Some subjects are "notable" by their size, their age or their rarity such as Taxodium distichum, Bald Cypress from Louisiana, Diospyros virginiana, Virginia persimmon and Sequoiadendron giganteum, giant sequoia.
*, a park with old trees, which is home to one of the many 19th century English villas of Pau.
*The National Domain of the Château de Pau, composed of a Renaissance garden with medicinal plants and a park. The large park has walking trails and plenty of open space, for outdoor activities in the middle of the city.
*The ''Sentiers du Roy'', connecting the upper town to the lower town
*Johanto Gardens, at the bottom of the ''Boulevard des Pyrénées'', with its many and strong Arecaceae, Palm trees
*Contemporary gardens of the Hôtel du Département, in the lower town
*The banks of the Gave de Pau, at Billère and Jurançon, downstream from the Pont d'Espagne [bridge of Spain] and the Whitewater Arena.
*Besson Square, near the Conservatoire of music and dance with including ''Sequoia sempervirens''
*The Kōfu Garden, a Japanese garden opened in 2005 with plans provided by the gardeners of the city of Kōfu
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Overview Toponymy
Kōfu ...
*''Parc en ciel'' [Park in the sky], opened in 2013 in the Hameau Quarter
Horizons Palois (Pau Horizons)
The notion of ''Horizons Palois'' refers to the desire to protect the major elements which structure the special view from Pau to its natural environment. The view from the heights of Pau includes the saligues of the Gave de Pau and the hillsides of Jurançon and finally the chain of the Pyrenees. Seventeen sites were registered in 1944 as ''Horizons Palois'', in order to protect them from any construction or alteration that may deteriorate the extraordinary panorama which is particularly visible from the Boulevard des Pyrénées and the château. The city of Pau has committed several years of reflection to a candidacy of the Horizons to UNESCO World Heritage. This would thus enhance the protection of the panorama, and also be an improvement with the renaming of this site to the general public.
File:Terrasse du Pavillon des Arts de Pau 5.jpg, The rooftop terrace of the Pavillon des Arts
File:Pic du Midi de Bigorre depuis Pau.jpg, The Pic du Midi de Bigorre
File:Ossau fenêtre paloise.JPG, A view of the Ossau
Labels
* City of Art and History from 2011
*In his 2014 ranking the ''Conseil National des Villes et Villages Fleuris de France'' has assigned four flowers to the commune in the Concours des villes et villages fleuris, contest of flowery cities and villages (since 1983)
*UNICEF child friendly city
*TOP COM gold for its website in 2006, an award which annually recognizes the best communication actions
Notable people
People born in Pau
*Francis Phoebus of Navarre, François Phébus (1467–1483), Count of Foix and Viscount of Béarn from 1479 to 1483
*Gastón de Peralta, 3rd Marquis of Falces (1510–1587), viceroy of New Spain from 1566 to 1568
*Jeanne d'Albret
Jeanne d'Albret (, Basque language, Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572.
Jeanne was the daughter of He ...
(1528–1572), Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572
* Henry IV (1553–1610), King of France from 1589 to 1610 and Navarre from 1572 to 1610.
*Porthos (1617), musketeer
*Jean de Gassion (1609–1647), Marshal of France under Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.
...
and Louis XIV of France, Louis XIV
*Pierre Clément de Laussat (1756–1835), politician
*Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (1763–1844), Marshal of France and later Monarch of Sweden, King of Sweden and King of Norway, Norway as Charles XIV John of Sweden.
* (1772–1855), general of the armies of the Republic and the Empire
*Charles-Denis Bourbaki (1816–1897), general of Greek descent.
*Maurice de Mirecki (1845–1900) musician
* (1860–1918), politician, grandson of the hellenist Philippe Le Bas and great-grandson of the conventional Philippe-François-Joseph Le Bas, Philippe Le Bas
* (1860–1939), politician and surgeon
*Paul-Jean Toulet (1867–1920), poet and writer
* (1869–1949), politician
* (1879–1957), sculptor, painter, watercolorist
*Pierre Henri Cami (1884–1958), writer, humorist, actor, journalist, illustrator and cartoonist
*Fernand Forgues (1884–1973), former international Rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
footballer, France national rugby union team, French international player
*André Moulonguet (1887–1983), physician, otolaryngologist and member, Académie Nationale de Médecine
*Jean Jules Verdenal (1890–1915), friend and correspondent of T. S. Eliot
*Georges Loustaunau-Lacau (1894–1955), military, personality of the Far-right politics, extreme right in the 1930s, resistant
*Bertrand d'Astorg (1913–1988), writer, poet, winner of the 1980 Prix de l'essai
*Louis Auriacombe (1917–1982), conductor
* (1918–2004), prehistorian
* (1921–1989) resistant, Communist and feminist activist
*Yvon Bourges (1921–2009), son of a colonel, Gaullist resistant, sub-prefect of Erstein (Bas-Rhin), Minister of defence in 1975, Mayor of Dinard, MP and Senator RPR of the arrondissement of Saint-Malo
*André Courrèges (1923–2016), couturier. In 1965, his collection contributed to the success of the miniskirt
* (1924), artist painter (Premier Grand Prix de Rome)
*Robert Massard (1925), baritone from the Paris Opera
* (1928–2006), associate of history (University of Paris, Sorbonne), doctor of letters, Mayor of Pau, Minister, MP and Senator
*Donald O'Brien (actor), Donal O'Brien (1930–2003), actor
*Francis Mer (1939), industrialist and politician
* (1943), historian, senior honorary police Commissioner
*Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg (born 1943), politician
*Alain Lamassoure (1944), politician
* (1961), musician
*Yves Camdeborde (1964), chef
*Bertrand Cantat (1964), singer and actor
* (1964), writer
* (1965), man of radio and television, host (France-Bleu, NRJ, RFI), TV presenter (Loto, Odyssée, Matin-Bonheur)
* (1965), television host
*Frédéric Lopez (1967), television host
*Nathalie Cardone (1967), singer
*Philippe Rombi (1968), composer
*Éric Piolle (1973), engineer and politician, mayor of Grenoble
*Nicolas Cazalé (1977), actor and model
*Fabienne Carat (1979), actress
*Isabelle Ithurburu (1983), television presenter
*William Buzy (1989), writer and journalist
Sport (born in Pau)
*René Léonard (1889–1965), racing driver
*Victor Fontan (1892–1982), cyclist who led the 1929 Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
*Marguerite Broquedis (1893–1983), professional tennis player
*Robert Haillet (1931–2011), tennis player
*Éric Cayrolle (1962), racing driver
*Philippe Bernat-Salles (1970), former international rugby union footballer, French player
*Jérôme Garcès (1973), international rugby union referee
* Patrice Estanguet (1973), sportsman, bronze medal in canoeing (slalom) at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996
*Stéphane Augé (1974), cyclist
*Walter Lapeyre (1976), shooter
*Emmanuelle Sykora (1976), former football player, who played for Olympique Lyonnais (Ladies), Olympique Lyonnais (to 2005) and France's football team (to 2004, 81 CAPs)
*Jean Bouilhou (1978), Rugby Union footballer
* Édouard Cissé (1978), professional footballer
* Tony Estanguet (1978), Olympic champion slalom canoeist in 2000, 2004 and 2012, President of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee
*Sébastien Chabbert (1978), footballer
*Cédric Gracia (1978), mountain biking, mountain biker
*Laurent Cazenave (1978), racing driver
*Lucas Lasserre (1978), racing driver
* Damien Traille (1979), Rugby Union player
*Julien Cardy (1981), footballer
*Mathieu Ladagnous (1984), cyclist
*Mike Parisy (1984), racing driver
*Jean-Baptiste Peyras-Loustalet (1984), professional Rugby Union player
*Jérémy Chardy (1987), tennis player
*Alexandra Lacrabère (1987), handball player
*Edwin Jackson (basketball), Edwin Jackson (1989), professional basketball player
*Luc Louves, basketball player
People who died in Pau
*Henry II of Navarre (1503–1555), nicknamed ''Sangüesino'', the King of Navarre from 1517.
* (1770–1820), general of the armies of the Republic and the Empire
*Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk FRS FRSE (1771–1820), a Scottish peer.
*Jean-Jacques Ampère (1800–1864), philologist and man of letters.
*Sir James Outram (1803–1863), British officer
*Eugène Devéria
Eugène François Marie Joseph Devéria (22 April 1805, in Paris – 3 February 1865, in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau) was a French Romanticism, Romantic history painter, portraitist and muralist.
Biography
He was one of five children born ...
(1805–1865), painter
*Pierre Lanfrey (1828–1877), historian and politician.
*Caroline Duprez (1832–1875), soprano
*Nicolás Salmerón y Alonso (1838–1908), a Spanish politician, president of the First Spanish Republic.
*Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveydre (1842–1909), occultist
*Philippe Tissié (1852–1935), medical officer of health
*Mrs. Patrick Campbell (1865–1940), English actress
*Princess Zekiye Sultan (1872–1950), daughter of Ottoman sultan Abdulhamid II
*Muhammad VII al-Munsif, Moncef Bey (1881–1948), former List of Beys of Tunis, Bey of Tunis (1942–1943)
* (1928–2006), politician
* (1929–2012), Contemporary Latin poet, honored by the Académie française as winner of the in 1992
* (1924–2015), historian
Others
*The emir Abdelkader El Djezairi, Abd el-Kader (1808–1883), was imprisoned in the castle of Pau in 1848
*Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (Birth name, née Todd; December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) was First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865.
Mary Todd was born into a large and wealthy ...
(1818–1882), lived in Pau between 1876 and 1880. She was the widow of American President Abraham Lincoln.
*Henry Russell (explorer), Henry Russell (1834–1909), buried there
*Comte de Lautréamont, Isidore Ducasse, Comte de Lautréamont (1846–1870), (author of ''Les Chants de Maldoror'') studied there
* (1847–1926), French painter, settled here during the end of the 19th century
*Louis Barthou
Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the French Third Republic, Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the ...
(1862–1934), politician, lived in Pau
*Saint-John Perse (1887–1975), real name Alexis Saint-Léger lived here from 1899 to 1906, where he was a student at Lycée Louis-Barthou
*Dornford Yates (1885–1960), pseudonym of the British novelist, Cecil William Mercer lived here from 1922 to 1940
*Joseph Peyré (1892–1968), winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1935, native of Aydie, educated at the Lycée de Pau (1900–1907), taught there, and was lawyer for a time at the bar of Pau
* (1922–1986), Mayor of Grenoble between 1965 and 1983, lived there
*Pierre Bourdieu (1930–2002), sociologist, who studied there
*Guy Debord (1931–1994), (author of ''The Society of the Spectacle'') lived there in the 1940s
*Djamila Boupacha (1938), FLN combatant, imprisoned there in 1962 shortly before Independence was reached in Algeria[Simone de Beauvoir and Giséle Halimi, Djamila Boupacha: The Story of the Torture of a Young Algerian Girl Which Shocked Liberal French Opinion, trans. Peter Green, First American Edition (New York: The Macmillian Company, 1962)]
*Henri Emmanuelli (1945), politician, studied there
*François Bayrou
François René Jean Lucien Bayrou (; born 25 May 1951) is a French politician who has served as Prime Minister of France since December 2024. He has presided over the European Democratic Party (EDP) since 2004 and the Democratic Movement (France ...
(1951): municipal councillor of the city of Pau from 1983 to 1993 and then from 2008 to 2014, as well as president of the from 1992 to 2001. Bayrou is the current mayor of Pau, his birthplace was Bordères
*Daniel Balavoine (1952–1986), native of Bizanos, studied there
*Léopold Eyharts (1957), astronaut, studied there
*Jean-Michel Aphatie (1958), reporter for Canal+ (French TV channel), Canal+ and RTL (French radio), RTL holds a master's degree from the Law University of Pau.
*Frédéric Beigbeder (1965), spent part of his childhood in Pau, living in the ''Villa Navarra'', the family home was sold in 2002
* (1971), comic book writer, lives in Pau
*Léo Quievreux (1971), comic book writer, lives in Pau as of 2022
* (1984), spent his childhood in Pau
Gallery
File:Eglise Saint-Martin de Pau Rue Albret.JPG, ''Rue Jeanne d'Albret'' and the
File:Eglise Saint Martin Monument Mort Pau.JPG, The Church of Saint-Martin and the war memorial
File:Place de la Libération Pau.JPG, The ''Place de la Libération''
File:Funiculaire - Pau.JPG, Funiculaire de Pau and a view of the Pyrénées
File:Quartier du château de Pau.jpg, The quarter of the Château de Pau
File:Pau Peyré.jpg, The Hôtel de Peyré facing the château
File:Palmeraie de Pau 2.JPG, The ''Palmeraie des sentiers du Roy''
File:Terrasse du Pavillon des Arts de Pau 3.jpg, Terrace of the ''Pavilion des Arts'' and the Pic du Midi de Bigorre
File:Hédas Pau 6.JPG,
File:Boulevard des Pyrénées Pau 2.JPG, Buildings along the ''Boulevard des Pyrénées''
File:Villa Ridgway de Pau.JPG, Villa Ridgway
File:Hédas Pau 7.JPG, ''Passage Parentoy''
File:Statue Fébus vers Pyrénées Pau.JPG, The Gaston Fébus statue facing the Pyrénées
See also
*Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
*Georges Vérez, sculptor of Pau War Memorial
*
*
Bibliography
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*
*
Notes
References
External links
*
City Council official website
*
Atlas historique de Pau
*
*
*
Pau's Chinese Community website
*
Visit Pau Tourist Information
*
Tourist office of the City
- dead link
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pau, Pyrenees-Atlantiques
Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques,
Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Prefectures in France
Cities in Nouvelle-Aquitaine