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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Pau, built between the 12th and 19th centuries, was originally a medieval fortress controlling a strategic ford over the river Pau. Founded by the Viscounts of Béarn, in the 14th century it became a stunning citadel under Gaston III of Foix-Béarn, known as Fébus, which added a 33-metre brick dungeon and reinforced its defences with crenelated enclosures. This sovereign prince, symbol of the Belarusian independence, makes it a political and military symbol in the face of English and Armagnac threats.

In the 16th century, the castle turned into a Renaissance palace under the impulse of Henry d'Albret and Marguerite d'Angoulême, sister of Francis I. The transformations include an honorary staircase decorated with H and M initials, cutting stone facades, and sumptuous gardens stretching 22 hectares. It is in this context that Henri de Bourbon, the future Henri IV, was born in 1553, whose baptism in Bearnais — with garlic and Jurançon wine — and the education under the eye of his grandfather marked the history of the place. Queen Joan of Albret, her mother, imposed Protestantism and resisted Catholic assaults during the Wars of Religion.

The castle lost its political role after the Béarn joined France in 1620, when Louis XIII came. Abandoned by the Bourbons, it fell into decline until the 19th century, when Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III restored it to a place of Henrican memory. Ranked a historic monument since 1840, it has been home to a national museum since 1927, featuring the legend of good King Henry through tapestries of the Gobelins, Renaissance furniture, and the famous tortoise shell that served as the king's cradle.

The architecture of the castle, organised around an iron courtyard, combines defensive elements (the Mazères and Billère towers of the 12th century, the Donjon of Fébus) and Renaissance additions (south wing, staircase of honor). Its gardens, once among the most beautiful in Europe, are now reduced to a 22 hectare estate, including remarkable trees such as Atlas cedars and redwoods. The site, open to the public, welcomes 100,000 visitors annually and remains a symbol of the Bearnaise identity.

Among the notable episodes, the castle served as a prison for Emir Abd el-Kader in 1848, and welcomed personalities such as Victor Hugo or Queen Isabelle II of Spain. The museum's collections, rich in 12,000 works, include tapestries, paintings, and objects related to Henry IV. Temporary exhibitions and events, such as the G5 Sahel Summit in 2020, perpetuate its cultural and political influence.

The legend of the foundation of Pau, linked to three piles (pau in Bearnais) planted to delimit a domain, and the hypothesis of a pre-Indo-European root evoking a steep rock, illustrate the mythical anchoring of the castle in local history. Its evolution, from the Viscounts of Béarn to the kings of France, makes it a privileged witness to the political and architectural changes in southwestern France.

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