Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of La Palud-sur-Verdon, located at the south-west end of the village, overlooks the Verdon valley. Its current architecture, with a rectangular plan flanked by four circular towers, is mainly the result of work carried out between 1744 and the French Revolution. The north facade, dating from the 17th century with its sill windows, was integrated into an enlargement in the following century. The building has five levels, including a top floor, and is covered with hollow tiles based on genoese. Originally, a first building would have existed in the late 14th or early 15th century, before an extension by the Demandolx-La Palu family before 1570.

Confiscated during the Revolution, the castle was loti and sold to the inhabitants of La Palud, as evidenced by the cadastre of 1835 indicating 18 separate owners. A potter shop operated there until 1927 in the southeast corner. Repurchased by the municipality in 1984, major restoration works between this date and 2010 allowed to install the town hall, the Tourist Office, the House of Gorges of Verdon (geological and historical ecomuseum) and a library. Ranked a historic monument since 13 September 1988, it illustrates the architectural and social evolution of the Haute-Provence.

The present ecomuseum presents the hydro-geological formation of the Gorges du Verdon, their fauna and flora, as well as the local history of prehistory to the present. The castle, surrounded by ancient houses in a listed natural site, embodies both the built heritage and the cultural identity of La Palud-sur-Verdon. Its staircase turns back with day and its interior U-shaped distribution around the stairwell reflects the 17th and 18th century architectural cannons in Provence.

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