Musée d'Art et d'Histoire d'Uzès

Uzès is a small town in the Gard department of Languedoc, on a limestone hill above the valley of the Alzon and the spring of the Eure, a few kilometres from the Pont du Gard, and it has a surprisingly rich architecture for its size. It is classed as a Ville d'art et d'histoire and is one of the most elegant towns of the region. The town was a bishopric and a seat of power, and it was raised to the status of a duchy in the sixteenth century, the first duchy in France, which gave its lords precedence among the dukes of the kingdom. The tall town houses and the towers of the old town reflect that prestige.

The museum of art and history of the town is the Musée Georges Borias, which is installed in the former bishop's palace beside the cathedral, a handsome building of the seventeenth century, and its collections present the history and art of the town and its surroundings. As in most local museums, the displays cover archaeology, medieval and later objects, paintings, furniture and documents about the people and events of the Uzège, the area around Uzès, and give context for what the visitor sees outside. The museum is a good place to start a visit.

The old town itself is the main attraction. The Place aux Herbes, a large arcaded square lined with stone houses, is the centre of the town and the place where a lively market is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays, selling local produce, olives, truffles in season, cheese and crafts. The Cathédrale Saint-Théodorit, rebuilt in the nineteenth century, has a rare and beautiful bell tower beside it, the Tour Fenestrelle, a round Romanesque campanile of the twelfth century, with six storeys of arched windows, the only one of its kind in France. The Duché, the castle of the dukes of Uzès, still stands in the centre of the town, with its different towers from different periods, and it can be visited.

The historic centre was restored in the 1960s under the Malraux law, which protected old quarters, and the stone facades were cleaned, so the town now looks very well kept. The Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct bridge, is a short drive, and the Vieux Pont and the Gorges of the Gardon are also in the area. The aqueduct that crosses it carried water from the springs near Uzès to Nîmes.

The museum suits visitors who like local history, and those who plan a day in the town. Check opening times, since they vary with the season.