Musée du Vieux Pau

Pau is the old capital of Béarn, the Pyrenean province that kept its own rulers and customs long after the rest of France was centralised, and the Musée du Vieux Pau belongs to the tradition of local museums that preserve the memory of such a place. Detailed information about this museum's collections is limited, so it is best seen as a way into the city's history, which is rich enough to fill a visit by itself.

Pau's fame begins with the château, which stands on a rocky spur above the river Gave de Pau. The medieval castle was extended in the fourteenth century by Gaston Fébus, the powerful count of Foix and Béarn, who built the brick keep that still bears his name. On 13 December 1553, the future King Henry IV was born in the château, to Jeanne d'Albret, queen of Navarre. According to the legend, his lips were rubbed with garlic and he was given a drop of the local Jurançon wine, and his cradle was a giant tortoise shell, still on show in the château. Henry grew up to become the first Bourbon king of France and one of the most popular, famous for ending the wars of religion, and the city still honours him as a local hero.

In the nineteenth century, Pau became a fashionable winter resort for British and American visitors, who were drawn by the mild climate and the views of the mountains. They brought sports and new habits: the first golf course in continental Europe was laid out here in the 1850s, and fox hunting and horse racing followed. The Boulevard des Pyrénées, a long promenade that runs along the edge of the plateau, offers a sweeping panorama of the snowy peaks on clear days. In the early twentieth century, Pau was also a cradle of aviation, since the Wright brothers set up a flying school here in 1909.

The city offers other places to visit around the museum. The Château de Pau and its collection of tapestries, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Pau, the Cathédrale Saint-Louis, the Place du Palais and the Parc Beaumont show different sides of the town. The Gave de Pau riverbanks provide a green walk, and the Théâtre des Arts is a lively venue.

A visit to the museum suits those who want to go deeper into local history, and it pairs naturally with the château. Check the current opening hours before you go.