South-Gironde, Haute-Lande and Sauternais

Automatic translation

South-Gironde, Haute-Lande and Sauternes, the left bank of the Garonne

This territory prospers between the Sauternes vineyards and the wines of Graves; the immense forest of the Landes, shelters castles and picturesque villages. It is also the ideal place for outdoor recreation: hiking or cycling, but also water sports, swimming in the lakes of Hostens, fishing on the rivers and the Canal des Deux Mers.

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La Brède, homeland of Montesquieu

This small village and especially its castle sheltered an illustrious writer, philosopher of lights: Charles Louis de Secondat, baron of Montesquieu and Brède. Born in 1689, he spent a good part of his life there.

In 1951, the Château de la Brède was classified as a Historic Monument and its entire estate became so in 2008.

A few kilometers away, in Martillac, the Château de Rochermorin housed the family vineyard. This love for the vine, Montesquieu kept it all his life, he was an excellent ambassador.

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Langon, economic crossroads

Under the Prefecture of the Gironde, the vineyard and its ports on the banks of the Garonne made the economic prosperity of the city in the 17th century. Langon has many vestiges of past centuries: Church of Notre-Dame du Bourg, dating from the 12th century, eight of whose capitals are on display at the Cloisters Museum in New York, Saint Gervais Church, beautiful period buildings. 282 hectares of the commune are now made up of vineyards.

Located between Langon and Bazas, the Château de Roquetaillade (private property) is an architectural ensemble made up of two fortified castles from the 12th and early 14th centuries. During the Renaissance, the castle was restored by the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc. Its furniture is listed as a historical monument.

At the gates of the castle La Métairie hosts a museum of rural life around 1850.

Bazas, and its famous beef

Bazas evokes, for fine gourmets, this tender, succulent and tasty meat which is the pride of this territory. The Bazadaise breed is also celebrated every year during the fattened beef festival. Stronghold, bishopric, former sub-prefecture, the town rich in history is home to a 13th century cathedral, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Santiago de Compostela routes. Its fully sculpted triple portal on the facade, as well as the medieval garden that runs alongside the building, are particularly remarkable.

From the 16th to the 19th century, Bazas was known for its glassware, an exceptional collection of which can be seen at the apothecary museum. Other collections, the museum exhibits 2500 years of Bazadaise history. Also worth visiting is the arcaded square, the ramparts and the old town.

Villandraut, on the banks of the Ciron

Villandraut was the birthplace of Bertrand de Goth, who became Clement V, first pope of Avignon. Its fortress castle built in the 14th century, of which 6 monumental round towers, the enclosure and the walkway still remain, served for a few years as a papal court. The municipal museum of Villandraut dedicated to local heritage presents its collections in the Braneyre house, with a rectangular plan dating from 1753.

A few kilometers from Villandraut, the collegiate church of Uzeste, a marvel of Gothic art, houses the tomb of Clément V.

12 km away, the Royal Château of Cazeneuve, from the 13th and 17th centuries, above the Ciron was the property of the Dukes of Albret, the Kings of Navarre and Henri IV. Queen Margot was placed under house arrest. This place is fully furnished from the period, it has medieval cellars and troglodyte caves. Its 40 hectare wooded park and its English gardens are Natura 2000 classified.

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Hostens and its lakes

In the heart of the Landes forest, there is no trace of this past dedicated to surface mining of lignite. The General Council of Gironde has transformed the 600 hectare site (including 200 hectares of lakes) into a departmental area for sports and leisure, discovery of fauna and flora, classified Natura 2000.

The old railway line, dismantled, has become a greenway and connects Belin-Beliet or the Arcachon basin to Saint Symphorien, Villandraut, Bazas. A highly successful conversion.