A unifying theme
She is counting on this heritage theme to reach as many people as possible. “In any case, gastronomy is very dear to us,” confirms Stève Sponem, communications manager for Pau Pyrénées Tourisme. We have more and more people asking us at the pantry where to eat a chicken pot. »
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The chief heritage curator is keen to establish new partnerships. This is how Basse-Plante will host two screenings of the arthouse cinema, Le Méliès, as part of Un Eté at the cinema, in July. Likewise, an association of storytellers will take over the Hundred Covered Room on June 11 to read stories to music while preparing food. “We want to please,” confides Karine Leboucq.
The actor Frédéric Handy will lend his voice to the authors, chosen with Karine Leboucq, deputy director at the museum, who portrayed the relationship with food during Reading Nights.
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Parts taken from reserves
For the European Crafts Day, April 6, and thematic visits in the spring, the castle will take out of its reserves porcelain from Sèvres and Paris, a coffee service ordered by Napoleon III and kitchenware from the castle from Marracq – now in ruins – to Bayonne.
Likewise, the Society of Friends of the Château de Pau, which holds conferences once a month, will align with the general theme. The first of the year, on March 15, at 2:30 p.m., will be given by Xavier Dectot who will discuss “History comes to the table”.
Wednesday March 26, three conferences will be given as part of the Nocturnes de l’histoire: “Drinking and eating in the times of the bastides”, “the wines in the cellar of the Château de Pau in 1579”, “the Béarnais baptism in the 19th century” and “the South-West table and the emergence of regional cuisines (1700-1850)”.
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In the meantime, the first event will take place during Reading Nights. After a presentation, Thursday January 23, at 7:30 p.m., of old books around the kitchen and a writing workshop open to children aged 8 and over on Saturday January 25, at 3 p.m., the castle will offer a literary feast. “For me, who is a foodie, reading all these stories is very trying,” admits actor Frédéric Handy who was in rehearsal at the castle a few days ago. From Rabelaisian feasts to the frugality of the peasant meal at Giono, including magical foods in Harry Potter, this reading will take place in the Hundred Place Settings room where deckchairs will welcome guests. Who shouldn’t leave without having had the right to a little treat…
After three summer months more focused on tourists, the castle promises from October a “shimmering party-themed program” to end the year.
All information and reservations on https://chateau-pau.fr/ or by telephone on 05 59 82 38 00.
100,000 people visited the monument in 2024
Between visits to the castle and the activities offered within it (such as Researchers’ Night), the site welcomed, in 2024, 100,000 people. If we go into detail, 87,000 participated in a visit to the castle, which represents an increase of 19.5% compared to 2023. And in terms of cultural service programming, 13,000 people participated in a animation, compared to 10,000 in 2023. “It’s a very satisfactory year,” concedes Vincent Nicolas, head of the public and cultural development department of the national museum and estate of the Château de Pau. The attendance record, 130,000 visitors in 2018, has not yet been reached.
Next year, the castle will be able to count on a new indicator. Sensors were, in fact, installed in the castle grounds in June. They will make it possible to record the number of passers-by using this green space. Between June and September, it has already seen 350,000 walkers pass through.
Among the 80% of French people who attended the castle in 2024, 40% come from Nouvelle-Aquitaine, then Occitanie and Île-de-France. The site attracts 20% foreigners, a large majority of whom are Spaniards (half), hence the development of the offer of guided tours in Spanish. Followed by the English, Germans, Belgians, Americans, Canadians, Italians and Portuguese.
