3000 footsteps to the King's Garden
Welcome to the video guide ‘3000 Steps to the King’s Gardens‘ for a royal walk of about 1 hour and 30 minutes, discovering the Royal Park of la Garenne and the King’s Gardens in Nérac
Starting your visit on the castle forecourt, you will set out to explore an emblematic heritage and walk in the footsteps of the young Henry of Navarre, the future King Henry IV.
This route along the Baïse consists of 6 points of interest enhanced by signage, videos, and testimonies from specialists
- Start : Forecourt of the Henri IV Castle-Museum
- Elevation gain : 45 meters
- Distance : 2,5 km
- Duration : 1:30
- Color / marker for signage : interpretive signage
● Point 1 : Henry of Navarre in Nérac
● Point 2 : The paths of the three thousand footsteps
● Point 3 : Fountains and stories
● Point 4 : About the Fountain of The Dauphin during the Belle Epoque
● Point 5 : The Baïse along the towpath
● Point 6 : The King’s Garden (Le Jardin du Roi)
Point 1 : Henry of Navarre in Nérac
Henry made Nérac his favourite place of residence after leaving the French court where he had been held since his marriage in 1572 to Marguerite de Valois, the notorious Queen Margot, King Charles IX’s sister. In the XVIth century a lord’s mansion could not be imagined without a park and gardens.. Go down the steps, cross the bridge and on the right go into the Royal Park of the Garenne…
Point 2 : The paths of the three thousand footsteps
Here we are in the Park of the Garenne , covering 35 hectares, which in 1909 was the first listed site in Aquitaine. In the XVIth century only the occupiers of the chateau had access to it by a private bridge…
Point 3 : Fountains and stories
We are here at the limit of the first park and the paths of the three thousand footsteps. This Saint Jean fountain dates from the XVIth century. At that time Henry had a chapel built close by so that his Catholic wife could attend Mass at some distance from the chateau and the very Protestant town of Nérac It was the only place allowed for Catholic worship in Nérac , since after her conversion, Jeanne d’Albret , Henry’s mother, had imposed Protestantism on the town and had had all the Catholic churches destroyed.
Point 4 : About the Fountain of The Dauphin during the Belle Epoque
Point 5 : The Baïse along the towpath
This point is essentially audio! Listen as you start your fifteen minutes’ walk towards the next point. Since 2009, the footbridge has linked the Park of the Garenne to the gardens of the King situated on this bank. In the XVIth century the access to one or the other was only possible through the chateau. The Baïse has been a source of wealth since Ancient times, since all the land hereabout is fertile and arable. But flooding has also caused a lot of damage on several occasions. You perhaps noticed the marks of the levels of the floodwaters in the last century on the walls of the chalet.
Point 6 : The King's Garden (Le Jardin du Roi)
At last here is the site of the famous Jardin du Roi , the King’s garden created by Henry IVth’s grandfather and brought up to the style of their time by Henry and Margot The « Jardin d’évocation Renaissance », the Renaissance –style garden, where you are standing, was created in 2008 to recall the garden as it was in Henry’s day. The XVIth century pavilion with two rooms, one above the other, and a fine fireplace is situated in the northeast corner of the garden.
©2014 – A production by Fragile editions for the city of Nérac
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