Uzès

Uzès is a charming small town in the north of the Gard department (about 9000 inhabitants) built on a promontory above the river Alzon. The old town is surrounded by boulevards shaded by plane trees that have replaced the old medieval walls. Its winding streets contain beautiful old houses and numerous mansions from the Renaissance to the 18th century. The vast "Place aux Herbes" is the heart of the city, also protected from the summer sun by plane trees and lined with arcaded houses of the Renaissance in which shops settled.

Facing the Town Hall, the castle of the Dukes of Uzès rises high above the pink-tiled roofs of the old town. In its center an imposing square medieval keep rises some forty metres high: the Bermonde Tower, named after Lord Bermond of Uzès, who had it built in the Middle Ages. This is the only castle in France to carry the honorary title of "Duchy". The title of Duchy was granted by King Charles IX to Antoine Crussol Viscount Uzès in 1565 as a reward for his loyalty and bravery. The Duchy is still inhabited by the family of Crussol. However, it is open to visitors.

Beside the Bermonde Tower, the Tower of the bishop rises almost as high above the roofs of the old town and challenges its supremacy. A third medieval tower, the King’s Tower, reminds the lord and the bishop of the power of the King of France.

These three towers illustrate the medieval quarrels between the bishop and the lord of Uzès, each seeking to impose his authority over the city and the authority of the King of France after the Albigensian Crusade in 1226. Despite the unrest, Uzès prospered. The violent and deadly disputes of religious wars in the 16th century left indelible marks on a city tempted by the reformed religion. The prohibition of religious freedom after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and the Revolution fuelled an atmosphere of sometimes violent conflict.

The most beautiful tower in Uzès is Fenestrelle Tower, an elegant cylindrical Romanesque tower from the 12th century, pierced with windows whose appearance recalls the Tower of Pisa. Fenestrelle Tower is adjacent to the St. Théodorit Church rebuilt in the 17th century after the Wars of Religion.

With the decline of local industries of weaving from the mid-19th century, the city declines and loses its luster. Uzes benefited from a rehabilitation and restoration programme launched in 1965 and supported by the state, which has given the city an economic boost. It is a city of tourism and culture, the Festival of Contemporary Dance established in 1996 and held in June, has an international reputation.

The "Place aux herbes" is the center of a very famous market in the region. The Uzes market includes local producers in the region, the Uzes is particularly rich in local products of quality: olive oil, wine (Cotes du Rhone wines), herbs, tasty seasonal fruit and vegetables. The Uzes region is also known for the quality pottery, the village of Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie lies a few kilometres away. Around the Place aux Herbes, the market is spread over much of the streets of the old city.

Northeast of Uzes, the Fountain of Eure is the source which supplied Nîmes in Roman times. The Romans built a fifty-kilometre aqueduct, of which the famous Pont du Gard is the most spectacular part. There are still vestiges of the work in the countryside around Uzès. In Roman times, "Ucetia" was a satellite city of Nimes, where patricians lived. The Fontaine d’Eure is still tapped today to supply the town of Uzes.

Accommodation near Uzes and practical information :

Selection of bed and breakfast near Uzes on the portal of the B&B in Provence

Uzes city web site : www.uzes.fr

 

Coming to Uzes

GPS coordinates N 44°00'43'' - E 4°25'11''

The town of Uzès is in the Gard department, in the Occitanie region.

Uzes position : altitude 138 meters, 9000 inhabitants, 6 km from Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, 11 km from Collias, 14 km from the Pont du Gard , 19 km from Lussan, 24 km from Nîmes, 28 km from Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres, 32 km from Alès, 39 km from Villeneuve-les-Avignon, 40 km from Avignon.

Explore further with my articles in the Getaways section of the Guest Houses in Provence Portal: Place aux Herbes in Uzès, at the heart of the old town.