Mont de Marsan Audioguided Walking Tour 1h and 20 reviews

Thanks to the ramparts on your left, going back in the footsteps of what Mont-de-Marsan once was is like child’s play. When it was founded in 1133, by Viscount Peter of Marsan, the city occupied the status of seat of the seigneury.

On your left you can see "The Defeated Athlete", a bronze sculpture by Jean Carton, installed on the Midou roundabout. The artist represents a curved athlete, marked by effort and defeat. It is not the triumph that he celebrates, but the moment after, that of fatigue and human vulnerability.

Let’s take advantage of this moment when you stroll through the Rue Cazaillas to cross time, and take back a little history of Mont-de-Marsan, capital of the Landes, and city of art and history. Founded in the 12th century by Pierre de Marsan, the city developed at the confluence of two rivers, the Midou and the Twelve, which here form the Midouze.

Continuously suspended above the water, La Pongeuse is probably the best known statue of Mont-de-Marsan. And in this artistic discipline, believe us, the city knows a lot!

Classical concerts or dramatic shows, the Théâtre municipal Le Molière is the stage of Mont-de-Marsan in all circumstances.

Unrivalled in its field, the Madeleine Church is the largest religious building that can be seen in the Landes city. When Mont-de-Marsan was founded around the 12th century, Saint Mary Magdalene, an important figure in Christianity, was chosen as patron saint of the city.

Along the river, the old days are omnipresent. But if we make the choice to move a little further away, the newer faces of Mont-de-Marsan point to the tip of their nose. Take for example the rue Victor Hugo, which you have crossed for a few seconds already.

The Romanesque houses of Mont-de-Marsan, a gem of medieval times, added to the Lacataye keep and the ramparts, are real preserved heritage nuggets. In view of the one standing before you, we agree that it is difficult to pretend otherwise, right?

Installed in a remarkable architectural setting, the Musée Despiau-Wlérick is an exception in France, as it is the only cultural address dedicated to figurative sculpture. Among other things, this artistic style is expressed in the representation of visible models, in every detail.

Although Mont-de-Marsan has many heritage wonders to its credit, you should know that one makes more noise than all the others combined. A strong image of the city, the Lacataye Dungeon is actually a fortified house, born from the merger of two Romanesque houses.

Landing in a square instantly captures the life and fervor of a city or village. Whether you pass quickly, or take the time to stop for a few minutes, Place Saint-Roch reflects a popular and family spirit.

Hearing, taste, smell and touch, look no further, the awakening of the senses in Mont-de-Marsan takes place here, under this spacious wooded structure. Provided, of course, that you are there on Tuesdays and even more so on Saturdays, the long awaited days of the city’s traditional Point of Sale.

If there is one event not to be missed in Mont-de-Marsan, it is above all the celebrations of the Madeleine, whose fervent bustle transforms the streets of the destination like the Rue Léon Gambetta in which you are.

At the end of the Rue du Général Lasserre, which normally has to stand a few meters in front of you, you will find one of the most important buildings in Mont-de-Marsan. The one and only arenas of Plumaçon.

If the postcard is intended to be peaceful and natural at the confluence of the Three Rivers of the Landes capital, a touch of elegance and historical charm mixes with its decor, as soon as our gaze crosses this majestic vintage Villa.

While each monument or site has its history and function in Mont-de-Marsan, there is still one for whom it remains a questionable area. And it is in particular the building that is right now in front of you.

What but that Mont-de-Marsan is a well-watered city. But before all our wine lovers come back to listen to this first sentence, let us make it clear that here it is simply about water and nothing else.

Built along three rivers, Mont-de-Marsan still has seven public washrooms, six of which are in the city. The most visible and well-known of them is the one standing right next to you.

You won’t have missed it, marking the stop here gives you a privileged view of the confluence of the Midou and the Twelve, which together form the third emblematic river of Mont-de-Marsan: the Midouze.

Anyone who says that sometimes you have to get lost to find the untraceable is not totally wrong. Hidden in the middle of houses and just signposted on the city map, Rue des Arceaux is an unexpected Attraction on our way.