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Les Jardins de la Tour are located at the foot of the Pentagonal Tower, in the Baous district. They offer a splendid view of Castellane and the Verdon valley, and invite you to take a break…
From the Gardens, the view is magnificent on all sides: to the east, the Roc and the famous Notre-Dame chapel rise up; to the south, the bell tower of Saint-Victor church stands out from a mosaic of roofs; to the west, the Tour de l’Horloge marks the entrance to the town; and finally, the Verdon valley and the majestic cirque of mountains can be seen in the distance.
Covering an area of 2,400 m², the Jardins de la Tour have been laid out in terraces known here as “restanques”. These are retaining walls built of dry stone to create a flat terrace for cultivation. This technique is found in most steeply sloping terroirs. If you look closely, you can still make out “restanques” all the way to the top of nearby mountains and hills.
In the 18th century, the Jardins de la Tour were bourgeois gardens, with a fountain basin, a trellis, a splendid view of the town and the Pentagonal Tower, converted at the time into a dovecote. The Jardins site was cultivated and maintained until the late 1980s. Nature then gradually reclaimed its rights, with tall grasses and brambles taking the place of the former crops. Since the 2000s, the Commune de Castellane has been taking steps to restore the Jardins de la Tour to its former splendor: the acquisition of plots of land to own the entire site, reflections and development projects, the organization of volunteer workcamps to restore the terrace walls, and an appeal to local residents to help clean up the site.
In 2015, in partnership with the Communauté de Communes du Moyen Verdon and the Acta Vista association, a major restoration project was carried out over the course of a year, involving the restoration of two towers, a shed, terraces and part of the rampart. And there’s more to come… Restoration work on the restanque walls took place in 2016 and early 2017, and more restoration projects are planned for 2018.
The Gardens are also a place for living and meeting people. In partnership with the Parc naturel région du Verdon, trees from old and local varieties of fruit trees are planted as part of a “Conservatory Orchard”.
Together with local associations, school and college students, local residents, site enthusiasts and visitors, we create art installations, handicrafts, read, act, stroll, listen to stories and lectures…
The Jardins de la Tour reveal their secrets to you, so take your time and admire… Please respect the site.
Open all year
All year round, daily.
Free access.
Place Marcel Sauvaire
04120 Castellane-en