Château de Pau

The Château de Pau, situated on Rue du Château in the city of Pau at the foot of the Pyrenees in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, is one of the most historically significant royal residences in France. The site began as a fortified tower built in the 14th century by the Viscounts of Béarn, and was progressively transformed into a Renaissance palace during the 16th century under Marguerite de Navarre and her son-in-law Antoine de Bourbon. Henri IV, future King of France and Navarre, was born in a room of the castle in 1553; his cradle — a tortoiseshell — is displayed in the royal apartments and remains the most iconic object in the collection. After centuries of neglect, the castle was extensively restored under the July Monarchy and Second Empire at the direction of King Louis-Philippe and later Napoleon III, who transformed it into a summer residence. This 19th-century restoration gave the castle much of its current Neo-Gothic and Renaissance Revival appearance. The interior contains one of the finest collections of French tapestries anywhere in the country: approximately 70 Flemish and French tapestries from the 16th to 18th centuries, including a remarkable set commissioned by Henri IV depicting hunting scenes and battles. The state apartments recreate the furnishings of the Napoleonic and Second Empire periods, with original porcelain, gilded furniture, and painted ceilings. The castle stands at the head of the Boulevard des Pyrénées, the celebrated 19th-century promenade from which, on clear days, a panorama of the High Pyrenees stretches across the southern horizon. The Château de Pau is managed by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux.