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Auch
Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0
Towns & villagesFrance

Auch

D'Artagnan's town in the Gers

The capital of the Gers, on a hill above the River Gers. From the river, the Escalier monumental, a staircase from 1863 with 234 steps (374 counting both flights), climbs 35 metres to the cathedral. On the middle landing stands a bronze d'Artagnan, made by Firmin Michelet in 1931. Sainte-Marie Cathedral, begun in 1489, has 18 stained-glass windows by Arnaut de Moles (1507–1513) and choir stalls with around 1,500 carved figures – it is a World Heritage Site as part of the pilgrim route to Santiago. Beside it rises the 15th-century Tour d'Armagnac, which was once a prison.

TipsThe real d'Artagnan, Charles de Batz de Castelmore, was born at the Château de Castelmore near Lupiac, half an hour west of Auch, and was killed at the siege of Maastricht in 1673. The château is private, but Lupiac has the Musée d'Artagnan in the Saint-Jacques chapel. The Gers is also the land of Armagnac and foie gras – make sure you try a magret de canard.
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43.6456° N, 0.5872° E

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