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9th February 2010
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- FrenchEntrée
 Pont du GardA visit to the Roman aqueduct should be on everyone's listThe Pont du Gard is a stunning piece of first century engineering, an architectural marvel, a slice of live history and a great day out for visitors to the region wrapped up in one. It qualified for special UNESCO World Heritage status in 1985 as a monument because it is a masterpiece of human creative genius, bears an exceptional testimony to a civilization which has disappeared and is an example of a type of building which illustrates a signirficant stage in human history.
Things to do at the Pont du Gard Since 1996 the Pont du Gard was placed under a management regime and as a result it has a number of well developed facilities for its 1,250,000 tourists a year. The Pont du Gard has an interactive children’s museum, which will keep inquiring minds and little hands busy for a good hour. The imaginative displays show different features of everyday life of Roman Gaullist France from a child’s perspective, and parents can relax because none of the exhibits are breakable! Downstairs the Pont du Gard has a museum for adults, which is something of a cathedral to the Pont du Gard in size and grandeur. It explains in English, German and French how the Pont du Gard was built, why it was built and re-enacts the event with multimedia interactive models. Upstairs, one can browse in various tourist shops if that’s what one wants to do, for post cards and souvenirs of Provence, or take a coffee outside in the shade of one of the tables set out there. Or alternatively, in the summer there is usually an ice cream seller there who will furnish you with at least 20 delicious exotic flavours. Only approved vendors are allowed to ply a trade in this spot. The centre offers an open walk entitled “Memories of the Garrigues”, which is a chance to see something of the story of the countryside through the ages, as it has been cleared in Roman times, planted, and cultivated. The Garrigue is the dry wild landscape which survives on the hills and valleys around the hot Mediterrean basin. Its rugged and tenacious plants cling to rocks and survive the summer heat, and marking out the region from the more gentle arable countryside further northwards and inland. The walk offers information plaques and is relaxing and also educational for children. The Pont du Gard normally strides the Gardon River
On a fine sunny day, which is most days from May onwards, the piercing blue sky is cut by the huge roman archways as one walks under them. It is possible to clamber up the sides of the hill past scrawny olive trees and wiry bushes to get a better view. One can see the tunnel where the water was conveyed along the top up close, but climbing on the monument is completely “interdit!”. Unless you visit the museum you will not realise that there are other remnants of the aqueduct that can be visited by walking through the hills or at various villages in the area. Ask for information at the desk. The starting point of the water supply can also be seen at Uzès, the end point in Nimes. Alongside the Pont du Gard one has the opportunity to swim, picnic, or take another coffee/beer in the beautiful and elegant 18th century building that is now a café, sheltered under huge Plane trees. Canoeing is on offer near the banks of the Gardon, and I cannot think of a more fitting way to see the Pont du Gard than from under its monumental arches in a canoe. In the summer, the Gardon river is shallow under the Pont du Gard and its very safe for children to paddle in and play. Your main concern as a parent will be that they are not knocked over by a passing canoeist!To locate the hire companies drive to Collias or stop at the one just outside Remoulins on the road to Uzès.
USEFUL INFORMATION Museum costs: Entrance to the site is free, but you have to pay for parking and any exhibitions you choose to see. Children’s museum (age 5 – 12) €4,5 Main museum - €6 Cinema - €3 Or, people can purchase day tickets for four activities for €10 for an adult or €8 for a child (which includes free parking). Or, a family ticket for €20 which included four activities for two adults and up to four children. Memories of the Garrigues – free Car park - €5 a day History of the Pont du Gard in 1 minute - the Pont du Gard in Facts: • Built in the first century between 40 – 60 AD under Roman Emperors Claud and Nero • It took 15 years to build • The architect who designed it remains unknown. • It took water from Uzès to Nimes to provide sufficient water, fountains, baths and spas for the 20,000 population. • The difference in height between the start points and end point of water travel is 12 metres. • The aqueduct used 11 million stones. • The aqueduct delivered 35 – 40 thousand cubic meters of water a day, or 400 litres a second. • Towards the end of the fourth century the aqueduct began to fall into disrepair under the Visegoths, and the water flow was only 25% of what it had been. • By the sixth century the aqueduct had become disused, and stones were taken for other buildings. • Its restoration started in the 19th century, and the site was registered as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985. The site was placed under a management regime to protect it and enhance the experience of visitors in 1996. Languedoc Roussillon | Languedoc Roussillon France Home Page |
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