Balade patrimoine de Baudreix : les différents visages du Gave de Pau

In the mid-eighteenth century, the street which was used as the royal road was the main artery of Baudreix. In 1772, it was partially devastated by flooding of the Gave River, causing it to be moved inland to the center of the village.

The church in Baudreix was built between 1854 and 1859. It replaced an earlier building just overhanging the Gave.

This former factory has been converted into a sports hall, illustrating the importance of industrial activities for the village in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Although 800 meters and ten meters of altitude separate the Gave from this canal, the water running through it originates from the river, which was redirected far upstream where it flows through the plain (A).

This is where the royal road was relocated after the flood in 1772. Farms were later installed along the route. This type of configuration is found in all villages on the plain.

Sometimes very destructive, the Gave was also part of village prosperity. Here, it powered a mill, which in the mid-nineteenth century was also used for spinning wool ; the mill became a well-known restaurant in the nineteen-sixties.

Throughout history, the Gave has changed direction several times. In 2001, an old branch of the river running along the village was made into a lake and recreational area . An earlier lake had been created by the extraction of gravel.

The remains visible at the end of the field are those of an old paper mill founded around 1840 on the border between the villages of Baudreix and Mirepeix.