Travel Guide Baudreix

A village crossed by the Gave de Pau, the history of Baudreix is associated with a legend. In the 16th century, monks who had come to isolate themselves in the city were massacred by the soldiers of Joan of Albret, Queen of Navarre. These monks reportedly refused to convert to Protestantism. True or not, this story reveals the abuses of the Protestant armies in all the villages of the region.A totally real fact this time, in 1772 Baudreix was devastated by a flood of the Pau river. The inhabitants, forced to rebuild everything, chose the height to avoid this kind of disaster again. However, the river, although dangerous, remained a major source of economic activity for a long time with the installation of a mill, a spinning mill and a sawmill in the 19th century. All will be destroyed by further flooding. It was not until the second half of the 20th century that measures were taken: the river was ripened to stabilize it. Later, an old branch of the river was transformed into a lake. It is here that the leisure base, now the main source of activity in the village, was established.