MAISON DE SITE/AUBERGE DES DAUPHINS
Home to permanent and temporary exhibitions on the Saoû massif.
The Auberge des Dauphins enjoyed its heyday in the 1930s. Maurice Burrus (1882-1959), a wealthy tobacco industrialist, patron of the arts, art collector, philatelist and archaeology enthusiast, bought the Saoû forest in 1924 to open it up to green tourism. Reforestation, picnic tables, a carriage trail around the massif and an inn inspired by the Grand Trianon in Versailles - the bar was set high! Inaugurated in 1930, the inn became famous for its lavish parties. The site became a meeting place not only for the business bourgeoisie, but also for working-class families who came to enjoy a moment of relaxation in the forest. The Second World War brought a halt to the operation of the inn, which had in the meantime become a Michelin-starred establishment, and began its decline. Today, the former Auberge des Dauphins on the departmental site of the Saoû forest has been refurbished to welcome the public as a Maison de Site of the ENS (Espace Naturel Sensible départemental de la forêt de Saou). On the first floor, the former gilded salon houses a restaurant, an information and meeting area for eco-guards and a curiosity cabinet. The second floor features a succession of permanent and temporary exhibition rooms on the Saoû massif, its geology, biodiversity and history. An ideal house to visit with the whole family. In 2025, the "Secrets of the Forest" exhibition reveals the behind-the-scenes stories of all the forest's inhabitants. Theme hikes, educational workshops and cultural events.
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