Privileged stopover on the roads to St-Jacques de Compostelle. Lauzerte is a medieval bastide classified among the "Most Beautiful Villages of France", nicknamed the "Toledo of Quercy".
Lauzerte also finished 4th favorite village in 2019 in Stéphane Bern's show.
Originally, Lauzerte was a Gallic oppidum. Its current name dates from around the year 1000 and is derived from the Latin "lucerna", lamp. It designates an ideal position, visible from afar as a light.
At the end of the 12th century, the Count of Toulouse received the hill as a gift to build a "castelnau", a city protected by a castle.
"The upper town, an example of medieval architecture, organizes its houses around the church of Saint Barthélemy and the Place des Cornières, one of the most beautiful in the region. The ramparts evoke the role played by Lauzerte, torn between the English and the French during the Hundred Years War. The old houses, Gothic or Renaissance style, remind us that the city was also a paradise for rich magistrates and prosperous merchants."
In Lauzerte, you must see the Place des Cornières, modest in size but a real place of life and lined with round arches, basket handles and houses from the 15th to the 18th centuries.
The church of Saint-Barthélemy which houses stalls, paintings, baroque altarpiece, painted panelling attributed to Joseph Ingres, interesting choir organ...
You should also see the esplanade that replaces the Barbican, a defensive structure that protected the Porte d'Auriac, and the Pilgrim's Garden, which is like a game of goose that traces the history and the initiatory route of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and whose entrance is free all year round.
Other sights include the Grand Rue and the Rue de la Garrigue, lined with medieval houses, the Place de la Brèche, the Rue dela Mairie and the Rue du Château with their medieval remains, the Place du Château, the Promenade de l'Eveillé, the Eglise des Carmes...
Lauzerte is also the city of Jacques Buchholtz, a world-renowned ceramist whose ceramic works can be admired along the medieval streets.
Last but not least, there are about fifteen wrought iron signs made by Sylvain Soligon, a former wrought iron worker whose son Didier continues the tradition.
Finally, three thematic guided tours are offered:
"Guided tours of Lauzerte".
Discover the castle founded by Raymond V, count of Toulouse. All public, individuals, families and groups (on reservation all year long with group rates).
"Night tour with torches".
Discover the architecture and history of Lauzerte in an unusual way.
"The art of the table in the Middle Ages
What did people eat in the Middle Ages? Visit of the city, reconstitutions of tables and tasting of local products at the end of the tour.
Tourist Office
3, place des Cornières,
82110 Lauzerte
Tel : 05 63 94 61 94
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