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Home > Discover the Alpes de Haute-Provence > Towns, small towns and typical villages > Oraison

Oraison

A town in the country in Haute Provence

TOURIST INFORMATION

Oraison Tourist Office : Tel. 04.92.78.60.80.
See also : Manosque, Forcalquier, Les Mées, Val de Durance, Valensole.

Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the district

MORE ABOUT ORAISON

Nestled between the hills which unfold from the Montagne de Lure and the fields of lavender of the Valensole plateau, Oraison stretches along the Durance, at the gateway to the Luberon and Verdon Nautral Regional Parks and a stone's throw from Forcalquier and Manosque.

In Ligurian times, the village was located on the Tholonet hill, at Villevieille. Evidence of Roman occupation have been discovered all over this district: brick tumuli, statuettes, Roman medallions and coins. Oraison, which was also one of the important Resistance sites of the Basses-Alpes during the Second World War, is specialized today in regional produce.

The town also boasts tone of the main racecourses and do-race track in the region where important races are regularly organized, and superb swimming and fishing lakes in les Buissonnades. Oraison is relaxation in a natural and unspoiled landscape of 2.300 ha of downy oak and holm oak forest, hence its name « a town in the country ».

HERITAGE

Parish curch of Notre-Dame du Thor : 1662.
« Maison d'Oraison » (Renaissance-style castle): 1720.
Chapel of Saint-Pancrace : XIIth century. Roman bridge over the Rancure : 1698.
Seven-arched bridge over the Durance : inaugurated in the presence of Frédéric Mistral in 1888.
Ruins of the fort on the Tholonet hill.
Café du Commerce : unique with its 1900s style.
9 fountains and 3 wash-houses : marked 50m itinerary.
Alley-ways, doors, bootscrapers, cart-stones.
Dovecotes, oratories

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

Hikes or mountain-bike rides : many paths, IGN/25.000 n° 3342ET map, topo-guide Haute-Provence/Val de Durance (PR 633), booklet « marked paths » on sale in the TO.
Paragliding site.
Hang-gliding and model aircraft platform.
Swimming pool : heated, open in July and August every day from 1 to 7pm except Mondays, aquagym lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm. Tel. 04.92.78.62.13.
Skate-parc : free access.
Tennis. Tel. 04.92.79.84.84.
Bicycle, mountain-bike and hybrid-bike rental. Tel. 04.92.70.98.86.
Library : open every day in the Castle, children's books. Tel. 04.92.78.70.82.
Cinema : the Eden.

THE BUISSONNADES LAKE

4 km from town-centre, a magnificent swimming area and 3 lakes in an unspoiled site.

Swimming : open every day in July and August, shady beaches and lawns, supervized swimming from 10am to 7pm, restaurant and snack-bar, access free, free car park, telephone booth, toilets.
LEisure activities : windsurfing, pedalos, toboggan, boating on the lake.
Fishing : open all year round except for trout fishing, card for sale in the Vesseron hardware store (closed on Mondays). Tel. 04.92.78.62.37.
Guided botanical tour of the Buissonnades lake : the riverine forest, herbaceous plants, aquatic plants, tatings (according to season), animals such as the nutria! Guided tour every Thurday at 10 am from May to September, or on request for groups. Tel. 04.92.78.60.80.
Fitness trail : around 3rd lake, from 7 years old, 10 facilities (leap-frog, parallel bars, giant's footsteps, beam.). Access free.

MAIN EVENTS

Market : Tuesday morning.
Greyhound races on the dog race track with pari mutuel : March to October.
Horse races on the racecourse with pari mutuel and quarté régional : April to September.
Carnival : March.
Heart health trail : April.
Printemps des Poétes (Poets' festival) : April.
Fête votive : 1st weekend in May.
Fête de Saint-Pancrace : 2nd Sunday in May.
Art de Mai : May.
Fair on the race course : June.
Fête de la Durance : odd years, June.
Fête de la Musique : mid-June.
Journées du Patrimoine : September
Gala de boxe (boxing) : October.
Bourse aux oiseaux (Bird sale) : November.
Foulée de Noël : foot race

NEARBY

Puimichel astronomical observatory : during the summer, star-gazing evenings, visits of the observatory, observations of the sun, the moon and the planets. In summer. Tel. 06.37.43.00.42.

FOR THE FAMILY

Day camp : l’Eveil des Lutins, for 3 to 12 year olds. Tel. 04.92.78.66.45.
Games area for children : open all year round, free access.

JEAN MARC GASPARD ITARD

Born in Oraison in 1774, died in Passy in 1838, surgeon-general of the Royal Medical Institute, doctor Itard is famous for having undertaken the education of « Victor, the wild-child of the Aveyron », a 12 year old boy who had lived alone in the woods like a wild animal for seven or eight years. The film « l’Enfant Sauvage » by François Truffaut tells his story.

For this boy, Itard had elaborated a method of sensory education which he went on to use with deaf-mute children. His works, taken up by Edouard Seguin and Maria Montessori, show that doctor Itard was one of the main founders of modern child psychiatry, ololaryngology and speech therapy.

VILLAGES AROUND

Entrevennes : an enchanting little road climbs up through the sweet-smelling pine trees and garrigue and onto a superb high plateau with fields of wheat and lavender as far as the eye can see, a magnificent view of the village built on a promontory that will suddenly appear as you come round a corner, and a picturesque collection of rusty agricultural tools exhibited at the entrance to the village. Worth a visit: Church of Notre-Dame de Saint Martin (XIth century apse, XVIIth century belfry). Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
La Brillanne : beautiful view over the Durance valley from the viewpoint of the Castle which can be reached by the chemin des Garri. Worth a visit: beautiful stone houses, ancient round tower, remains of ramparts, church. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
Le Castellet : what a style! In the Rancure valley, Le Castellet offers its marvellous grey stone to the visitor's eye: almost all the houses, and even the little main square in the shade of plane-trees, is surrounded by its little dry-stone wall, in all shades of grey. Worth a visit: feudal ruins, Château de Taillas (XVIIth century), round double-spouted fountain, church (XIIIth century base). Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.
Puimichel : little perched Provencal village, built up the side of a hill and crowned by a superb church which can be reached by the « Montée Saint-Elzéar » a steep climb: from the top, you will be rewarded by a 360° view over Provence. Worht a visit: parish church (XIIIth century base), perfume distilleries, astronomical observatory open to all with one of the biggest amateur telescopes in the world (106 cm), oil mill. Lists of SELF-CATERING GITES in the area.