Heritage, history and culture

Les Orres heritage Wonder and explore

Culture and heritage discovery

Whether you're on a nature walk or visiting the Orrian Museum to learn about ancient mountain life and traditions, or enjoying the peace and quiet of the Les Orres media library or cinema, discover the Orrian heritage and enjoy the many cultural venues.

NUGGETS OF LOCAL HERITAGE

The village of Les Orres and its 10 hamlets were perfectly adapted to theagro-pastoral activity and sometimes harsh climatic conditions of the region.

• Housing adapted to agricultural and pastoral life

South-facing, the large houses were built on several levels. Cows, goats and horses were kept on the first floor. The inhabitants lived upstairs, protected from the cold and damp, warmed by the herd below. Upstairs, a vast attic was filled with hay or wheat. The attic is typical of the old houses in Les Orres.

Sloping wooden walkways allowed hay to be transported under the roof. Considerable quantities of hay had to be stored to feed the animals over the long winter months.

• The fountains

Today, as you stroll through the narrow streets of the village and its hamlets, you'll find numerous fountains scattered throughout the village. Water is a vital resource. Watering livestock, irrigating crops and washing clothes... it used to flow in abundance.

Today, we preserve this precious resource by reducing the flow to a minimum.

• Crosses, timeless guardians of the harvest

In ancient times, crosses were placed in carefully chosen locations to protect wheat crops from the vagaries of the weather, destructive grasshoppers and other natural disasters. Indeed,the wheat fields dominated the entire plateau above Le Forest and Le Chef-lieu.

The Libouret cross, for example, offers a panoramic view of the hamlets of Les Orres, the resort and the surrounding mountain ranges. This cross had disappeared. In 2008, at the request of several Les Orres families, the commune sealed a new wooden cross on the site of the old one. Today, a picnic table offers a breathtaking view.

Heritage and cultural events calendar

Traditional festivals, concerts and exhibitions, arts and crafts workshops, discovery outings : the Les Orres resort, the town hall, the media library and the Orrian museum organize cultural events throughout the year.