UZES: "First Duchy of France."

The elegant medieval town of Uzes is located at the end of a limestone plateau overlooking the valley and the source of Alzon Eure, captured by the Romans to supply the city of Nimes with water.
The city is proudly dominated by tall towers, that reflect the rivalries of power between the various lords of the city : the bishop, the lord of Uzes and the King's representative.
Home to one of the largest dioceses of Languedoc until the Revolution, the old cathedral has preserved a beautiful Romanesque bell tower, 42ft high called tower Fenestrelle. She served as a watchtower during the wars of religion.
In the 16th century, Uzès became the fifth protestant city of the Kingdom. But in 1685, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes obliges the Protestants to be converted to the Catholicism either to emigrate in whole Europe.

Uzès bears the distinction of being the "first Duchy of France" : in 1565, Antoine de Crussol is the second character in the Kingdom after Montmorency, to receive the title of duke, reserved until then, for the members of the royal family. At the death of the Duke of Montmorency, the Duke of Uzès became the first Duke and Peer of the Kingdom : his descendants still live in the beautiful castle open to the public.

Big place of production of serge, silk and woolen sheets, the city will welcome afterward famous potters and liquorice factories today gathered under the famous brand name “Haribo”.
Remarkably restored town, its streets and the famous Place aux Herbes offer a setting that attracts many filmmakers!