Parc des Quinconces, Park in Bagnères-de-Luchon, France
The Parc des Quinconces is a public park in the center of Bagnères-de-Luchon, right in front of the thermal baths. It is divided into two parts: a formal French-style garden with straight paths and ordered trees, and an English-style section with a lake, conifers, and trails that lead up into the forest.
The park was created in 1849, when the town was developing its thermal resort and wanted to offer visitors a place to walk in front of the baths. Over the following decades, sculptures and structures were added, including a music kiosk from the late 19th century and a funicular station built in 1894.
The name "Quinconces" refers to a planting pattern where trees are arranged in staggered rows, like the five-dot face of a die. Visitors who walk through the older section can still notice this pattern in the layout of the catalpas and tulip trees.
The park is freely accessible and works well for a short stroll or a longer walk up into the forest section. Families with children will find a playground and a skate park on the grounds, along with the bronze bear statue that kids tend to enjoy climbing.
The park contains a small wooden refreshment stand from 1900 known as the "buvette du petit lait," or whey bar. Visitors taking the sulfur baths would stop here to drink whey, which was believed to settle the stomach after treatment.
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