In 2000, the first Geopark was founded; it was in France and in Haute-Provence! It will be the first in a long series since today there are 127 UNESCO geoparks in 35 different countries.
Located in the heart of the Alpes de Haute-Provence, equidistant from Nice, Marseille and Grenoble the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence covers an area of 67 municipalities and its headquarters is based in Digne-les-Bains, at the Musée Promenade. Around its exceptional geological heritage it connects and values a whole range of natural, cultural, and intangible sites that make this UNESCO Geopark the only in the world of this kind.
The UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence associates many partners: Accommodation providers, restaurant owners, craftsmen, farmers, sport and outside activities professionals, tourism professionals and they will give you a hearty welcome.
I discover with images
To experience its best: the 5 routes in the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence.
The UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence invites you to discover along 5 routes the 1989 km2 of its unique territory. Each one has its own identity and can be visited by car (in half a day) or by foot. These routes, with over 1330 facilities on site combined with its vast hidden heritage, enable you to go through the very contrasted regions that make up the UNESCO Geopark. Along these routes, you will also meet the inhabitants of the area, all partners of the UNESCO Geopark. They are accommodation providers, restaurant owners, craftsmen, farmers, all proud of their territory and skills and invite you to share their knowledge and passion. Each route also offers a set of short walks (from 30 minutes to 3 hours maximum). These 5 routes are described in the document of the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence / Map of discoveries, Routes, Sites and Partners (available in the Tourist Offices):
From Sisteron:
- the road of history, words and stones
- the time route
- the road of history, words and stones
- the time route
From Digne-les-Bains:
- the road of art prints in the earth memory
- the road of mountains and men
- the road of pebbles, flavors and lavender
- the road of art prints in the earth memory
- the road of mountains and men
- the road of pebbles, flavors and lavender
Focus on...
The time route
This route invites you to a journey back in time; The time of Human Beings and the time of Mother Earth. Secret, strange or even mysterious sites punctuate its itinerary and make this route a true "initiatory journey" in the heart of sumptuous landscapes. More information here
A geological heritage protected by a Nature Reserve
Created in 1984, the National Nature Reserve of Haute-Provence is a fundamental partner of the UNESCO Geopark. It covers an area of 230000 ha between the Alpes de Haute-Provence and the Var and covers 2/3 of the territory of the UNESCO Geopark. It protects and enhances geological sites, fossils in place, and landscapes with folded and fractured layers. The protection is based on two scaling limits. On one hand a set of 18 geological sites on which extraction and collection of any form of fossil is prohibited. On the other hand, a large protected area spread over 59 municipalities where the extraction of fossils is prohibited and the collection of naturally cleared forms is tolerated, if practiced in limited quantities. This Nature Reserve is managed by the County Council of the Alpes de Haute-Provence.
A territory linked to contemporary art
The CAIRN art center is a laboratory of creation connecting art to nature and the special features of the territory, and at the same time producing and spreading art in a rural environment that focuses on rereading, interpreting and reconfiguring the territory around it through various artists’ eyes. Created in 2000 from the collaboration between the Gassendi Museum and the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence, today this structure is expanding its artistic mission with a twofold objective:
- offering exhibitions created on site by artists in residence;
- to organize a permanent works collection and temporary works on a territory of more than 200,000 ha thanks to public commissions and European programs. The works located in the nature and in the temporary showroom call the visitors for a walk in the mountain.
- offering exhibitions created on site by artists in residence;
- to organize a permanent works collection and temporary works on a territory of more than 200,000 ha thanks to public commissions and European programs. The works located in the nature and in the temporary showroom call the visitors for a walk in the mountain.
Did you know ?
On the Road of history, words and stones, a stop is imperative to discover the Saint-Amand chapel. Overlooking the valley of the Sasse at almost 1300 m of altitude, on the borders of the territory of Clamensane, this religious building is a former pilgrimage site. It is surrounded by one of the most beautiful spruce juniper stands in the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence. Hiking circuit: 5 hours.
