Ermitage ParkAgen (47)

Set on the hillsides of the Garonne plain, Agen lies halfway between Bordeaux and Narbonne. The Ermitage plateau is bordered to the north by the Pays de Serres, to the south by the lands of Gascony, to the west by the Landes forest and to the north-west by the Guyenne hills. This agricultural plateau, overlooking the centre of Agen, has a very close relationship with these geographical entities.

Its different facets reveal the specific features of its geography: its limestone cliff seen from Agen, its gentle slope seen from Fonroche.

The plateau offers impressive views over the lands of Gascony, the valleys of the Pays de Serres and the Monbran plateau. But other structuring elements of the conurbation also punctuate this landscape: the canal bridge, the bell towers, the Agen-Nérac university hospital, the nuclear power station…

Excavations and other archaeological surveys have confirmed the presence of a very large Gallic oppidum. The shape of the site and the traces of the Nitiobriges who lived here confirm the presence of artificial terraces and an earth rampart close to the fortified gate. These reliefs play a key role in the perception of the landscape.

The overlapping of the natural reliefs visible on the plateau today and the historic artificial reliefs thus makes it possible to read the evolution of the territory. We therefore propose to reintegrate the latter into the future agricultural park to reveal its historic past.