Luberon (Montagne du Luberon) Attractions
The Montagne du Lubéron rises in the interior of the region to the east of Cavaillon. On the south the mountain range is bordered by the River Durance, the plain of which is intensively cultivated (cereals, orchards) and in addition there are some green areas; in the north the valley of the Coulon divides it from the Plateau de Vaucluse. The Montagne du Lubéron is a mountainous area of chalk which reaches a height of 1,125m/3,692ft in the Mourre Nègre. Usually a distinction is made between the Petit Lubéron in the west and the Grand Lubéron in the east, which are separated by the gorge of the Combe de Lourmarin.
A dark chapter of history was the massacre in 1545 which the Baron of Oppède perpetrated in 24 villages (including Cadenet, Lourmarin, Ménerbes and Mérindol). Because his beloved, the Baroness of Tour d'Aigues, would not marry him he had over 2,000 inhabitants of her village killed in every conceivable manner; he sold 800 men to be galley slaves and plundered and burned the houses. These people had the misfortune to be Waldenses (Christian followers of Peter Waldo), who had been threatened since the Parliament of Aix. The persecution had lasted from 1524 until the Baron obtained approval from King Francis I for his act of revenge.
A dark chapter of history was the massacre in 1545 which the Baron of Oppède perpetrated in 24 villages (including Cadenet, Lourmarin, Ménerbes and Mérindol). Because his beloved, the Baroness of Tour d'Aigues, would not marry him he had over 2,000 inhabitants of her village killed in every conceivable manner; he sold 800 men to be galley slaves and plundered and burned the houses. These people had the misfortune to be Waldenses (Christian followers of Peter Waldo), who had been threatened since the Parliament of Aix. The persecution had lasted from 1524 until the Baron obtained approval from King Francis I for his act of revenge.
Read More
Mourre Nègre
Just short of Lourmarin a narrow forest track branches off to the left, climbs up to the crest of the Grand Lubéron and in about another 15km/9mi reaches the Mourre Nègre, the highest point of the range. The last short stretch must be made on foot; from the top there is a magnificent panorama.
Lubéron Bories
In several places in Lubéron can be seen the characteristic so-called "bories", huts built of boulders without mortar.
Lubéron Mountains - Combe de Loumarin
Road D934 leads from Bonneiux to the dense, relatively low forest of holm-oaks, sweet- chestnuts and gorse in the Gorge of the Aigue Brun, below impressive, partly overhanging rock walls.
Lubéron Mountains - Cucuron
There is a worthwhile excursion from Loumarin to Cucuron, about 10km/6mi distant. The Romanesque and Gothic church is in poor condition; it has a pulpit with various colored marble intarsis work and an 18th C. altarpiece of the Resurrection by Puget. The Regional Museum in the Hôtel des Bouliers has exhibits illustrating pre- and early history as well as Gallo-Roman finds. Mourre Nègre can be climbed from Cucuron.
Lubéron Mountains - Loumarin
At the southern end of the Combe lies Loumarin, overlooked by its 15th/16th C. hilltop château; from the tower there is a good view of the Lubéron, the plain of the Durance and the Montagne Ste Victoire (half-hour guided tours morning and afternoon). The writer and Nobel prizewinner Albert Camus (1913- 1960) who had settled here is buried in the churchyard.
Lúberon - Parc Régional du Lubéron
A large part of the Lubéron mountainous area is taken up by the Parc Régional du Lubéron (nature park), established in 1977, which has an area of about 120,000ha/296,520acres and which extends into the neighboring Département of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
Rustrel, France
A good 10km/6mi northeast of Apt is the village of Rustrel. Like Roussillon it is known for its deposits of ochre. Here the little River Dôa has cut a gorge, called the "Colorado de Rustrel". This picturesque gorge can be reached by two roads going south from Rustrel. Footpaths lead to the ochre rocks.
