Kingdom of good living and conviviality, the Gers has seen the birth of colorful characters who have kept the strong character of their native land, like the most famous of the Gascon, D'artagnan.

The real character

Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Count d'Artagnan, was born between 1611 and 1615 at Castelmore castle, near Lupiac, about 40 km fromAuch.

When he left for Paris around 1630, he decided to take his mother's name, Françoise de Montesquiou D'Artagnan. He joined the Cadets of the French Guards then joined the Musketeers. King Louis XIV gave him his full confidence, D'Artagnan became captain-lieutenant of the company of Musketeers.

Plunge into history. We are September 5, 1661, D'Artagnan and his musketeers are preparing to arrest Louis XIV's finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet.

It was at the siege of Maastricht that he was killed in 1673. Today the riders can borrow the European Route D'Artagnan, an equestrian route linking the Netherlands to Lupiac, the birthplace of our heroic musketeer.

The hero of Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas discovers the life of D'Artagnan through his memoirs and decides to draw inspiration from them to create the hero of his great romantic trilogy: The three Musketeers.

ALEXANDRE DUMAS, The Three Musketeers

Long, brown face; the protruding cheekbones, tip sign ; enormously developed maxillary muscles, infallible index where we recognize the gas con, even without a beret; the eye  open and smart ; ...

One for all! All for one !

The legend was born, fascinating and captivating entire generations of chivalrous soaring, cloak and sword enthusiasts across the world.

The Gascon plume

From the impetuous cadets of Gascony to the valiant men-at-arms such as Hector de Galard or Marshal Lannes, from the bravery of our rugby players like the “little corporal” Jacques Fouroux to the audacity of our chefs from the Round of the Musketeers, the Gascon plume, this pride a bit hateful, permeates this land of Gers and conveys the values ​​that make the people here so endearing.

André Daguin, an idea of ​​the Gascon panache

The statues of D'Artagnan

In addition to the statues erected in honor of the most famous Gascon in Paris, Maastricht and Cincinnati, the department of Gers proudly displays a few works:

  • In Auch, a bronze signed Firmin Michelet dated 1931 is installed on the monumental staircase.
  • In Condom, D'Artagnan is surrounded by his companions, the musketeers Porthos, Aramis and Athos, the work of the Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli.
  • In Lupiac, an equestrian statue was recently erected. D'Artagnan's native village also dedicates a museum and a festival to him which takes place every year in August.

In 2023, we celebrated the 350th anniversary of D'Artagnan's death. Discover here the detailed program events organized in the Gers on this occasion.

Ready for the adventure?

In July and August, the tourist office offers an escape game in Montaut-les-Créneaux with d'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers. A game to play as a family and as a team from 8 years old at the price of €6 per person.

Podcast tours to go further…

Balaudio offers a pack of 3 visits to discover d'Artagnan, specifically to do with kids ! The 3 stages of discovery take place in Lupiac, Condom and Auch.

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