The allées d’Etigny were opened across the fields in 1762 by the baron of the same name, to link the village to the “Baigneries”. A medical service was organised and roads were laid out to link the village to Montréjeau. In 1763, Cardinal de Richelieu came to Luchon, the royal nobility was won over and the resort of Bagnères-de-Luchon was launched. These new avenues, 30 metres wide and almost 600 metres long, enabled urban development, and from the 18th century onwards, vast residences were built here. The Allées d’Etigny form a fairly homogeneous whole, with a wide variety of architectural styles.
At number 18 is the Louis XVI-style Château Lassus Nestier, built in 1772 and the first building in the allées. Its 4-sloped roof is characteristic of noble houses. It now houses the Tourist Office.
The present-day Mairie (Town Hall) is at number 23. The building was bequeathed to the town by Mme Colomic, widow of the town’s administrator. It was in this house that the painter Romain Cazes lived and died on 13 September 1881, author of the frescoes in the thermal baths and the churches of Luchon and St Mamet.
A little further up, from numbers 41 to 45, as well as numbers 47 and 53, you can see buildings that are representative of the neo-classical style: each of the facades is symmetrical with a central access stoop and metal balconies.
Some families in search of privacy preferred to live in villas. The most famous on the Allées d’Etigny are the Spont chalets at number 56. These are 3 buildings built between 1848 and 1855 by Mrs and Mr Spont in a vast park, who, on returning from their honeymoon in Switzerland, were seduced by Alpine architecture and wanted to recreate this atmosphere. The smallest chalet, set back, was the owners’ accommodation. The 2 larger chalets, one of which borders the driveways and has 5 levels of living space, were rented out to wealthy spa guests and have welcomed many illustrious guests. It was after staying here that the Grand Duke of Russia, brother of the Tsar, invited Marcel Spont and his guide to climb the Caucasus.
The avenues have also seen the construction of numerous holiday homes and large hotels to cater for a demanding clientele. These hotels are recognisable by the size of their facades, the number of windows and the size of their balconies. Many of them have been a feature of Luchon’s tourist and social life. The most emblematic is Le Sacaron, where the King of Morocco stayed, and a little further down at number 29, the Poste et Golf and its discotheque “La Rotonde”. Opened in 1947, it was Luchon’s first nightclub, and has played host to many songwriters and great jazz musicians such as Bill Colman and Guy Lafitte. At number 15, the former Hôtel de Bordeaux, résidence Pardeilhan, boasts an attractive art deco façade. On the other side of the street, the Hôtel Continental at number 22 and the Hôtel d’Angleterre at number 26 are also among these emblematic establishments. As well as, near the Thermes, the beautiful residences “Palais d’Etigny” and “Grand Hôtel”, where the composer Henri Busser and his wife, the singer Yvonne Gall, were regulars during the last years of their lives. Today, these hotels have been converted into private residences. Also near the thermal baths, the beautiful house belonging to the de Gorse family, home of the writer Henri de Gorse, welcomed many guests from the world of politics and literature in the early 20th century.
The Allées d’Etigny lead to the Parc des Quinconces and the thermal baths.
