Dunes is a commune of Tarn-et-Garonne, in the Occitanie region, 20 km south-east of Agen, on the boundary of Lot-et-Garonne and the borders of the Gers.
In a quietly hilly landscape, on the left bank of the Garonne, the city was founded in the middle of the thirteenth century by the seneschal of Agen. This bastide (a new town with a checkerboard plan around its central square and with ramparts) was administered by consuls and the peasants could take refuge there in case of troubles.
Much of this heritage legacy has been preserved despite the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion. It is true that under Louis XIV, erected as a marquisate, Dunes attracts a wealthy aristocracy and bourgeoisie who restore and embellish the heart of the small town.
The village, which today has some 1200 inhabitants, was the scene of a tragedy in June 1944 when 12 inhabitants were hanged and four others shot by SS multiplying the abuses after the announcement of the Allied landing.
Dunes has recovered its serenity. Surrounded by orchards and prosperous farmland, in an environmental setting conducive to hiking, the bastide is still appreciated by visitors for its charm and its picturesque.
A nice walk in the country house is required during a stage at Dunes.
If traces of the old walls are still visible, it is the charm of its houses and public buildings and its plan "chalk" that amaze.
In the center, the square now dedicated to the martyrs of 1944 still has beautiful arcades or covered. The town hall was built in the heart of this friendly and picturesque space at the same time, where a secular well has been preserved.
In the converging streets, many mansions, often timber-framed, testify to the wealth of the former owners who sometimes restored the primitive dwellings with neo-Gothic touches.
A nineteenth-century convent, the church of Saint-Madeleine whose bases are of the thirteenth and which houses a remarkable chapel in trompe-l'œil, not to mention its typical porch-bell tower, also appear in this course.
One will not forget to linger, in the "east" part of the city, at the level of the neighborhood of the weavers who worked formerly for industrialists of Agen or, in the south, on the vestiges of the main gate of the "new city" ".
Many shops and stalls of craftsmen, today, continue to perpetuate the commercial vocation of Dunes.
A guided tour of the bastide is offered every Thursday at 15h from June to September. Otherwise, fascicles are available in town hall. Information on +33 5 63 39 90 51.
Outside the walls, the vast foirail also testifies to the status of commercial crossroads which was long that of Dunes. In the south-east, on the other hand, an eleventh-century tower testifies that the site was the seat of a Templars commandery before Dunes was created as such.
For hikers, the green surroundings of the bastide, dotted with orchards, wooded areas and elements of small heritage (laundries) are the subject of several marked trails. Maps and information on +33 5 63 39 90 51 or +33 5 63 21 79 65.
In addition, the town has developed picnic areas and playgrounds that allow, in summer in particular, to fully enjoy the attractions of this typical locality of the region.