La Tour-d'Auvergne is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, 60 km south-west of Clermont-Ferrand, on the western slope of the Sancy massif.
Its territory of 48 km² culminates at almost 1 700 m but the average altitude of the town is 1000 m.
The village owes its name to a famous and powerful family, the barony of La Tour, which allied itself in the 14th century to the house of Auvergne. Among the last great figures of this lineage, Catherine de Medicis and her daughter Queen Margot, in the sixteenth and early seventeenth century. This dynasty had acquired a considerable number of possessions and seigneuries, as far as Bouillon and Sedan, but Louis XIII and then Louis XIV dismantled this complex, including the fortified castle erected in the 11th century at La Tour-d'Auvergne and destroyed in 1666. There remains no vestige. But the locality has preserved other inheritances of its past, and this agricultural commune (raising) of approximately 690 inhabitants (there were 2 000 at the beginning of the twentieth century) has become a stage appreciated by the amateurs of green tourism thanks To its preserved natural environment. It has also become a winter sports resort appreciated for its conviviality and its family atmosphere, bordering other famous municipalities, such as Mont-Dore and La Bourboule.
If there are no traces left of the castle once on a spur, the village built in tiers is not lacking picturesque charm, as evidenced by the rue de la Pavade, formerly covered with slabs to evacuate rainwater.
In the hamlet of Saint-Pardoux, the church of the same name dates from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. It is enlarged with a bell-porch, and is completed by a Gothic chapel at the beginning of the 15th century, then by aisles in the second half of the 15th century. The chorus was reworked in the 17th century. So many indications of the vitality of the hamlet. The church is the subject of restoration campaigns.
On the hill of Natzy, to the north of the village, also to see, a chapel, its monumental statue in cast iron of the Virgin (XIX) and its Way of the Cross which are the object of a pilgrimage always prized. Very nice view on the massif of Sancy.
Many hiking and mountain biking trails include these sites as well as the banks of the Burande, the basalt organs (columns) of the plateau, or various waterfalls that line the streams descending from the summits, not forgetting the points More remarkable where to observe fauna and flora. To find out about the difficulty of the routes (in the middle mountain area) and the routes, please call +33 4 73 21 79 78.
A stop at La Tour-d'Auvergne can of course include a break on the beach and the shores of its 12-hectare lake, near the center of the town. Swimming in summer, fishing and sporting activities possible. Information on +33 4 73 21 50 12.
For discovery activities of the natural and artisanal heritage (visit of cheese dairies for example), also ask the Natural Park of the Volcanoes of Auvergne in +33 4 73 65 64 26.
In winter, finally, the Nordic area of the resort of La Stele, common with Chastreix, Le Mont Dore and La Bourboule offers, just for La Tour-d'Auvergne, 90 km of cross-country ski trails and 45 km of snowshoe trails ! Information for ski equipment rental in La Tour-d'Auvergne at +33 4 73 21 52 75. Other information about the resort at +33 4 73 65 57 71.
The summer season begins with the cherry fair on the 3rd Saturday in June.
The festival of the lake, on the 13th of July in the evening, combines conviviality and musical animations.
In mid-July also, a triathlon prized by the specialists animates the village.
The Feast of Saint Anne, the last weekend of July, the Feast of Our Lady of Natzy, the first Sunday of August and the patronal feast of St. Louis on the last Sunday of August are also Convivial meetings that a large public appreciates.
Finally, in different registers, the autumn fair on the first Saturday in October and the two weekly markets (Tuesday and Saturday mornings in the center of the town) are ideal occasions to appreciate local products and local crafts.
