Gordes – A village made of stone and light (english version)
Provence awakens in the first light of the day. Above the fields of the Lubberon, the fog rises. Lavender and vineyards glow in delicate colors. High above the valley on the mighty rock guard towers. The stone houses nestle on the slope. The castle crowns the silhouette. Anyone who arrives here immediately feels guard is more than a village. It is a symbol of province. People have lived on this rock for thousands of years. Keltoigurans built their settlement here. Romans built roads and connected gourds to the world. In the Middle Ages, a fortress surrounded by walls grew narrowly nested in steep streets. For the inhabitants, it was a place of protection, but also a life full of deprivation. Agriculture determined everyday life. Olives, wine, sheep. The baron country gave what it could and demanded a lot from the people. Testimonies of this everyday life still stand before us today. The Boris, dry layered stone huts built without mortar, like small fortresses in the landscape. They offered shelter to shepherds and peasants. Served as stables and storehouses, bread ovens, small sleeping niches. That’s all you needed to survive the hard work of harvest time. The old oil mills also tells of the arduous pressing of the olives, treasure that secured life. In the center of God rises the castle. Since the 11th century is the heart of the community. In the 16th, the lords of Simeon Dagul transformed the fortress into a Renaissance palace. One side defensive and closed, the other with elegant facads open to the south. A building between the Middle Ages and modern times. A symbol of power, culture, and change. The story of Gard remained moved. During the German occupation in the Second World War, the village was a center of resistance. Many residents paid for their courage with life. After the difficult years, artists came here who loved the light and the forms. Mark Shagal, Andre Lot, Victor Vazarelli. They made Gourd a meeting place for art. The village found its way back to life, supported by creativity and a new hope. Today, around 1,600 people live in God, but almost half of the houses are second homes. Wealthy urbanites and international guests spend their holidays here. Tourism has become a lifeline. Every year over 600,000 visitors flock to the alleys, markets, boutiques, cafes, everything pulsates in summer. About 40% of all jobs depend on tourism. Gourd lives in the tension between authenticity and commerce, between village peace and international splendor. And yet Gard is more than just a tourist destination. It is the view over the valley that changes with each step. It is the stone houses whose bright facads glow in the sunlight. It is the monastery of Sin surrounded by lavender fields which shine purple in summer. Art, history, and nature merge here into a picture that embodies Province like hardly any other place. But the future is asking questions. Property prices are rising and it will be hard for young people to stay in the village. Tourism brings prosperity but also overcrowding in the summer months. How can God preserve its authenticity without frozen in a backdrop? The answer may be in a cautious balance between openness to visitors and protecting what the village has been about for centuries. In the evening, golden light lies over the roofs of Gard. The stones glow as if they had absorbed the fire of Provence. Gard, a village of stone and history. Those who stay here not only see a postcard motif but also feel proceed itself. Lively, contradictory, full of beauty.
Gordes is one of the most famous villages in Provence and is located in the Luberon department, east of Avignon. The village sits on a hilltop, with narrow, charming streets and an old castle. Gordes was also a filming location for the successful movie “A Good Year,” which is set on a well-known vineyard in the Luberon.