Riscle in the Gers, South West France Riscle lies between Toulouse and Bordeaux, in the heart of Gascony, in the department of the Gers, and not far from the cities of Pau, Auch, Tarbes and Mont de Marsan.
Riscle, Gers (Department 32) is situated on the Adour River which flows from the Pyrenees and is on National Route 135 between Barcelonne-du-Gers and Maubourguet. Riscle is the main centre within the canton which includes the villages of Cahuzac sur Adour, Caumont, Goux, Labarthète, Lelin, Lapujolle, Maulichères, Maumusson, Riscle, Saint Germé, Saint Mont, Sarragachies, Tarsac, Verlus and Viella. Riscle is situated at the junction of three departments: Landes, Hautes Pyrénées and Pyrénées Atlantiques, an historic intersection where people crossed the Adour towards the Pyrenees and their snowy slopes, towards the sanctuaries of Lourdes and towards Béarn and La Chalosse. Riscle enjoys an ideal position not far from the regional cities and airports of Pau and Tarbes, a little further away are the airports of Bordeaux, Toulouse, Biarritz and Agen. Riscle is a town of 1800 inhabitants offering many commercial and educational benefits worthy of more important cities. Riscle offers a wealth of activities such as a swimming pool, tennis courts, walking paths, fishing, horse riding etc. There are many places to stay in Riscle; hotels, chambre d’hôte, large campsite with its own swimming pool but the best place to stay are the various Gites (French Holiday cottages) located in the nearby countryside. These rural Gites vary from bargain holiday cottages to large, luxurious villas with their own private pools.
In Riscle farming and viticulture are the most significant economically but tourism is also important and is growing as more and more tourists realise what the area has to offer. On the sunny hills, the vine is king, but in the valleys, the vines give way to cereal crops. Riscle is part of the wine area of Côtes-de-Saint-Mont. The fertile agriculture of Riscle is watered by the Adour and its tributaries, the Arrioutor and the Boscassé both of which converge on Riscle.
The recorded history of Riscle dates back to the 9th century and the construction of the first edified church at La Roque. The feudal town grouped itself around this and the castle. Later, in the 11th century, Riscle had a hospital, a convent and five churches. Riscle escaped the English invasion that threatened to destroy it in 1569. Nevertheless the convent De La Merci was destroyed by Henri of Montmorency. In 1594, the county of Riscle was given to the family of Podenas by Henri IV of France. Devastating floods in 1737 caused a great deal of damage to the town of Riscle and the surrounding farmland. In the 18th and 19th centuries Riscle was rebuilt and developed and then finally transformed and modernized during the period of 1871 to 1910. Improvements and additions included not only Riscle town hall, covered market, grain market, school, public wash house but also electric street lighting and notable improvements to the rail and road network. In 1930, a metallic suspended bridge was constructed over the Adour, but in August 1944 the French Resistance destroyed it and it took more than eight years to rebuild it. It was renovated again in 2001.
