Dark night skies remain accessible over southern France, thanks to efforts undertaken by a region of the country described by National Geographic as “classic landscape of traditional French life”.
In recognition, Cévennes National Park has been accredited by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) as a Provisional International Dark Sky Reserve.
World’s Newest International Dark Sky Reserve Is The Largest
In Europe
The Park’s rugged landscapes have discouraged development throughout history, and it remains one of the country’s last populous regions.
The encompassing buffer zone brings the total land area in the new International Dark Sky Reserve to 3,600 square kilometres, making it the largest such Reserve in Europe. The new IDA status (August 2018) contributes positively toward the conservation of a number of sensitive plants and animals found only in the region.
Vincent Van Gogh’s dreamy Starry Night at nearby Arles.
The Starry Night, Arles 1889 | MOMA
The Cévennes is the second area of France to be granted Dark Sky status, after the Pic du Midi in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Both French Parks are part of a list of just 13 Dark Sky Reserves across the world.
These include the Brecon Beacons National Park and Snowdonia National Park in Wales; Central Idaho in the US; Exmoor National Park in England; Westhavelland in Germany; Aoraki Mackenzie in New Zealand; Mont-Megantic in Quebec; and the NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia.
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Starry nights at La Flânerie
Historic Stone Sanctuary 15km from the fashionable market town of Uzès in the Languedoc region of Southern France.
Recently renovated self-contained apartment on the ground floor of a traditional 17th c. Provençal village house.