Located on the edge of the Digne pre-Alps, on the edge and east of the Durance, this commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence was once a stopover for navigation, Escalo in Provençal.
In Gallo-Roman times, when the Durance was relatively navigable, l'Escale was an important river port. The site of Bourguet, located 1 km north of the village was at that time a major residential center. The excavations of 1960-1961, before the impoundment of the Escale reservoir, made it possible to update the most important series of ancient bronzes (statuettes and busts) discovered in Haute-Provence.
Old village
The village of l'Escale developed in the Middle Ages simultaneously on the hillside of Vière and in the “hamlet of the host”.
Place of obligatory passage between Sisteron and Digne, it then swarmed into small hamlets closer to agricultural realities.
To the south of the village, the dovecote dating from the middle of the XNUMXth century was recently restored to the original thanks to the “Alpes et Lumière” association.
In 2017, the village has 1397 inhabitants.
Ornithological Reserve
The artificial Escale lake located on the Durance was created in the early 1960s with the construction of the hydroelectric dam-bridge.
Sedimentation was strong until the 2000s and favored the establishment of the reedbed, which is now stabilizing.
Four major types of environments have been listed: wetlands and aquatic environments, forest environments, open environments, anthropogenic environments. This reservoir now concentrates a biodiversity of a richness almost equivalent to that recorded in the Camargue.
Ornithology enthusiasts can observe nearly 140 species of birds on the shores of the lake, often hidden in the reeds or gravel banks, others are easily visible on the bodies of water.
Around the lake, a two-hour walking path allows you to discover this important ornithological site.
A document listing the different species is available at the tourist office, and several explanatory panels can be found on the trail.
Old village
The village of l'Escale developed in the Middle Ages simultaneously on the hillside of Vière and in the “hamlet of the host”.
Place of obligatory passage between Sisteron and Digne, it then swarmed into small hamlets closer to agricultural realities.
To the south of the village, the dovecote dating from the middle of the XNUMXth century was recently restored to the original thanks to the “Alpes et Lumière” association.
In 2017, the village has 1397 inhabitants.
Ornithological Reserve
The artificial Escale lake located on the Durance was created in the early 1960s with the construction of the hydroelectric dam-bridge.
Sedimentation was strong until the 2000s and favored the establishment of the reedbed, which is now stabilizing.
Four major types of environments have been listed: wetlands and aquatic environments, forest environments, open environments, anthropogenic environments. This reservoir now concentrates a biodiversity of a richness almost equivalent to that recorded in the Camargue.
Ornithology enthusiasts can observe nearly 140 species of birds on the shores of the lake, often hidden in the reeds or gravel banks, others are easily visible on the bodies of water.
Around the lake, a two-hour walking path allows you to discover this important ornithological site.
A document listing the different species is available at the tourist office, and several explanatory panels can be found on the trail.
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Location details
- Lake or body of water within 300 m
- Pond less than 300 m
- Public transport stop within 500 m
- Lake or body of water at -5 km
- River at -5 km
- At the water's edge
- River or river within 300 m
- In the city
- Mountain view
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