#Monument
La Cuarde, cairn of escapees and smugglers
Located in French territory, just below the Col de la Cuarde pass, the enamel plaque, designed at the same time as the one in Oloron Sainte-Marie, pays tribute to the courageous smugglers without whom many “escapes” would never have been possible.
The drawing depicts an escapee kneeling in the snow with his guide pointing towards the valley they are trying to reach. Erecting the cairn at an altitude of 1,900 meters was no easy task and required significant effort from volunteers from the Trait d'Union association. While the stones for the base were carried on the backs of men and women, the plaque was delivered by air thanks to a partnership with the Pyrenees National Park and the Haut-Béarn Heritage Institute. The inauguration on June 19, 2004, in foggy and humid weather, brought together more than a hundred people, tired and moved after hours of walking.
Text on the plaque: The Path of Freedom in the Pyrenees is not always easy for those who come from elsewhere. The “smuggler” comforts his companion who is struggling in these mountains of fear and hope... Finally, here is the ridge line, and, with one last effort, here is Spain...
The fugitive and the smuggler illustrated and lived the famous motto: “For the Fatherland through the Mountains.”