The wild boar

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The legendary wild boar at the Casino roundabout in Salies de Béarn stands as a testament to artistry, crafted from natural-sized bronze by Guy Roux in 1997 at Charles Bertoni's workshops in Mauléon. According to local lore, Salies-de-Béarn was uncovered during a hunting expedition, where a wounded wild boar fled its pursuers and ultimately perished in a nearby swamp. The animal's silks were covered with sparkling salt crystals as it took its final breaths. In those dying moments, the boar allegedly declared to the men in Bearnese dialect: "If I weren't dead, no one would live here." This cryptic statement marked the discovery of saltwater at Salies-de-Béarn and prompted the settlers to make the area their home.