Audaux

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Audaux is a small commune in southwestern France, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It sits about 18 km south of Orthez and 6 km northwest of Navarrenx. The village is connected by the D27 from Bugnein, the D427 to Castetbon, and the D947 across the north. The landscape is mainly farmland with some forests, and the Gave d'Oloron forms its southwestern border while the Barthes mark the eastern edge. Rivers such as the Ruisseau de Labaigt and the Saleys also flow through or near the area.

Audaux covers 17.33 square kilometers. In 2023, 171 people lived there, giving a population density of about 23 inhabitants per square kilometer. The current mayor for 2020–2026 is Kattalin Quentin. The village has an elementary school and the private Sainte-Bernadette institution, which includes a college, a professional school, and a masonry apprenticeship unit. There is one building listed as a historical monument. The local economy is mainly agricultural, and Audaux lies within the Ossau-iraty cheese AOC zone.

The name Audaux, in the local Bearnese language, is Audaus. It may come from an Aquitanian name Aldene with the suffix -os. In 1385 the commune was part of the bailiwick of Navarrenx and belonged to the Marquis of Gassion. Audaux hosts a popular hot air balloon rally every year on the second weekend of July, a tradition since 1991. The area also has a relatively high number of non-permanent residents, due in part to boarding students at Sainte-Bernadette. Elevation ranges roughly from 98 to 229 meters above sea level.