Barbazan (; oc, Barbasan) is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
region of south-western
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Barbazanais'' or ''Barbazanaises''.
Geography
Barbazan is a
Spa town
A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits.
Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. H ...
in the
Comminges
The Comminges (; Occitan/ Gascon: ''Comenge'') is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the department of Haute-Garonne. This natural region is norma ...
region located some 13 km south-west of
Saint-Gaudens and 12 km north of
Cierp-Gaud
Cierp-Gaud is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories i ...
. The western border of the commune is also the departmental border between
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's ...
and
Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...
. Access to the commune is by
Route nationale
A ''route nationale'', or simply ''nationale'', is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve m ...
N125 which comes from the end of the
A645 autoroute and passes down the western side of the commune south to
Ore
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...
. The D26E road comes from
Labroquère in the north-west and passes through the north of the commune ending in the village. The D26 comes from
Valcabrère in the west and passes through the village continuing to
Sauveterre-de-Comminges in the east. The D33D and the D33L go south from the village to join the N125. The commune has extensive forests in the east with some farmland in the west.
[Google Maps]
/ref>
The Garonne
The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna
or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – a ...
river forms most of the western border of the commune as it flows north, passing through Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
, to eventually join the Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named af ...
to form the Gironde estuary
The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...
at Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
. Lake Barbazan, north-west of the village at 452 m above sea level, is of glacial origin. It is surrounded by moraine
A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...
deposits: sub-glacial moraine from Cumania and rocky outcrops of moraine west of the Lake. The ''Ruisseau de Corp'' flows west from the lake to join the Garonne.[
]
Neighbouring communes and villages
[
]
Heraldry
Administration
List of Successive Mayors
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...
;Mayors
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...
from 1937
Demography
In 2017 the commune had 490 inhabitants. However, in 2018, the commune had 492 inhabitants.
Sites and monuments
Barbazan has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:
*The Chateau of Bagen (1544)
*The Flower Garden in the Chateau of Bagen on the D26 road[Ministry of Culture, Mérimée ]
;Other sites of interest
*The Thermal bath
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...
s
*The Lake
*The Church of Saint-Michel
Notable people linked to the commune
*Jacques-Marie d'Astorg (1752-1822), Count of Astorg and Roquépine, Baron of Montégut, French soldier in the 18th and 19th centuries.
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Garonne department
The following is a list of the 586 communes of the French department of Haute-Garonne.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):[List of spa towns in France
The following is a list of spa towns in France.
*Aix-en-Provence
*Aix-les-Bains
*Allevard
*Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda
*Amnéville
*Ardèche
*Aulus-les-Bains
* Ax-les-Thermes
* Bad Niederbronn
*Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*Bagnères-de-Luchon
* Bagnoles
* ...]
*Thermal bath
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...
s
References
External links
Barbazan official website
Barbazan on the Community of Communes of Haut-Comminges website
Barbazan on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Barbazan'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control
Communes of Haute-Garonne