Bagnères-de-Bigorre (, literally ''Bagnères of

Bigorre Bigorre ({{IPA-fr, biɡɔʁ; Gascon: ''Bigòrra'') is a region in southwest France, historically an independent county and later a French province, located in the upper watershed of the Adour, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, part of th ...

''; oc, label= Gascon, Banhèras de Bigòrra ) 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 ...

and

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...

of the

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. ...

Department in the Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

of southwestern

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 ...

Name

The town was known in

antiquity Antiquity or Antiquities may refer to: Historical objects or periods Artifacts *Antiquities, objects or artifacts surviving from ancient cultures Eras Any period before the European Middle Ages (5th to 15th centuries) but still within the histo ...

as (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for "watery

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

") and in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

as ("Waters of 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 nor ...

"). Its present name similarly means "Baths" ( oc, Banhèras) of

, the area of southwestern

once inhabited by the ' and now forming most of the department of

. Either Bagnères-de-Bigorre or nearby

Cieutat Cieutat (; oc, Ciutat) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. Its name comes from the Latin word ''civitas'' because in the Early Middle Ages it was the capital of the former French province of Bigorre. See ...

was apparently the "Begorra" attested in AD 400, which also derived from the ancient tribe.

Heraldry

Geography

Location

Bagnères-de-Bigorre is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees partly in the valley of the

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean ( Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. ...

some southeast of

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...

and east of

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châ ...

Hydrography

The

river flows through the north-east of the commune and the town flowing towards the north to eventually flow into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine r ...

. Numerous streams flow through the commune including the'' GaiVeste'' which forms the northern border as it flows north-east to join the Adour, the ''Oussouet'' which forms part of the western border as it flows north, the ''Ardazen'' which forms part of the eastern border as it flows east to join the ''Angoue'', the ''Quartier par d'Abay'' which also forms part of the eastern border as it flows north-east gathering numerous tributaries, the ''Lhécou'' flows north from ''Lac Bleu'' just south of the commune to join the Quartier par d'Abay, the ''Garet'' forms part of the south-eastern border as it flows north from several lakes in the south of the commune (Lac de Caderolles, Lac de Gréziolles), the ''Adour d'Arizes'' flows south-east, and the ''Adour du Tourmalet'' flows east then north-east through the south of the commune, the hamlet of La Mongie and the Castillon Dam, to join the Adour d'Arizes forming the ''Adour de Gripp''.

Climate

Bagneres-de-Bigorre is relatively untouched by the west by south-west disturbances which blow out before the high border mountain range. It is however intensely exposed to north by north-west disturbances that collide with the terrain. This barrier effect is felt up to the foothills so that springs, autumns, and winters are cool and rainy while summers are often hot and particularly stormy.

History

Antiquity

was conquered by the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

in 56 BCE and incorporated into the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Gallia Aquitania Gallia Aquitania ( , ), also known as Aquitaine or Aquitaine Gaul, was a province of the Roman Empire. It lies in present-day southwest France, where it gives its name to the modern region of Aquitaine. It was bordered by the provinces of Gal ...

. Valerius Messala stamped out the last pockets of tribal resistance in 28 BC at a victory over the Campani on a hill in

Pouzac Pouzac (; oc, Posac) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a ...

. The Romans subsequently settled and greatly frequented Vicus Aquensis's natural springs. At its greatest extent, the Roman

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

covered about half as much area as the present community. In the 4th-century reforms, the area around Vicus Aquensis became

Aquitania Tertia Novempopulania (Latin for "country of the nine peoples") was one of the provinces created by Diocletian (Roman emperor from 284 to 305) out of Gallia Aquitania, which was also called ''Aquitania Tertia''. Early Roman period The area of Novemp ...

or Novempopulana. It was sacked by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is k ...

amid the

Barbarian Invasions The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

Middle Ages

The

in the area were displaced by the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools ...

following their defeat at the AD 507

Battle of Vouillé The Battle of Vouillé (from Latin ''Campus Vogladensis'') was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at Vouillé, near Poitiers (Gaul), in the spring of 507 between the Franks, commanded by Clovis, and the Visigoths, comman ...

, but there are no documents or remains from the area to provide guidance on local history until 1171. Archaeologists have proposed that the city was destroyed at some point by an earthquake and abandoned following a

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

outbreak in 580. The area had recovered by 1171, when ,

count of Bigorre The County of Bigorre was a small feudatory of the Duchy of Gascony in the ninth through 15th centuries. Its capital was Tarbes. The county was constituted out of the dowry of Faquilène, an Aquitainian princess, for her husband Donatus Lupus ...

, granted "Aquae Convenarum" a liberal charter. The bill of rights and franchises lists four villages in the area protected by ramparts. By 1313, 800 "fires" (i.e., taxable homesteads) were recorded, making Bagnères as large as

, the county seat. The town was a place of manufacture and trade, with only 40% directly involved in agriculture.

Mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name * Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Uni ...

were erected on widened canals fed by the Adour; in addition to grinding wheat, they were used to stamp cauldrons, forge

scythe A scythe ( ) is an agriculture, agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It is historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely ...

s, and tanning hides. The

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

reached the town in 1348. Amid the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

, the town fell into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

possession in 1360 before suffering a second outbreak of plague the following year. Henri de Trastámara, an ally of the French king, plundered, ransomed, and razed the town in 1427. Two years later there were no more than 291 "

fires Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...

" in Bagnères, although the town slowly repopulated.

Renaissance

The town became even more commercial. In 1551,

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

reformed the town's government, replacing its six consuls indirectly elected by a general assembly of the locals with a larger council of 40. The area's natural springs again rose to national prominence under

Jeanne d'Albret Jeanne d'Albret ( Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572. Jeanne was the daughter of Henry II of Navarre and Margar ...

, who became

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and countess of

upon her father Henry's death in 1555. She frequented the baths, prompting many other prominent visitors to follow. Already badly disposed towards

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

, queen regent of France, Jeanne converted to

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

, 1560. She began attempting to impose the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

on her domains the following year. As the people of Bagnères remained largely

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, following the onset of the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...

after the Massacre of Vassy, arrests for

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important relig ...

began in 1562. While the Count of Montgomery was recovering

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three B ...

from Catherine's allies in 1569, he went on to demand large ransoms from her other towns, including Bagnères. (It is unrecorded whether the people of Bagnères paid him, but he is recorded leaving the town unmolested and leaving for

Gers Gers (; oc, Gers or , ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southwestern France. Named after the Gers River, its inhabitants are called the ''Gersois'' and ''Gersoises'' in French. In 2019, it had a population of 191,377.

.) The governor of Bagnères Antoine Beaudéan was killed by the Protestant warlord Lizier in an ambush near Pouzac in 1574. By the end of the Wars of Religion, the town was ruined. Plague also returned in 1588. The outbreak ended following a religious procession prompted by the "Lighting of the Liloye", a

Marian apparition A Marian apparition is a reported supernatural appearance by Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a series of related such appearances during a period of time. In the Catholic Church, in order for a reported appearance to be classified as a Marian a ...

at the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Médous. The ascension of Jeanne's son Henry as king of France in 1589 united his titles—including count of Bigorre—with the

French monarchy France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the firs ...

Early Modern era

The plague struck Bagnères again in 1628, 1653, and 1654. Public health measures were taken, with most patients isolated in the Salut Valley. The disease did not reappear after December 1654. On 21 June 1660, strong earthquakes hit the town, continuing for three weeks. Only seven people were killed, but 150 houses were damaged and the springs initially dried up. This was only temporary, however, and the water flowed again sometime later. Reconstruction was carried out with

dimension stone Dimension stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and finished (e.g., trimmed, cut, drilled, ground, or other) to specific sizes or shapes. Color, texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are also normal requirements. ...

s from the Salut Quarry. This stone has the distinction of becoming like marble once polished, a feature that characterized the architecture of the town afterwards.

Hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

was gaining importance. There were 25 private businesses by 1787. In 1775, a convent building was transformed into a gambling establishment called the ''Vaux-Hall'' where there was also dining and dancing. This is the first casino in Bagnères.

French Revolution

During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

, "moderate suspects" took refuge in the city from 1789 to 1793, ready to flee to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

if the situation worsened. The departmental authorities were wary of the Bagnèrese, to whom they ascribed little civic or revolutionary spirit. In late 1793, before the hospitals in the southwest became saturated, the wounded were evacuated to spas. At Bagnères, the Saint Barthelemy Hospice, the Uzer and Lanzac houses, and the Hospice of the Médous Capuchins were used as military hospitals.

Industrialization

In the 19th century, the

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

offered by Bagnères's spas was reckoned particularly effective for digestive complaints but the private spas were growing more decrepit. In response, the municipality organized the construction of a Grand Thermal Spa (the "Thermes"), which was completed in 1828. By the 1870s, the tourists would double the town's population of during the "season", which ran from May until about the end of October. The casino also opened its own spa, the "Néothermes". The supply of marble became a pillar of the local economy, with the expansion of the Géruzet marble works making it one of the largest in France from 1829 to 1880. In the 1870s, the industry employed a thousand people.

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

was also quarried. Dominique Soulé expanded his business from an old mill purchased in 1862, the same year the town was connected to the

Midi Railway The Compagnie des chemins de fer du Midi (. CF du Midi), also known in English as the Midi or Southern Railway, was an early French railway company which operated a network of routes in the southwest of the country, chiefly in the area between ...

. The town also produced woolen and worsted cloth, leather, pottery, and toys. A local specialty was barège, a light fabric of mixed silk and wool. The demolition of the city's walls allowed the completion of ring roads around the town, and the town was the site of tribunals of first instance and of commerce.

20th century

The town's population had declined to around 7000 at the onset of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, which resulted in the expansion of industry in Bagnères, particularly in the field of railway rolling stock. The marble industry collapsed but mechanical and textile industries replaced it. The share of hydrotherapy in the economy also decreased. In June 1944, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, a punitive expedition of a company of SS murdered 32 in the town and hundreds more in the valley in retaliation against the actions of the resistance in the region. The postwar period saw rapid urban growth, particularly in the 1960s. Rural areas of the commune disappeared. The territory was occupied by dwellings to the borders of the neighbouring communes of Gerde and

which also become urban. At the end of the 20th century industrial activity decreased. The thermal spa guests were always present and new jobs were created by the implementation of the regional Centre for Reeducation and Rehabilitation, a large retirement home, and a nursing home.

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 of a mayor as well as ...

;

from 1941

Twinning

Bagnères-de-Bigorre has twinning associations with: *

Alhama de Granada Alhama de Granada is a town in the province of Granada, approx. 50 km from the city of Granada. The name is derived from the thermal baths located there, which are called ''al-hammah'' in Arabic. History There is clear evidence that the ...

(Spain) since 1995. *

Granarolo dell'Emilia Granarolo dell'Emilia (Bolognese: ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about northeast of Bologna. It has c. 12,000 inhabitants. Granarolo dell'Emilia borders the fo ...

(Italy) since 1985. * Malvern (England) since 2016. *

Tutzing Tutzing is a municipality in the district of Starnberg in Bavaria, Germany, on the west bank of the Starnberger See. Just 40 km south-west of Munich and with good views of the Alps, the town was traditionally a favorite vacation spot for thos ...

(Germany) since 1975. *

Inverurie Inverurie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Uraidh'' or ''Inbhir Uaraidh'', 'mouth of the River Ury') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the confluence of the rivers Ury and Don, about north-west of Aberdeen. Geography Inverurie is in the va ...

(Scotland) Since 2016.

Intercommunality

The Community of communes of Haute-Bigorre (CCHB) was created in December 1994 to support joint development projects. It has been allocated a general grant for operations by the State and large grants by the General Council, the Regional Council, the State, and by Europe. Its skills are in: * Economic development (businesses, trades, commercial fabrics...); * Services to the elderly, children, and the disabled; * Protection and enhancement of the environment; * Selective waste collection; * Housing and living Environment policy; * Land development; * Tourism.

Health

Bagnères-de-Bigorre has a regional hospital which has 25 beds for medicine, 20 beds for longer stays (4 of aftercare for alcohol withdrawal), and 220 beds for rehabilitation and physical medicine (25 places for day hospitalization). On the Castelmouly site (accommodation for the dependent elderly) the capacity is 142 beds plus 2 temporary, 36 long-stay beds, and 8 day care places for people with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. The town also has a famous thermal baths.

Education

Schools in the commune are in the school district of the

Academy of Toulouse The Academy of Toulouse is a school district in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is administered by a rector. The rectory is located in the city of Toulouse. Departments It combines the educational departments of: * Ariège (09) ...

. The commune has three kindergartens (Clair Vallon, Carnot, and Achard), and six elementary schools (Calandreta of Banhèras (Occitan School), Jules Ferry, Pic du Midi, Carnot, Lesponne, les Palomières, and Saint Vincent). The General Council manages the Colleges of Blanche Odin (formerly city school Achard) and Saint Vincent while the region supports the Victor Duruy high school.

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 7,253 inhabitants. However, in 2018 it had 7,103 inbabitants

Economy

The economy of Bagnères-de-Bigorre is mainly in the secondary sector, at one time including railway materials, but Hydrotherapy and tourism are the main activities in the commune.

Industries

Today there are many SMEs and SMIs specializing in electrical equipment, mechanical, and aerospace industries located in the commune. There are Four commercial zones of activity: *The Dominique Soulé Business Park: an area of over 11 hectares with 14 companies (400 jobs). The main companies are: **CFD Bagnères (formerly Constructions Ferroviaires de Bagnères ex Soulé), **Novexia, **Pommier, **Nouvelle Bagnères Aéro, **Protoplane – Avenir Composites, **Bigorre Ingénierie. *The Adour Industrial Zone: an area of around 16 hectares with 23 companies (280 jobs). The main companies are: **Electraline CBB, **Adour Industries, **Duteil Arnauné sas, **Spem Aero, **Industrial Cabling Installations Pyrenees (MCIP). *The Haute-Bigorre Business park: an area of over 4 hectares with 9 companies (70 jobs). The main companies are: **Areva T & D, **Amare Charpentes, **Chaussons Matériaux, **Adour Prothèses, **Entreprise AOD *The Haute-Bigorre Industrial Park: an area of more than 3 hectares with 3 companies (70 jobs). The main companies are: **ABB Soulé Surge Protection – Hélita, **Mang Metal Industries.

Hydrotherapy and tourism

The Grands Thermes de Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Grand Thermal Baths of Bagnères-de-Bigorre) are traditionally employed for treatment of

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including ar ...

, nervous afflictions, indigestion, and other maladies. The naturally-sourced waters vary in temperature from . Like most thermal cities, Bagnères-de-Bigorre has a casino. It is in the same building with the Aquensis thermal spa. The ski resort of La Mongie is also nearby. ;Thermalism and tourism gallery File:Bagneres de Bigorre (Ulpiano Checa) 03.jpg, A Poster by

Ulpiano Checa Ulpiano Fernández-Checa y Sanz (April 3, 1860 – January 5, 1916), known as Ulpiano Checa, was a Spanish painter, sculptor, poster designer and illustrator. He used both impressionistic and academic techniques, and mainly painted historical s ...

File:Casino de Bagnères-de-Bigorre.JPG, Building housing the Casino and Aquensis. File:La Mongie ski resort - The village.jpg, Winter Ski station of Tourmalet.

Transport

Access to the commune is by the D935 roads from Tarbes which passes through the north-eastern tip of the commune and the town before continuing southeast to

Beaudéan Beaudéan (; oc, Beudian) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Beaudéannais'' or ''Beaudéannaises''. Geography Beaudean is located a ...

. The D938 branches off the D935 in the town and goes north to Tournay. The D29 goes from Beaudéan to the centre of the commune with no exit. The D918 from

Barèges Barèges (; oc, Varètja, , in the Gascon dialect) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, administrative region of Occitania, southwestern France. It is situated in the valley of the Bastan on the former Route nationale 618 (the " ...

passes through the southeast of the commune through the hamlet of La Mongie and continues northeast to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. Apart from the town area the commune is mostly mountainous with few roads. The railway that connected Bagnères and

was closed in the late 1980s and the service is now provided by the TER bus from the old railway station which is now known as the bus station. The nearest airport is Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport some to the north.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has several buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: *The Uzer House at 1 Place d'Uzer (17th century) *The Jean d'Albret House at 5 Rue du Vieux-Moulin (1539) *The Tower of the Jacobins (14th century) is built in the flamboyant Gothic style with a square belfry of two floors atop an octagonal tower high. It is a remnant of what was once a Dominican monastery. The church was destroyed by fire in 1343. The convent and cloister were demolished in 1793. ;Other sites of interest *The Hospital contains a framed Painting: The Virgin of Carmel with the child Jesus and the Prophet Elie Tobie, and an angel (18th century) which is registered as an historical object. *The Town Hall contains Library Shelves (19th century) which are registered as an historical object. *The Grands Thermes de Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Grand Thermal Baths of Bagnères-de-Bigorre) were built in the

Classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect ...

of the 19th century using Pyrenees marble. It contains a Monument dedicated to the divinity of the Emperor Augustus (1st century) which is registered as an historical object. It also formerly held a good library. *The Conservatoire botanique Pyrénéen

Religious heritage

The commune has two religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: *The old Church of Saint John Portico (1280) *The Church of Saint Vincent (1557) was built on a sanctuary of paleo-Christian origin. The style is

High Gothic High Gothic is a particularly refined and imposing style of Gothic architecture that appeared in northern France from about 1195 until 1250. Notable examples include Chartres Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, Amiens Cathedral, Beauvais Cathedral, and ...

on the west façade while the south side is distinguished by its Renaissance style porch. The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **2 Confessionals (18th century) **A Baptismal font enclosure and Group Sculpture: Baptism of Christ (18th century) **An

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

in the Saint Francis Chapel (18th century) **A

Stoup A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or religious representation. It is used in the Catholic Church, Anglican Churches ...

(18th century) **A

Pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, acces ...

(18th century)

Bagnères-de-Bigorre gallery

File:Tour_des_Jacobins_%28Bagn%C3%A8res-de-Bigorre%29.JPG, Tower of the Jacobins File:Bagnereseglisestvincent.jpg, Church of Saint-Vincent File:Église Saint-Vincent de Bagnères-de-Bigorre 01.JPG, The Altar in the Saint Francis Chapel File:Bagnères-de-Bigorre - Cloître Saint-Jean.JPG, Cloister of Saint-Jean File:Halles de Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées, France).JPG, Covered Market File:Place de Strasbourg (Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France).JPG, Place de Strasbourg

Environmental heritage

*The Grottes de Médous (Médous caves) are natural caves accessible to visitors as well as a place of pilgrimage. *Bagnères-de-Bigorre is the reference site for ''Theodoxus fluviatilis thermalis'' which was described in the 19th century by the

malacologist Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...

Dominique Dupuy.

Museums

The town has had a museum since at least the early 20th century. The town has three museums: *The Salies Museum of Fine Arts which lies below the oldest part of the thermal baths, the Dauphin baths dating from 1783 *The Salut Natural History Museum *The Marble Museum created in 2007. This museum has more than 300 large samples of European marble.

Cultural facilities

The city has several cultural centers: *The

Multimedia library A multimedia library is a public institution functioning as a library, containing not only paper and electronic books, newspapers and magazines, but also multimedia materials like videos (movies, documentaries) and sound recordings (music, audio b ...

*The Municipal Cultural Center *Le Maintenon Cinema Many cultural events are organized: *The Piano Pic Festival *Chopin in Bagneres *The Weekend of Street Art *The À Voix Haute Music Festival (At a Loud Volume Music Festival) *The High school girls video meeting (Ascension weekend) *The Pyrenees Book Fair The town has an orchestra called the ''Harmony Bagnéraise'' and a choir called ''La chorale des chanteurs montagnards'' (Chorus of Mountain Singers) which is the oldest secular choir in France and Europe ef. required

Sports

The

Stade Bagnérais Stade Bagnérais () is a French rugby union club currently competing at the third level of the French league system ( Fédérale 1). They are based in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, a small town of 8,000 inhabitants, in the Hautes-Pyrénées département, ...

is a French rugby union club who have long played in the First Division, twice reaching the final of the Championship of France (1979 and 1981), and which plays in

Fédérale 1 Le championnat de France de première division fédérale, a.k.a. Fédérale 1, is a French rugby union club competition, the fifth highest level of amateur rugby. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Française de Rugby since 2 ...

in the Rugby Championship in France. The town of Bagneres has several sports associations, school structures, a leisure center, and numerous sports facilities: *4 Gymnasiums: La Plaine, Henri Cordier, Jules Ferry, and Carnot; *The Apollo Hall for

Dojo A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...

; *The André Boysson Swimming pool; *Rugby and soccer fields: La Plains, Marcel Cazenave Sports Park, Cordier, and Bagnères-Pouzac SIVU Sports; *Tennis Courts: inside and outside; *The Municipal Equestrian Center; *Bigorre Golf Course (in Pouzac); *The Adour

Artificial whitewater An artificial whitewater course (AWWC) is a site for whitewater canoeing, whitewater kayaking, whitewater racing, whitewater rafting, playboating and slalom canoeing with artificially generated rapids. Course types Main types of course: Fl ...

; *A Fronton in the Sports Park; *A

Skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairse ...

; *Bédat Shooting Range; *A range of mountain activities at Tourmalet In 2008 and 2013 Bagnères-de-Bigorre was a stage in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

: *

2008 Tour de France The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th running of the race. The event took place from 5 to 27 July. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its reg ...

: stage finish, won by Vladimir Efimkin *

2013 Tour de France The 2013 Tour de France was the 100th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on the island of Corsica on 30 June and finished on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 21 July. The Tour consisted of twenty-one stages ...

: stage finish, won by Dan Martin

Worship

Temple protestant de Bagnères-de-Bigorre

The Parish of Bagneres-de-Bigorre includes 17 communes in the

diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarbes et Lourdes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Tarbiensis et Lourdensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Tarbes et Lourdes'') is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite diocese in France. Until 2002 Tarbes was a suffragan of the Archdiocese o ...

(Haut-Adour Sector). The Petit-Rocher Carmel was founded in 1833 by Mother Marie-des-Anges. Expelled in 1901, the Carmelites returned in 1921 and a new community was formed in 2009.''Christian Family'', No. 1829, 2–8 February 2013, p. 28-30 There is also a temple of the Reformed Church built by Emilien Frossard in 1857. It is attached to the parish of Hautes-Pyrenees with

and

Cauterets Cauterets (; in Occitan ''Cautarés'', in Catalan ''Cautarés'', in Aragonese ''Cautarès'') is a spa town, a ski resort and a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department and the region of Occitanie in south-western France. Geography Cauteret ...

Notable residents

*The Bédat Family: came from Bagnères-de-Bigorre * André Joseph Boussart (1758–1813): General of the Republican armies and of the Empire, died at Bagnères-de-Bigorre * Alfred Roland (1797–1874): composer and creator of the Conservatory of Music of Bagnères-de-Bigorre *Marie-Armand d'Avezac de Castera-Macaya (1798–1875): archivist and geographer, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *Jean-Jacques Vignerte (1806–1870): Politician, died at Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Charles Dancla (Jean Baptiste) Charles Dancla (19 December 1817 – 10 October 1907) was a French violinist, composer and teacher. Biography Dancla was born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre. When he was nine years old, violinist Pierre Rode in Bordeaux heard his music; h ...

(1817–1907): violinist and composer, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Charles Duclerc Charles Théodore Eugène Duclerc (; 7 August 1812, Bagnères-de-Bigorre – 29 January 1888) was a French journalist and politician of the Third Republic. He was a member of the editorial board of the ''National'' newspaper. Duclerc served ...

(1812–1888): Politician, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *Admiral Sir Albert Hastings Markham (1841–1918): British explorer and Royal Navy officer, designer of the flag of New Zealand, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *Dominique Soulé (1847?-?): Founder of the railway materials industrial works in 1862 which carried his name until 1992 *Blanche Odin (1865–1957): Painter water-colourist, lived and died in Bagnères-de-Bigorre * Julián Bourdeu (1870–1932): Journalist and Police commissary in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *Philadelphe de Gerde (1871–1952):

Félibrige The ''Félibrige'' (; in classical Occitan, in Mistralian spelling, ) is a literary and cultural association founded in 1854 by Frédéric Mistral and other Provençal writers to defend and promote the Occitan language (also called the ) and ...

poet from Gerde who has a

stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek language, Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ...

commemorating here opposite the thermal baths *Marcellin Duclos (1879–1969): Opera singer (Baritone), born and died in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Sir Alan Brooke (1883–1963):

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

officer, became

Chief of the Imperial General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) has been the title of the professional head of the British Army since 1964. The CGS is a member of both the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Army Board. Prior to 1964, the title was Chief of the Imperial G ...

, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Pierre-Georges Latécoère Pierre-Georges Latécoère (; 1883–1943) was a pioneer of aeronautics. Born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, he studied in the École Centrale Paris and, during the First World War, started a business in aeronautics. He directed plants that made p ...

(1883–1943): Industrialist and businessman, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *Pierre Lamy de la Chapelle (Limoges 1892-Bagnères-de-Bigorre 1944): son of Dominique Soulé, pioneer of the ski station at La Mongie, founded the tennis club of Bagnères-de-Bigorre in 1920, originated the idea of serving the Pic-du-Midi with a cable car * Tony Poncet (1918–1979):

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

, Opera singer and war veteran, lived in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Jean Gachassin Jean Gachassin (born 23 December 1941) is a former French rugby union footballer from Bagnères-de-Bigorre, Hautes-Pyrénées. Gachassin is also the former President of the Fédération Française de Tennis The French Tennis Federation (french: F ...

(1941–): former French rugby player and president of the Fédération française de tennis, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Jean-Louis Bruguès Jean-Louis Bruguès, OP (born 22 November 1943) is a French archbishop of the Catholic Church. He was the Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church from 2012 to 2018. Biography Bruguès was born at Bagnères de Bigorre, in the diocese o ...

(1943–): Archbishop, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Roland Bertranne Roland Bertranne (born 6 December 1949 in Ibos) is a former French rugby union player. He played as a Centre. Bertranne played for Stade Bagnérais and Toulon. He earned his first national cap on 27 February 1971 against the England in Twicke ...

(1949–): former rugny player who played at

*Jean-Paul Betbèze (1949–): economist, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Jean-Michel Aguirre Jean-Michel Aguirre (born Tostat, 2 November 1951) is a former French rugby union player. He played as a Scrum-half and Fullback. Aguirre played for Stade Bagnérais. He started his career as a Scrum-half but his usual positions became Ful ...

(1951–): international Rugby Union player and former player for

*Yves Duhard (1955–): Rugby Union player, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Wilfrid Forgues Sandra Forgues (born 22 December 1969, in Tarbes), formerly known as Wilfrid Forgues, is a French slalom canoeist who competed as a male athlete from the late 1980s to the early 2000s (decade). In 2018, Forgues revealed publicly her identity as a ...

(1969–) and

Frank Adisson Frank Adisson (born 24 July 1969, in Tarbes) is a French slalom canoeist. He competed from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, in three Summer Olympics. He won two medals in the C2 event with a gold medal in 1996 and a bronze medal in 1992. Fra ...

(1969–): Olympic champions in Canoeing in 1996 * Sophie Theallet (1964–), Fashion designer, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *The

Société Ramond The Société Ramond is a French learned society devoted to the study of the Pyrenees mountain range that forms a natural border between France and Spain. It is named after the French politician, geologist, botanist and explorer Louis Ramond de C ...

: founded at a meeting between Henry Russell, Charles Packe,

Farnham Maxwell-Lyte Farnham Maxwell-Lyte FRSC (sometimes Farnham Maxwell Lyte) (10 January 1828 – 4 March 1906) was an English chemist and the pioneer of a number of techniques in photographic processing. As a photographer he is known for his views of the Frenc ...

, and Emilien Frossard in 1865, and named after

Louis Ramond de Carbonnières Louis François Élisabeth Ramond, baron de Carbonnières (4 January 1755 Strasbourg – 14 May 1827), was a French politician, geologist and botanist. He is regarded as one of the first explorers of the high mountains of the Pyrenees who can be d ...

, based in Bagnères-de-Bigorre *

Tony Hawks Antony Gordon Hawksworth, MBE (born February 27, 1960), known professionally as Tony Hawks, is a British comedian and author. Early life Born in Brighton, Sussex, Hawks was educated at Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School and Bright ...

: English writer and comedian, purchased a house in a village near Bagnères-de-Bigorre as told in his 2006 book ''A Piano in the Pyrenees''.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Bagnères-de-Bigorre official website

Bagnères-de-Bigorre on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Baigneres en Bigorre'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagneresdebigorre Communes of Hautes-Pyrénées Spa towns in France Subprefectures in France