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Gap (, ) is the
prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
of the Hautes-Alpes department in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
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 ...
in Southeastern France. In 2019, the commune had a population of 40,631, making it the most populated city in Hautes-Alpes. At a height of 750 metres above sea level, to the south of the Écrins Massif, it is also France's highest prefecture. Together with other Alpine towns, Gap engages in the
Alpine Town of the Year The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association of ...
Association for the implementation of the
Alpine Convention The Alpine Convention is an international territorial treaty for the sustainable development of the Alps. The objective of the treaty is to protect the natural environment of the Alps while promoting its development. This Framework Convention inv ...
to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc. Gap was awarded
Alpine Town of the Year The Alpine Town of the Year award is given to towns which have made exceptional efforts for the realization of the Alpine Convention and for sustainable development. The ''Alpine Towns of the Year'' are members of the international association of ...
in 2002. In 2013 Gap was named the sportiest city in France by the national sports newspaper ''
L'Équipe ''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor ...
''.


Toponymy

The first attestation of the name of the city is located in the ancient texts as ''Vappincum'', later reduced to ''Vappum'', the form of Gap is found in the 13th century. The toponym ''Vappincum'' is analyzed on the basis of a radical ''Vapp-'' unknown meaning, and the suffix ''-incu'' of Ligurian origin found in Provence and the Massif central to the Alps (cf. Arlanc, Nonenque, Moirans and ''Morencum'' in the 10th century and Lemenc, a district of Chambéry, formerly ''Lemencum''). The Gap form actually began as the short form ''Vappum'', well attested, by the final drop. The v- has been radically treated as a w- Germanic, where ''*Wap'', then Gap (see for this type of evolution the
wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
,
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 ...
''vespa'', treats words as ''*wespa'';
mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. ...
, Latin ''viscum'', treated as ''*wiscum'', etc.,However, these terms have not been of Germanic influence in the other Romance languages, including Provençal : Latin ''vespa'' > Provençal ''vespa'', Latin ''viscum'' > Provençal ''vesc''. depending on the phonetic path > w> . This phonetic evolution would be more specifically made under the influence of the
Gothic language Gothic is an extinct East Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the '' Codex Argenteus'', a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizeable te ...
. The name in Provençal (Alpine) is also ''Gap''.


History


Prehistory

The first settlement of Gap dates back to the
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...
.Société d'études des Hautes-Alpes, Histoire de la ville de Gap, p. 4. The culture of these first inhabitants belonged to the southern Chasséen. Very rare testimonies of the pre-Roman era are formed by the remains of an oppidum located at the summit of the hill of ''Saint-Mens'' with few visible traces of a dolmen uncovered in 1866 and an ancient cemetery in the hamlet of Pré Camargue; but no remains were kept of these last two findings. Gallic money was also found. Gap was the capital of the Celto- Ligurian tribe. These peoples, probably belonging to the Caturiges tribe, spoke the Celtic language.


The Roman period

The was then part of the territory of the Tricorii, a Gallic people who were Romanised during the conquest of
Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was th ...
in 125-124 BC, and whose capitals were Luc-en-Diois and Vaison. Around 20 BC,
Cottius Marcus Julius Cottius was King of the Celtic and Ligurian inhabitants of the mountainous Roman province then known as '' Alpes Taurinae'' and now as the Cottian Alps early in the 1st century BC. Son and successor to King Donnus, he negotiated a ...
, a leader of tribes of the Valley of Suze, allied to Rome, and urged by
Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
, undertook the building of a route of communication in the Valley of the
Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
to
Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label= Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...
and consisted of six stations. Then known as ''Vapincum'', the town of Gap was founded from one of these stations. In 22 AD, Gap became the start of a Roman road to Valence.Société d'études des Hautes-Alpes, Histoire de la ville de Gap, pages 7 à 9. At this time, the location of the future city was a Roman camp. The camp was protected by a terraced wall surrounded by a ditch. It was the largest between Montgenèvre and Sisteron. The garrison that occupied it could be estimated at 360 men. They came from the surrounding peoples. They were assigned to protect users of the Roman roads against brigands. Later, an axis towards the was created. The Gap site took importance by becoming a hub of communications. The economy was mainly pastoral and the first crops grew on the slopes of ''Puymaure''. Some houses were built on stilts as shown by excavations. During the first centuries, the population increased significantly. Towards the end of the 3rd century and 4th century, fortifications were built to protect the central core of the town. These completely surrounded the enclosure with walls and eleven towers. With an enclosed area of the center of the town formed a big village.


Middle Ages

From 28 December 986, the Bishop of Gap had sovereign rights over the city due to concerns about future Muslim invasions. The bishops kept this power until Revolutionary reforms in 1801 despite Gap being annexed by the French crown in 1512. Gap and its area became part of the County of Provence which was established at the end of the 10th century. The County of Forcalquier was separated in the 12th century. Although the bishops of Gap were the temporal lords of the city their control was long disputed by officers of the Counts of Forcalquier notably during the episcopacy of Arnoux who later became the bishop of the city. On the death of the last Count of Forcalquier in 1209, the Embrun and Gap areas were passed to the Dauphiné while those of Forcalquier and Sisteron returned to the County of Provence. It is for this reason that the current coat of arms of the Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur is the coat of arms of the Dauphiné. In 1349 the Dauphin of Viennois Humbert II passed on his Principality to the eldest son of
Philippe VI of France Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 ...
, the future King of France Charles V. From 1349 to 1457 Dauphiné remained a Principality separated from France, whose prince was the eldest son of the King of France. In 1457, Charles VII put an end to this status and joined the province to the Kingdom of France. The
Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...
owned a house at Gap, a secondary establishment which depended on a . The creation of the , which ruled the city, dated back to before 1209. In the 14th century, the city took advantage of the benefits of the installation of the
Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
s in
Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label= Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had ...
, which brought a more frequent passage of travellers to develop a
craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...
of wool and skins, which made it thrive. Avignon linkages were strengthened by the presence of many clerics of the entourage of the Pope, within the chapter of the canons of Gap.


Renaissance and early modern era

The 16th and 17th centuries were particularly dark times for the city. The
Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
were lethal in the region. Gap was a
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 ...
stronghold, while the switched to
Protestantism Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
. After various skirmishes,
François de Bonne François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...
, leader of the Protestants, decided to attack Gap, nevertheless protected by 20 towers. On the night of 3 January 1577, François Philibert, known as ''Cadet de Charance'', opened the Saint-Arey gate, and allowed him to attack the city by surprise. To cries of "Kill! Kill!" his men proceeded in veritable butchery. De Bonne burned the cathedral, plundered the monasteries, appropriated the property of the inhabitants, and built a proud citadel on the ''Colline de Puymaur''e uymaure Hillwhere it dominated over Gap. Returned to Catholicism in 1622, he abandoned all claims to the city. In 1692, the troops of the ruler
Victor Amadeus II Victor Amadeus II (Vittorio Amedeo Francesco; 14 May 166631 October 1732) was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of Prince of Piedmont, Duke of Montferrat, Marquis of Saluzzo and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice. L ...
, committed with the
League of Augsburg The Grand Alliance was the anti-French coalition formed on 20 December 1689 between the Dutch Republic, England and the Holy Roman Empire. It was signed by the two leading opponents of France: William III, Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic and ( ...
, against France of
Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
, captured the city, abandoned by its inhabitants, on 29 August. Gap was looted and burned, of the 953 houses in the commune, 798 were destroyed. This was part of the . In 1790, 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 ...
, the province of Dauphiné was divided into three departments:
Drôme Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019.
,
Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Hautes-Alpes which Gap became the
prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...
. Hautes-Alpes then became the highest Department of France and Gap, the highest prefecture of the country. It remains prefecture of Haute-Alpes to this day.


19th century

In 1802, the
baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...
was appointed . Under his administration, the city of Gap and the Department of the Hautes-Alpes experienced some growth. It built roads linking Gap to Italy and the Drôme Valley and created a departmental nursery. His statue, carved by the Gap sculptor Jean Marcellin, was erected in 1866 at the square which bears his name.
Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
left Elba in February 1815 and stopped at Gap on 5 March 1815 with 40 horsemen and 10 grenadiers, where he had thousands of copies of his Proclamations printed. The whole population of the city accompanied Napoleon when he left Gap. Acknowledging the reception of the population of these regions, he left the Haut-Alpins with the following message: Gap experienced a new era from 1875 with the arrival of the railway. The commune of ''Chaudun'' was joined with Gap, by the prefectoral Decree of 22 October 1895.


20th century


Second World War

During World War II, the city was part of the free zone. But after November 1942 and the
Case Anton Case Anton (german: link=no, Fall Anton) was the military occupation of France carried out by Germany and Italy in November 1942. It marked the end of the Vichy regime as a nominally-independent state and the disbanding of its army (the severe ...
, it was integrated into the occupied area. After
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
on 6 June 1944, the Germans placed some 1,000 men to hold the ''cuvette de Gap'' ap Basin a key point of the Cannes-Lyon axis. , 37 years old, an original Gaullist resistant and accomplished soldier (he had trained more than 4000 resistance fighters in combat and about a hundred in sabotage) was sent by the GPRF of General de Gaulle to liberate the city on behalf of the Resistance. Aided by local guerrillas and resistance, he has however no way to take the city by force. He then started with his men in a campaign of sabotage and bombings that lasted more than a month. After having isolated the city by destroying the infrastructure surrounding it (overpasses, railway lines, bridges, etc.), the FFI had managed to rally the population and give the occupiers an impression of encirclement. A mid-August 1944, Drouot-L'Hermine, who lost his right-hand man, , a few days earlier, sent two emissaries to negotiate the surrender of the Germans. The Germans were convinced of facing a large-scale uprising, and agreed to lay down their weapons provided that it was to regular troops (they refused, therefore, to surrender to the Resistance). While the Americans were more than away, time was pressing for Drouot-L'Hermine. Indeed, he received an order from De Gaulle to liberate the city before the arrival of the Allies, to support the position of France as a victorious nation, liberated through the active participation of the Resistance. Drouot-L'Ermine then developed a new ploy. He managed to convince the Allies to advance one of their tanks into enemy terrain, and shoot a few rounds close to Gap. Shots echoed in the valley, and the Germans immediately identified the characteristic sound of a tank, a weapon that the guerrillas did not hold. Thinking they were then dealing with the Allies, the troops of the Reich surrendered to the Resistance. Therefore, a few hundred resistance fighters were able to capture 1,200 German soldiers, including 40 officers. The city was liberated on the evening of 19 August 1944.


Fifth Republic

The commune of ''Romette'' was associated with that of Gap, by decree dated 25 November 1974. File:Aerienne-gap-1927.jpeg, An aerial photograph of Gap ( IGN) from 1927 File:Aerienne-gap-1945.jpeg, An aerial photograph of Gap ( IGN) from 1945 File:Aerienne-gap-1965.jpeg, An aerial photograph of Gap ( IGN) from 1965 File:Aerienne-gap-1978.jpeg, An aerial photograph of Gap ( IGN) from 1978 File:Aerienne-gap-1995.jpeg, An aerial photograph of Gap ( IGN) from 1995 Gap ran a bid to host the
2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , wint ...
, but lost out as France's candidate to nearby
Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...
. The games were eventually awarded to
Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Se ...
in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.


Geography


Location

An
Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...
crossroads at the intersection of D994 and the Route nationale 85, or ''
Route Napoléon The Route Napoléon is the route taken by Napoléon in 1815 on his return from Elba. It is now concurrent with sections of routes N85, D1085, D4085, and D6085. The route begins at Golfe-Juan, where Napoleon disembarked 1 March 1815, beginnin ...
'', which crosses the
Col Bayard Col Bayard (1,246 m) is a mountain pass through the Dauphiné Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France. It connects the communities of La Mure and Gap. See also * List of highest paved roads in Europe * List of mountain pass ...
north of the city, Gap is located between the historic Dauphiné and the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
administrative region. With its 40,559 inhabitants (2018), it is the main town of an
urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
of 80,555 inhabitants (2018), and the main town of the Southern French Alps.
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance ( height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. Th ...
, at the right bank of the river , close to where it joins the
Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Écrins National Park Écrins National Park (french: parc national des Écrins, ; oc, parc Nacional dels Escrinhs) is a French national park located in the southeastern part of France in the Dauphiné Alps south of Grenoble and north of Gap, shared between the d ...
, south-east of the Dévoluy massif and west of the Lac de Serre-Ponçon. The region around Gap is known as .


Geology and terrain

The commune of Gap is almost entirely located in the ''Sillon de Gap'' ap trench a wide valley bottom located about above sea level and including the western slopes almost (Charance mountain and pic de Gleize). The highest point of the municipality is however outside this great valley, on another watershed slope, the Raz de Bec, at , is within the limits of the commune, and was in the former commune of
Chaudun Chaudun () is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The commun ...
, which merged with Gap in the 19th century. This valley was shaped by the ''Glacier de la Durance'' during the last ice age, known as the Würm glaciation. Thus, soils are very often formed 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 sh ...
deposits. No less than five levels of lateral and frontal moraines are observable. These are clearly visible, especially on the southern slopes of the Col Bayard, where they were formed in places of the terraces used by agriculture. In retreating, the glacier also left erratics of several metres high. Examples include, among others, the erratic boulders of ''Peyre-Ossel'' and ''Justice''. The glacier, which in the
Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million year ...
has shaped the ''Sillon de Gap'', presented several : one to the glacier of the Drac from the cols of
Manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from ' ...
and
Bayard Bayard may refer to: People *Bayard (given name) * Bayard (surname) *Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard (1473–1524) French knight Places * Bayard, Delaware, an unincorporated community * Bayard (Jacksonville), Florida, a neighborhood * Bayard ...
and one towards the Buëch Valley by the La Freissinouse border. The cover of morainic debris is omnipresent in the ''Sillon de Gap'' but is not the only vestige of the Quaternary glaciation. There is also the typical topography of glacial valleys. The location of the town of Gap corresponds to an ''Ombilic glaciaire'', where large quantities of clay were deposited. Upstream lies the lacial lockof Pont-Sarrazin and downstream of Tourronde. The mechanical action of the ''glacier de la Durance'' was facilitated by the presence of relatively friable layers. The part which is central and south-east of the town consists mainly of soft rocks ( Callovo- Oxfordian black
marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part ...
). They consist of soft
schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...
of bluish or brown colors. In the northwestern part are the harder rocks of lighter colours,
Tithonian In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by ...
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
, formed in places of rocky bars or cornices. File:Gap vu de ceuse (FR-05000).jpg, alt=The Sillon de Gap (towards the north-east), a large glacial valley, The ''Sillon de Gap'' (towards the north-east), a large glacial valley. File:Gap-photo045.jpg, alt=The glacial erratic of Peyre-Ossel placed on a lateral moraine, The
glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...
of ''Peyre-Ossel'' placed on a lateral moraine File:Gap001.jpg, alt=Limestone layers of the Pic du Charance, Limestone layers of the Pic du Charance File:Gap-sentinelle.jpg, alt=Southeast of the commune of Gap, Southeast of the commune of Gap


Hydrography

The town of Gap is crossed by the , a tributary of the
Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is . Finally, an important channel feeds Gap with
drinking water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...
and water for
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
: The , or ''Canal du Drac'', about long, leads the water captured in the Drac via a tunnel under the
Col de Manse The Col de Manse () is a mountain pass located in the Massif des Écrins approximately north-east of Gap in the Hautes-Alpes department of France. The pass connects Gap with the high Champsaur valley and the ski resort of Orcières-Merlette. ...
to the Jaussauds reservoir (altitude ) where it divides into two branches, including the main branch which bypasses Gap west to Correo through Charance. File:Gap022.jpg, alt=The Luye at Gap, near to the Parc de la Pépinière, The Luye at Gap, near to the Parc de la Pépinière File:Gap010.JPG, alt=The lake of the Jaussauds reservoir, The lake of the Jaussauds Reservoir


Climate

Gap features an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
(''Cfb''), according to the Köppen system, with continental (''Dfb'') influence due to its elevation. Very influenced by its interior position, the city experiences cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Therefore, the climate is more or less
alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...
. Thus the main feature of the local climate is the importance of the sunshine enjoyed by the city. Furthermore,
snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...
fall underscores the mountain character of the city.
Thunderstorm A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are some ...
s are frequent in summer,
fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
is rather rare. The tables below represent averages of monthly temperatures. They also show the maximum and minimum mean temperatures over the period from 1951 to 1970. Comparisons with surveys of the period from 1878 to 1940 showed lower maximum averages over the period from 1950 to 1970 for the winter and summer months. Over the same period, again for the winter and summer months, there was an increase in the average minimum. Thus the evolution of the climate tends towards a slight reduction of differences in winter temperatures on the one hand, and summer on the other. Extreme temperatures also highlight the mountain and Mediterranean components of the climate. Indeed, over the decade 1951-1960 the absolute minimum recorded was on 3 February 1956. While the absolute maximum was of observed 8 July 1952. The evolution of the average monthly temperatures (in red) and an average monthly rainfall (in blue) are summarized in the chart below. Outside of the valley breezes, the prevailing wind is from the north, locally named the ''bise'' wind. In fact, it is a component of the mistral. Up the Drac Valley, this wind crosses the Bayard plateau down to Gap. When it carries clouds, there is the phenomenon of "the bar of Bayard": a compact pile of clouds covering the Bayard plateau. Pushed by the wind, they descend into the valley. Under the effect of the increase in pressure and temperature, these clouds disappear immediately a few hundred metres further down. Even in perpetual motion, cloud cover appears motionless. If these conditions are synonymous with freshness in autumn and spring, and bright cold in the winter, they are always accompanied by a perfectly sunny and clear atmosphere above the city.


Channels of communication and transport


Road network

The town of Gap lies at a crossroads. The route nationale RN 85 heads towards the north and the south, the to the east and the departmental RD 994 road to the west. The RN 85 travels north to Grenoble.
Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label= Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...
is located in the opposite direction, and eventually also to the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
. The RN 94 travels to reach Briançon and towards
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
via the Col de Montgenèvre. Meanwhile, the RD 994 joins with Pont-Saint-Esprit in
Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;La Saulce La Saulce (; oc, La Sauça) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Hautes-Alpes department The following is a list of the 162 communes of the Hautes-Alpes department of Fr ...
on the A51 motorway. This highway provides fast travel to
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille ...
and
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
away, via the
Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .A7, the absence of this highway has not created the announced decline. On the contrary, the city ceased to grow (see demographics) without being absorbed by its relatively distant neighbours thanks precisely to its relative isolation from the main road network, including Grenoble (in no effect a dormitory community). Taking into account the increase in road traffic, the creation of an urban boulevard became a prospect of improvement. This one long and comprising several structures, could bypass the city from the west. Concerning also the transit of traffic serving the city itself, it would act as a bypass, leaving the RN 85, close to the area of Micropolis to the southwest and lead to the RN 94, north-east towards the Romette intersection.


Rail

The city is served by
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffic ...
. Gap station is connected directly to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
daily by a night train , but also by regional trains to Briançon, Grenoble, Valence (
Gare de Valence-Ville Valence-Ville station ( French: ''Gare de Valence-Ville'') is a railway station serving the town Valence, Drôme department, southeastern France. It is situated on the Paris–Marseille railway, and is the southern terminus of a branch line to G ...
and
Gare de Valence TGV Gare de Valence TGV (IATA: XHK) is a railway station in Valence, France which offers regular TGV services. The station, located in eastern Valence ( Alixan), is about ten kilometres north-east from the town centre, allowing through trains to pas ...
), as well as to
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille ...
and
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
. In the 1930s, work aimed at the establishment of a metric line between Gap and Corps by the
Col de Manse The Col de Manse () is a mountain pass located in the Massif des Écrins approximately north-east of Gap in the Hautes-Alpes department of France. The pass connects Gap with the high Champsaur valley and the ski resort of Orcières-Merlette. ...
was undertaken. These were never finished and the was never born. Portions were reused for the basis of the
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 ...
. The was also begun in the east, but never completed. A double curve viaduct remains beneath the waters of the Lac de Serre-Ponçon.


Air transport

Located from Gap, the Gap–Tallard Airport can handle passenger traffic. The company Air Alpes operated a DHC-6 Twin otter, with a regular service between Paris-Le Bourget and Gap from 1973 to 1977, since abandoned. The vast majority of air movements are sports-oriented.


Urban transport

Public transport in the city is provided by the Linea network. In 2016, the network is comprised 12 lines. There is also a school transport service, a shuttle between /Centre-ville/Gap-Bayard runs in July and August, a shuttle to the hyper-Centre and a taxibus is available on demand. Aside from the taxibus, all of these are totally free services for users.


Cycling facilities

Several cycle paths traverse the city. Some are separate from the road network, others are cycle lanes alongside roads.


Urbanism


Housing

Of the 21,479 houses in Gap in 2011, 88% were principal residences (against 89.20% of 19,043 houses in 2006), and 8.50% were vacant (compared with 7% of the 19,043 in 2006). Two-thirds of them are
apartment An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
s (almost 65%). A majority of these houses consist of 4 rooms (30%) or 5 rooms (28%). Overall, the buildings date from the period between 1946 and 1990 (65%). Half of the inhabitants of principal residences are owners (51%), the share of social rental housing (
HLM An habitation à loyer modéré (HLM, , ), is a form of low-income housing in France, Algeria, Senegal, and Quebec. It may be public or private, with rent subsidies. HLMs constitute 16% of all housing in France.rban boulevard*The Bernard-Givaudan park and garden *Renovation of the ''Rue Jean Eymard'' ean Eymard Road*Renovation of the ''Carré de l'Imprimerie'' rinting House Squarein the town centre with a number of facilities (housing, commercial space, underground parking, medical home, etc.)


Politics and administration


Political trends and outcomes

The outgoing mayor, Roger Didier, was a representative in the municipal elections of 2014 and was re-elected at the end of the second round with 53.37% of votes. The turnout was 57.41%.


Municipal administration

The City Council consists of 43 members, including 20 who are elected by the community council.


List of mayors


Intercommunality

Since 1 January 2017, Gap is part of the
Communauté d'agglomération Gap-Tallard-Durance Communauté d'agglomération Gap-Tallard-Durance is the ''communauté d'agglomération'', an Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunal structure, centred on the Communes of France, city of Gap, Hautes-Alpes, Gap. It is located in the Haute ...
, covering 17 municipalities.


Administrative divisions

Until the departmental elections of March 2015, Gap was divided into six cantons: Gap-Campagne (including five communes: La Freissinouse, Manteyer, Pelleautier, Rabou and La Roche-des-Arnauds), Gap-Centre, Gap-Nord-Est, Gap-Nord-Ouest, Gap-Sud-Est and Gap-Sud-Ouest. Since the of the Hautes-Alpes Department, Gap is divided into four cantons.


Judicial and administrative proceedings

Gap has the presence of a high court.


Environmental policy

Gap is classified as ''three flowers'' in the competition of flowery cities and villages.


International relations


Twinning

Gap is twinned with a couple of European cities. It is in this framework that socio-cultural, educational and sports exchanges are made. * Pinerolo,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, since 1966 *
Traunstein Traunstein ( Central Bavarian: ''Traunstoa'') is a town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a much larger district of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health services ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
, since 1976


Decentralised cooperation

In addition, decentralised cooperation agreements have been signed with a couple of cities in Africa and Asia. * Bangou,
Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the ...
, since 2003 *
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
,
Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...
, since 2004


Population and society


Demographics


Demographic change

In 2017, the commune had 40,895 inhabitants.


Age structure

The distribution of age groups in the commune of Gap is shown below, in comparison with the Hautes-Alpes department.


Education

Gap is situated in the .


Schools

The city administers 12 , 13 and 6 rural schools. There are also several private kindergartens and elementary schools. The Department manages five and four
lycées In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children betwee ...
of the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
region, the Lycée professionnel Paul-Hariharan, the school of general and farm technology education "Les Emeyères", the Dominique-Villars Lycée and the Aristide-Briand Lycée. There are also two private schools, the Lycée professionnel Sévigné and Lycée Saint-Joseph. That said, the Lycée professionnel Sévigné is now public.


Higher education

Higher education in Gap is represented by the Pôle University of Gap, an annex of the former University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II, today the Aix-Marseille University, created from the merger of three universities. It includes a centre, a Business Administration and Management IUT ( GEA), a "Mountain crafts" (professional master) which is unique in France, as well as being able to give an aircraft maintenance licence (
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
region is a in
Aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identif ...
, and the Department has established the Centre of Rural Excellence ''Excell'Air''. Several BTS chains and preparatory classes exist in the lycées, in particular a Computer Services in Organisations BTS and a Negotiations and Customer Service BTS at the Lycée Dominique Villars as well as an Assistant Manager BTS at the Lycée Aristide Briand.


Cultural events and festivities

During the summer months, the association of merchants of the town centre ''Les Vitrines de Gap'' organises Nocturnes. These are musical and festive events accompanied by the opening of stores downtown from 7pm until 11pm. Each year an Expo Fair also takes place at the Parc de la Pépinnière during May. The Quattro, a theatre with retractable tiered seating, organises all kinds of events, namely concerts, performances, business seminars, etc.


Health

The city has a hospital, the Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal of Alpes du Sud (CHICAS) which is divided into three entities. The first and most important site is Gap, which is the largest hospital of the Southern Alps. Gap is also equipped with a site specialising in geriatrics. As a result of a merger, the CHICAS manages the site of
Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label= Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...
. The Polyclinic of the Southern Alps is the only clinic present in the city and other centres of rehabilitation. There is also a Maison Médicale du Gapençais with extended opening hours.


Sports

Clubs: *
Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...
club, the Rapaces de Gap ap Raptors which plays in Ligue Magnus and has more than 30 titles of champion of France in all categories. *The Gap FC football team, which plays in the 1st division of the Alps District. *The athletic club, the Gap Hautes-Alpes athletics (GH2A). *Cross-country ski club, Ski club Gap-Bayard. *Road cycling and mountain biking club, the UCPG. *Mountain biking club, the PJPC. *''Gap Hautes Alpes Rugby'' club plays in
Fédérale 3 Fédérale 3 is the seventh division of rugby union in France. The competition involves 226 clubs in 21 pools of 8, and winners can progress up into higher division of competition. The competition above Fédérale 3 is Fédérale 2 and above that, ...
. *Gap basketball for Pre-nationale. *Gap Handball playing in . *Gap volleyball which plays in the Regional Championship. *The Gapencais Sasquatches, club allowing the discovery or the practice of
American Football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
. The town of Gap regularly hosts stages of 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 ...
and the
Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is par ...
in cycling, as well as the
Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeas ...
in motorsport. The town of Gap is known for its mountain bike trek the ''Paths of the Sun'', between Saillans and Gap. The sports facilities in Gap include stadiums, gymnasiums, swimming pools,
ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...
, multi-purpose room (bowling), and tennis courts. The fitness centre Gap-Bayard, located on the Bayard plateau, has an 18-hole golf course that operates in summer and is a base for
cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...
in winter. In October 2004, the association ''Objective JO 2018'' worked for a French candidacy of the , at the
2018 Winter Olympics , nations = 93 , athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women) , events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = , closing = , opened_by = President Moon Jae-in , cauldron = Kim Yun-a , stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium , wint ...
. The town of Gap was approached to run in the race. Gap withdrew in October 2008 and was replaced by the municipality of Pelvoux and the . In 2009, the town of Gap won the competition of the '' Intervilles'' sports show during the final against Dax. The town of Gap hosted the final of the amateurs during the autumn of 2012. In 2013, the town of Gap was elected the sportiest city of more of 20,000 inhabitants in France by ''
L'Équipe ''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor ...
'' newspaper.


Media

*''Alpes 1'' (local information radio station, leader in the Hautes-Alpes, present also in the Alpes de Haute-Provence) *''The Dauphiné Libéré'' (daily) *''Alpes et Midi'' (weekly) *''Anima Gap'' *''D!CI''


Religion


Catholic


=Cathedral and churches

= *The Cathedral of Notre-Dame and Saint-Arnoux, built in the 19th century according to the plans of . *The , rebuilt in the 18th century and used to worship according to the extraordinary rite of the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
. *The , built in the 20th century. *The , built in the 20th century. *St. Peter's Church


=Chapels

= *The Chapel of Saint-Grégoire in the hamlet of Les Fareaux *The Chapel of Saint-Louis, district of Charance *The Chapel of Saint-Pierre, hamlet of Treschatel *The Chapel of Saint-Jacques-le-Mineur, district of La Tourronde


Protestant

*The Evangelical Church, Assembly of God of Gap *The Protestant Evangelical Church ''Le Rocher (CAEF)'' *The Protestant Temple, dependent of the Reformed Church of France *The Adventist Church


Millenarian Christian

*Jehovah's witnesses *Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints


Muslim

*The Al Salam Mosque, inaugurated on 7 July 2013


Economy


Revenues of the population and taxation


Revenues

The median pay in Gap in 2011 is 18,944 euros. The majority of revenues are derived from wage work (55%), compared to a third of retirees (30%).


Taxation

In 2011, 18,345 households existed in Gap, 60% of them were taxable.


Industry

The
construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and ...
sector (french: Bâtiment et travaux publics (BTP)) has grown through the inclusion of winter sports.


Tertiary sector

The tertiary sector is the sector which dominates the local economy: *Garrison town ( and since January 2011) and administrative (prefecture, department hall) *Tourism Gap is the seat of the . It manages the centre for regional and European tourism (CRET) of Briançon, the of Gap and the ''Centre Européen Médical Bioclimatique de Recherche et d'Enseignement Universitaire'' uropean medical bioclimatic research and university teaching Center(CEMBREU) of Briançon.


Local culture and heritage


Places and monuments

*The houses the mausoleum of
François de Bonne François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, King ...
(Duke of Lesdiguières, Constable of the Haut-Alpin) carved in the black marble of the by Jacob Richier. *The pedestrian centre made of small passages and pleasant terraces revolves around place Jean-Marcellin. *Bronze by , "The Light", by order of Mayor Pierre Bernard-Reymond in 2006. *The Parc de la Pépinière *The
clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
*The town hall *The *The Cathedral of Notre-Dame and Saint-Arnoux was built from 1866 to 1904 according to the plans of . This Neo-Gothic building replaces a medieval construction. * The Conservatoire botanique national alpin de Gap-Charance, situated north-west of Gap File:Musée départemental05.JPG, The Departemental Museum of Gap File:Gap016.jpg, Parc de la Pépinière File:Place J. Marcellin.JPG, Place Jean-Marcellin


The Charance Estate

The Château de Charance was built in the 16th century. It includes a main building, which today is the headquarters of the
Écrins National Park Écrins National Park (french: parc national des Écrins, ; oc, parc Nacional dels Escrinhs) is a French national park located in the southeastern part of France in the Dauphiné Alps south of Grenoble and north of Gap, shared between the d ...
, and several annexes, one of which houses the Park Museum. The Charance Estate also features the Conservatoire botanique national alpin lpine National Botanical Conservatory a terraced garden and an area of around the
château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. No ...
and in the middle of which lies a small lake: Charance Lake. All overlooks the city. See also:


Cultural heritage

*The theatre of La Passerelle, ''Scène nationale'' ational stageof the Southern Alps. *The Quattro, a versatile new cultural space initially called the "Cube", inaugurated on 27 May 2008 *The Conservatoire, of departmental influence *The Municipal Centre of Culture and Leisure (CMCL) *The municipal library *The international Folkdance festival, which takes place every year in July *3 cinemas exist in Gap (of which two have been saved by the city hall, when the building housing their screens was sold)


Military life

Military units have been stationed at Gap: * 17th infantry regiment, before 1914 * 96th infantry regiment, 1906 *7th Demi-brigade of Mountain Infantry, 1939–1940, consisting of: ** ** ** 4th Mountain Infantry Battalion (4th Rch) since 1983.


Personalities linked to the commune

Below is a non-exhaustive list of people born in Gap or having a particular attachment to the city: * Féraud de Nice ( - 1044) - Bishop of Gap at the beginning of the 11th century. *Albertet of Sisteron (1194-1221) - native
troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a '' trobair ...
of the town. * Guillaume Farel (1489-1565) - Protestant reformer, he participated in the expansion of the Protestant Reformation in French-speaking Switzerland and was a translator of the Bible to French and Occitan. * (1516-1586) - Marseille grammarian, born in Gap. * or Honoré Pela (1641-1718) - baroque sculptor, pupil of Pierre Puget, his career took place mainly in
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
. * (1745-1810) - parish priest of Le Caire in 1789, Deputy to the Estates-General of 1789 and the constituent Assembly (1789-1791). * Dominique Villars (1745-1814) - botanist, he is the author of several manuscripts of ''Histoire des plantes du Dauphiné'' resulting from over twenty years of observations of plants. * (1754-1821) - born in Gap, former National Assembly member for Hautes-Alpes * (1760-1833) – died in Gap, former National Assembly member for Hautes-Alpes and imperial attorney *Baron (1772-1848) - prefect of Hautes-Alpes under
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
. He founded the ''Société d'émulation des Hautes-Alpes'' ociety of Emulation of Haute-Alpes(now the ) and Gap Museum. * (1762-1844), died in Gap, from 1820 to 1827 National Assembly member for Hautes-Alpes . *
Joseph-Bruno Guigues Joseph-Bruno Guigues, (26 August 1805 – 8 February 1874), was an Oblate priest, a teacher and became the first bishop of the diocese of Bytown (Ottawa) serving from (1847–1874). His consecration service in 1848 was performed by Rémi Gaul ...
(1805-1874) - first bishop of
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
. * Paul Colomb de Batines (1811–1855), Librarian and bibliographer * (1821-1884) - sculptor, pupil of François Rude. Gap owes him for the Baron of Ladoucette statue at the end of the course Ladoucette. * was born in Gap (Hautes-Alpes) in 1830 and died in New York (United States) in 1905, was a personality of the
Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...
. * (1834-1889) and (1835-1875) were botanists, specialists of the flora in the vicinity of Gap, they donated their Herbarium at the . * (1850-1924) - Director of the , and as historian, he published several brochures on cities, villages and the families of his departement. * Hippolyte Müller (1865-1933) - originally an apprentice jeweller, a self-taught archaeologist, he was the founder of the
Musée dauphinois The ''Musée dauphinois'' (Dauphinois Museum), located in Grenoble (France), is dedicated to the ethnography, archaeology, history and society of the former province of the Dauphiné. Situated above the neighbourhood of Saint-Laurent in the listed ...
at Grenoble. * (1867-1948) - historian, Chief Archivist of the Hautes-Alpes, his bust was erected in the Parc de la Pépinière, in the centre of Gap. * Louise Germain (1874-1939) - painter who often worked alongside
Paul Cézanne Paul Cézanne ( , , ; ; 19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically d ...
. *
Achille Mauzan Achille Lucien Mauzan (1883, in Gap, Hautes-Alpes – 1952, in Gap) was born on the French Riviera, but moved to Italy in 1905, known as a decorative illustrator designing during the Art Deco movement, though he also painted and sculpted. Afte ...
(1883-1952) - artist from Gaumont cinema at the beginning of the 20th century. He was also a painter and sculptor and was part of the
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
art movement. * (1889-1966) - geographer, former Rector of the University of Lyon and former Director of the . * (1909-1976) - born in Gap, politician. * Robert Thomas (1927-1989) - born in Gap, playwright, director and producer. * (1947-) - born in Gap, composer. * Henri Bréchu (1947-) - born in Gap, skier. * Francis Masse (1948-) - born in Gap, screenwriter and comic illustrator. *
Marie-Anne Chazel Marie-Anne France Jacqueline Chazel (born 19 September 1951) is a French actress, screenwriter and director, who has been active in both film and television since 1974. Biography Chazel was born to actress Louba Guertchikoff (birth name Lou ...
(1951-) - born in Gap, actress, Member of Le Splendid. * Raymond Durand (1952-) - born in Gap, rally driver, champion of the world FIA Alternative Energies Cup in 2009 and 2010. * Chantal Lauby (1953-) - born in Gap, comedian, film director, actress, Member of Les Nuls. * (1955-2001) - born in Gap, French cartoonist. * Christian Audigier (1958-), designer * Pierre Granoux (1963-) - artist, organizer of exhibitions and art publisher. Currently lives in Berlin, Germany. * Jean-Christophe Lafaille (1965-2006)-born in Gap, mountaineer. *
Fabienne Berthaud Fabienne Berthaud (, born in 1966, Gap) is a French writer, actress, screenwriter and director, winner of the 2011 prix Françoise Sagan. Works Bibliography *1994: ''Cafard'', Albin Michel *1999: ''Mal partout'', Éditions du Seuil *1999: '' ...
(1966–), writer, actress and director, was born in Gap *
Christian Pouget Christian Pouget (born January 11, 1966 in Gap, France) is a retired French professional ice hockey player. Achievements Olympic career Pouget competed in three Olympics representing France - 1988, 1992, and 1998 1998 was designated a ...
(1966-) - born in Gap, hockey player. * Gilles Grimandi (1970-) - born in Gap, footballer. * (1971-) - born in Gap, graphic designer, illustrator and author of children's books. * Laurence Manfredi (1974-) - born in Gap, athlete. * (1976-) - born in Gap, journalist and writer. *
Camille Combal Camille Combal (born 18 September 1981) is a French television and radio presenter. He is the current host of '' Danse avec les stars'', ''Mask Singer'', '' Qui veut gagner des millions ?'', and '. He was the co-host of ''Touche pas à mon post ...
(1981-) - born in Gap, comedian, radio and television host. *
Sébastien Ogier Sébastien Ogier (born 17 December 1983) is a French rally driver, competing for the Toyota Gazoo Racing Team in the World Rally Championship (WRC), who is teamed with the co-driver Julien Ingrassia. He has won the World Rally Drivers' Champion ...
(1983-) - born in Gap, rally driver, seven time World Rally Champion. * Laëtitia Roux (1985-) - born in Gap, specialist ski mountaineer and trail. * Stéphane Tempier (1986-) - born in Gap, competed in the 2012 Olympics in mountain biking.


Heraldry


See also

* * *


Bibliography

* *
History and anecdotes about the town of Gap *
Booklet on the release of Gap in August 1944


Notes


References


Further reading

*'' Gallia Christiana'' (Nova, 1715), I, 452–473, Instrumenta, 86–89, (Nova, 1725), III, 1051–1107; Instrumenta, 177–188, 205–8; *, ''Gallia christiana Novissima'' (Montbeliard, 1899), I, *, ''Histoire hagiologique du diocese de Gap'' (Gap, 1852); * Honoré Fisquet, ''France Pontificale'' (Paris, 1868); * Gaillaud, ''Histoire de Notre Dame d'Embrun'' (Gap, 1862); *, ''Sigillographie du diocese de Gap'' (Grenoble, 1870); *Joseph Roman, ''Tableau historique du département des Hautes-Alpes'' (Paris, 1889–91); *
Ulysse Chevalier Ulysse Chevalier (24 February 1841 – 27 October 1923) was a French bibliographer and historian. Born in Rambouillet, he published many works on the history of Dauphiné, e.g. the cartularies of the church and the town of Die (1868), of ...
, ''Topo-bibl.'', pp. 988, 1266.


External links

* *
Gap 2018 olympic bid web site
{{Authority control Communes of Hautes-Alpes Prefectures in France Dauphiné !