Laruns (; oc, Laruntz) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlanti ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in south-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.INSEE commune file
/ref> It is situated at the confluence of two mountain streams, the

Gave d'Ossau The Gave d'Ossau is the torrential river flowing through the Ossau Valley, one of the three main valleys of the High- Béarn (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the Southwest of France. It is formed in Gabas from the confluence of two gaves coming fr ...

and its tributary, the Valentin. Formerly part of the province of Béarn, Laruns is now within the ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, itself in France's Nouvelle-Aquitaine ''région''. It forms part of the ''arrondissement'' of Oloron-Sainte-Marie, and of the

canton of Oloron-Sainte-Marie-2 The canton of Oloron-Sainte-Marie-2 is an administrative division of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, southwestern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Oloron-Sainte- ...

Geography

Laruns is geographically the third-largest commune in metropolitan France, after

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

and

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (, lit.: "Saint Marys of the Sea"; Provençal Occitan: ''Li Santi Mario de la Mar'') is the capital of the Camargue ( Provençal Occitan ''Camarga'') in the south of France. It is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône ...

. It includes a large area of upland, around and between the Gave d'Ossau and its tributaries, stretching as far as the border with

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") , i ...

at the

Col du Pourtalet The Col du Pourtalet, El Portalet or Portalet d'Aneu is a mountain pass and border crossing in the Pyrenees, between France and Spain. The pass reaches an elevation of , and links the Ossau and Tena valleys. The road across the pass is known a ...

, to the south of the village of Laruns. The principal artery of communications through the ''commune'' is the D934 road, which runs south from the town of Pau, to the north, to the Col du Pourtalet. The D918 road branches off the D934 in Laruns village, and follows the Valentin before crossing the

Col d'Aubisque The Col d'Aubisque ( oc, Còth d'Aubisca) (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine region of France.Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du T ...

Argelès-Gazost Argelès-Gazost (; oc, Argelèrs de Gasòst) is a commune and a subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. The Pyrénées Animal Park is located in Argelès-Gazost. Population See also *Communes of the Hautes ...

in the next major valley to the east. There are no direct roads westward from Laruns. Because of its large geographic size, the Laruns contains several recognisably distinct communities in addition to Laruns itself. These include:The villages of the city of Laruns
/ref> * Pon, an area of Laruns * Espalungue, an area of Laruns * Gêtre, an area of Laruns * Gabas, a hamlet below the

Pic du Midi d'Ossau The Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2,884 m) is a mountain rising above the Ossau Valley in the France, French Pyrenees. Despite possessing neither a glacier nor, in the context of the range, a particularly high summit, its distinctive shape makes it a sy ...

, and where the valley road is crossed by the

GR10 GR 10 is a French GR footpath, or hiking trail, that runs the length of the Pyrenees Mountains. It roughly parallels the French–Spanish border on the French side. Those attempting the entire trail often choose to walk it from west to east, from ...

long distance footpath that runs the length of the Pyrenees * Geteu, a former commune merged into Laruns in 1828 *

Goust Goust is a French hamlet in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of southwestern France. At some point in the 19th century, folklore began to describe it as an independent Republic. Noted for its centenarians, one pensioner was reported to hav ...

, on a small plateau above Laruns *

Eaux-Chaudes Eaux-Chaudes is a spa in the valley of the Gave d'Ossau in the French Pyrenees. Location The village is located beside the river, at the southern entrance to the Gorge du Hourat. It is separated from the spa town of Eaux-Bonnes by the Massif ...

, a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

situated at the southern entrance to the

Gorge du Hourat A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...

* Artouste-Fabrèges, a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

situated in the valley of the

Gave du Brousset GAVE may refer to: * Gave (Melgaço), a parish in Portugal * Gave (placename element), a French word meaning ''torrential river'' in the west Pyrenees * Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE), a medical condition * Gabinete de Avaliação Educaci ...

, and the beginning of the summer scenic route to the Lac d'Artouste via the

Petit train d'Artouste The Petit train d'Artouste is a narrow gauge tourist railway situated in the French Pyrenees close to the Spanish border, some south of the town of Pau, and within the ''commune'' of Laruns. The line runs high above the headwaters of the Gave d' ...

* Miegebat Neighboring communes and municipalities: * North:

Gère-Bélesten Gère-Bélesten is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also * Ossau Valley * Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlant ...

and

Aste-Béon Aste-Béon (; oc, Asta e Bion) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Astois et Béonais'' or ''Astoises et Béonaises''. Ge ...

* East:

Arrens-Marsous Arrens-Marsous (; oc, Arrens e Marçós) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France. In the village, the ''Maison du Val d'Azun'' is an information centre and small museum of the area. Geography Climate Arrens-Ma ...

(

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. ...

Louvie-Soubiron Louvie-Soubiron (; Lobièr sobiran or ''Lobièr de Haut'' in occitan) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also * Ossau Valley *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is ...

Béost Béost (; oc-gsc, Biost) is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. See also * Ossau Valley * Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyréné ...

and

Eaux-Bonnes Eaux-Bonnes (, "good waters"; oc, Aigas Bonas) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Description Eaux-Bonnes is close to the small town of Laruns. It is situated at a height of at the entrance of a ...

* West:

Aydius Aydius (; oc, Aidius) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. Geography Aydius is located some 25 km south by south-east of O ...

Bedous Bedous is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. It is the birthplace of Pierre Laclède, the Frenchman who founded the U.S. city of St. Louis. Its station on the Pau–Canfranc railway was closed after an ac ...

Cette-Eygun Cette-Eygun is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Its station on the Pau–Canfranc railway was closed after an accident in 1970. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The follo ...

Etsaut Etsaut is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Its station on the Pau–Canfranc railway was closed after an accident in 1970. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following ...

and

Urdos Urdos is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Its station on the Pau–Canfranc railway was closed after an accident in 1970. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following ...

* South:

Sallent de Gállego Sallent de Gállego (in Aragonese: ''Sallent de Galligo'' or ''Sallén de Galligo'') is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. The town is located in the central Pyrenees besides the reservoir of Lanuza on the foot o ...

(

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, almo ...

References

External links

Laruns website

{{Authority control Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques