Le Monêtier-les-Bains (; oc, Lo Monastièr) 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

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; oc, Auts Aups; en, Upper Alps) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population of 141,220 ...

department in southeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Le Monêtier-les-Bains is the highest village of the French ski resort of

Serre Chevalier Serre Chevalier () is a major ski resort in Southeastern France, near the Italian border, located in the Hautes-Alpes department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated to the northeast of Écrins National Park in the French Alps, the re ...

at 1,500m. It is situated in the

Guisane The Guisane is a river in the Hautes-Alpes department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, a subtributary of the Rhône and tributary of the Durance (in Briançon). It takes its source in Le Monêtier-les-Bains at the Col du Lautaret. ...

Valley. Le Monêtier-Les-Bains has two hot-water springs, one at and one at , and the village has been a thermal spa since Roman times. The village is on the periphery of the Ecrins National Park. Map commune FR insee code 05079

Climate

Le Monêtier-les-Bains has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Dfb''). The average annual temperature in Le Monêtier-les-Bains is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Le Monêtier-les-Bains was on 3 August 1947; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 10 January 1945.

Population

Skiing

Monetier's slopes are a part of the extensive

ski area. There are 7 chairlifts and 4 drag lifts with the highest skiing in the domain at 2760m.

Thermal baths

Warm water presence in the Monêtier area was already appreciated during the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

, when the village was known with the name of ''Stabatio'' (healing).''Le Monêtier les bains''
www.alpes-guide.com
/ref> Between 1715 and the late 19th century Monêtier was renowned for its thermal pools and facilities, which declined during the following century. From 1999 the new

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

of ''Les grands Bains'' was opened and, thanks to the following improvement works, Le Monêtier-les-Bains became, again, a popular destination for spa tourism.

Tour de France

The village lies on the

Col du Lautaret Col du Lautaret () is a high mountain pass in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France. It marks the boundary between the valleys of the Romanche and the Guisane, a tributary of the Durance which has its source at the col. The valleys are linke ...

and is regularly used 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 ...

. It has featured recently in the tours of 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007 and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...