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 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 and t ...

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language, Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This ...

, southwestern France. In 2019, its population was 229,567;Populations légales 2019: 65 Hautes-Pyrénées
INSEE its

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 ...

is Tarbes. It is named after the Pyrenees mountain range.

History

Historically the area broadly covered by the ''département'' known as Bigorre, a territory at times independent but later part of Gascony

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 outsi ...

. Large parts of the area were held by the English after the Treaty of Brétigny, 1360. In the 16th century, it was part of the Huguenot domain of the monarchs of

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, ...

, brought to France by Henri IV. For its early history, see Bigorre and Gascony. The ''département'' of Hautes-Pyrénées was created at the time of 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 ...

, on 4 March 1790, through the influence of French politician Bertrand Barère, a member of the

Convention Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law * Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...

Geography

Hautes-Pyrénées consists of several distinct geographical areas. The southern portion, along the border with Spain, consists of mountains such as the Vignemale, the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, and the Neouvielle and Arbizon ranges. A second area consists of low-altitude rolling hills. The Northern part of the '' département'' consists of largely flat agricultural land. Hautes-Pyrénées has two small territorial exclaves—a remnant from 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 ...

—located within the neighboring ''département'' of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Principal towns

The greater Tarbes area is the economic and administrative focus of the ''département'', while Lourdes, the second-biggest city in Hautes-Pyrénées, is dedicated almost exclusively to the religious

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

industry. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

Population development since 1801:

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is Michel Pélieu, first elected in 2011.

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

The Western Pyrenees National Park covers a significant area, and includes well-known attractions such as the Cirque de Gavarnie and the Pont d'Espagne. The entire area is a favorite destination of hikers and mountain enthusiasts. The area has been known perhaps since Antiquity for its hot springs, and several towns were built around these, most notably Cauterets, Luz-Saint-Sauveur and Bagnères-de-Bigorre. A notable lake in the area is

Lac Bleu d'Ilhéou Lac Bleu d'Ilhéou is a lake in Hautes-Pyrénées, 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 Am ...

, southwest of Cauterets. There are a number of popular ski resorts in Hautes-Pyrénées such as Barèges- La Mongie,

Gavarnie Gavarnie (; oc, Gavarnia) is a former commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, Southwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Gavarnie-Gèdre.Luz-Ardiden Luz Ardiden is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Occitanie Region. The ski resort lies at a height of 1720 meters and was opened on January 16, 1975. In recent years the road to Luz Ardiden h ...

, Cauterets, Hautacam, Piau-Engaly and Saint-Lary-Soulan. The area is a nearly-permanent fixture on the Tour de France's itinerary, with significantly difficult passes such as the Tourmalet, the

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 ...

and the Soulor. The region's premier avant-garde jazz festival is held each year in Luz-Saint-Sauveur: Jazz a Luz. Tarbes hosts an annual horse festival, Equestria, and a Tango festival, Tarbes en Tango. File:Lourdes Sanctuaires 01.jpg, Lourdes sanctuary File:Picdumidi.jpg, Pic du Midi de Bigorre File:Le Vignemale.jpg, Vignemale File:Lac du Milieu de Bastan Hautes Pyrénées 02 BLS.JPG, Middle of Lake Bastan, shortly before sunset File:Gavarnie-Cirque.JPG, Cirque de Gavarnie

References

External links

*
Departmental Council of Hautes-Pyrénées website
*
Prefecture website

Pyrenees National Park
*
Photography Panoramics 360° website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hautes-Pyrenees 1790 establishments in France Departments of Occitania (administrative region) States and territories established in 1790