Le Monêtier-les-Bains (; ) is a commune in the

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population ...

department in southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

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. I ...

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 cold ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''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 ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, 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 (hydrology), spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and Hot spring, ...

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

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

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 linked ...

and is regularly used in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

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

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

and

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. In the 2011 Tour it was also passed through with about 20 km to go on the 18th stage.

References

External links

Thermal Bath
Communes of Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia {{HautesAlpes-geo-stub