Historically the area broadly covered by thedépartement known asBigorre, a territory at times independent but later part ofGasconyprovince. Large parts of the area were held by the English after theTreaty of Brétigny, 1360. In the 16th century, it was part of theHuguenot domain of the monarchs ofNavarre, brought to France byHenri IV. For its early history, seeBigorre andGascony.
Thedépartement of Hautes-Pyrénées was created at the time of theFrench Revolution, on 4 March 1790, through the influence of French politicianBertrand Barère, a member of theConvention.
Hautes-Pyrénées consists of several distinct geographical areas. The southern portion, along the border with Spain, consists of mountains such as theVignemale, thePic du Midi de Bigorre, and theNeouvielle andArbizon ranges. A second area consists of low-altitude rolling hills. The northern part of thedépartement consists of largely flat agricultural land. Hautes-Pyrénées has two small territorialexclaves—a remnant from theMiddle Ages—located within the neighboringdépartement ofPyrénées-Atlantiques. The southern part of the department is sparsely populated and typically have higher elevations while the northern part of the department is highly urbanised and typically have lower elevations than the southern part.
The greaterTarbes area is the economic and administrative focus of thedépartement, whileLourdes, the second-biggest city in Hautes-Pyrénées, is dedicated almost exclusively to the religiouspilgrimage industry. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:[3]
The Western Pyrenees National Park covers a significant area, and includes well-known attractions such as theCirque de Gavarnie and thePont d'Espagne. The entire area is a favorite destination of hikers and mountain enthusiasts.
The area is a nearly-permanent fixture on the Tour de France's itinerary, with significantly difficult passes such as theTourmalet, theAubisque and theSoulor.
A jazz festival is held each year inLuz-Saint-Sauveur: Jazz a Luz. Tarbes hosts an annual horse festival, Equestria, and a Tango festival, Tarbes en Tango.[citation needed]
