Tarbes
Encyclopedia
Tarbes is a commune
in the Hautes-Pyrénées
department in south-western France.
It is part of the historical region of Gascony
. It is the second largest metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées
, with 110,000 inhabitants.
It is the seat of the diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes. The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment
and 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment
are stationed in Tarbes.
and the border with Spain. The Pyrenees
mountains, lying along the border between France and Spain, can be seen from the town.
railway station offers direct connections with Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bayonne and several regional destinations. The A64
motorway connects Tarbes with Bayonne and Toulouse. It is also served by the small Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport.
with:
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées is a department in southwestern France. It is part of the Midi-Pyrénées region.-History:...
department in south-western France.
It is part of the historical region of Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
. It is the second largest metropolitan area of Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
, with 110,000 inhabitants.
It is the seat of the diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes. The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment
1st Parachute Hussar Regiment
The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment is an airborne cavalry unit in the French army. It is stationed in Tarbes and is a part of the 11th Parachute Brigade.- Composition :The 1st RHP consists of:*Command and Logistics Squadron...
and 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment
35th Parachute Artillery Regiment
The 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment is the only airborne artillery unit of the French Army, it forms the artillery component of the 11th Parachute Brigade...
are stationed in Tarbes.
Geography
To the south of Tarbes is the pilgrimage town of LourdesLourdes
Lourdes is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in south-western France.Lourdes is a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous...
and the border with Spain. The Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
mountains, lying along the border between France and Spain, can be seen from the town.
Sports and recreation
- Tarbes Gespe BigorreTarbes Gespe BigorreTarbes Gespe Bigorre is a French basketball club, taking part to the professional French league for women, the LFB, and to European Cups ....
, the main sporting team of the town, is a female basketball team which participates in the French LeagueLigue Féminine de BasketballThe LFB is the top women’s French professional basketball league.- Champions :* precedes the score of the team playing at home.- Season 2006-2007 :* CJM Bourges Basket...
(LFB) and European competitions (FIBA EuroLeague WomenEuroLeague WomenThe EuroLeague Women is the highest professional basketball league in Europe for women’s clubs.Unlike Euroleague for men, the competition is entirely organized by FIBA Europe.-Between 2004-2011:...
, Ronchetti CupRonchetti CupThe Ronchetti Cup was an annual basketball European club competition held by FIBA between the years 1972 and 2002...
– won in 1996 – and FIBA EuroCup WomenEuroCup WomenThe EuroCup Women is the second-caliber professional basketball league with teams from European clubs from national leagues joined in FIBA Europe.It succeeds the Ronchetti Cup.- System of competition :...
). - The city also has a rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team – Tarbes Pyrénées RugbyTarbes Pyrénées RugbyTarbes Pyrénées Rugby is a French rugby union team that currently takes part in Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system....
. - One of the stages of the 2006 Tour de France2006 Tour de FranceThe 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of apparent winner Floyd Landis....
departed from Tarbes. - The 2001 Tour de France2001 Tour de FranceThe 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were...
included Tarbes as part of its route. - The 2009 Tour de France2009 Tour de FranceThe 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco...
included Tarbes as part of its route. - Tarbes-based Petits AsPetits AsLes Petits As is a premier junior tennis tournament for players aged 12–14. It is held in Tarbes, France. It is often considered to be the European equivalent of the Orange Bowl in Florida, United States due to the high number of international players that it attracts.The event has seen a number...
is a major international tennis competition for 12–14 year old juniors that has been won by future global stars including Rafael NadalRafael NadalRafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
, Martina HingisMartina HingisMartina Hingis is a retired Swiss professional tennis player who spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1. She won five Grand Slam singles titles...
, and Kim ClijstersKim ClijstersKim Antonie Lode Clijsters is a Belgian professional tennis player. As of 7 November 2011, Clijsters is ranked No. 13 in singles. Clijsters is a former World No. 1 in both singles and doubles....
.
Transport
The Gare de TarbesGare de Tarbes
Tarbes is a railway station in Tarbes, Midi-Pyrénées, France. The station is located on the Toulouse - Bayonne railway line. The station is served by TGV , Lunéa , Intercités and TER services operated by the SNCF.-Train services:The following services currently call at Tarbes:*intercity services ...
railway station offers direct connections with Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bayonne and several regional destinations. The A64
A64 autoroute
The A64 autoroute is a motorway in south western France. It is also called the La Pyrénéenne and numbered the European route E80. It is a toll road for part of its length....
motorway connects Tarbes with Bayonne and Toulouse. It is also served by the small Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport.
People
Tarbes was the birthplace of:- Bertrand Barère de VieuzacBertrand Barère de VieuzacBertrand Barère de Vieuzac was a French politician and journalist, one of the most notorious members of the National Convention during the French Revolution.-Early career:He was born at Tarbes in Gascony...
(1755–1841), member of the French National Convention - Théophile GautierThéophile GautierPierre Jules Théophile Gautier was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, art critic and literary critic....
(1811–1872), writer - Ferdinand FochFerdinand FochFerdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its...
(1851–1929), the commander-in-chief of Allied forces in World War I - Henri GénèsHenri GenèsHenri Génès was a French actor and singer. He was the symbol of the good humor of the South West of France, and he played in more than 80 movies in more than 50 years....
(1919–2005), actor and singer - Cécile OussetCécile OussetCécile Ousset is a French pianist.Cécile Ousset was born in Tarbes, France, and gave her first recital at the age of five, subsequently studying at the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 10 with Marcel Ciampi where, aged only fourteen, she was awarded first prize in the piano graduation class of...
(born 1936), pianist - Olivier AzamOlivier AzamOlivier Azam is a retired French rugby union footballer and current forwards coach at Top 14 club Toulon. A hooker who could also cover prop, Azam spent most of his professional playing career in the English Premiership at Gloucester Rugby. Azam also had 10 caps for France.Azam made his Gloucester...
(born 21 October 1974), French rugby union player - Nicolas LopezNicolas LopezNicolas Lopez is a French sabre fencer.Lopez won the gold medal in the sabre team event at the 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating Ukraine in the final...
(born 14 November 1980), French sabre fencer - David FrayDavid FrayDavid Fray is a French classical pianist. Voted "Newcomer of the Year 2008" by the BBC Music Magazine, Fray has gained attention for his musical interpretation as well as his eccentricities in performance and rehearsal, which were highlighted in the 2008 ARTE documentary about him titled "Swing,...
(born 24 May 1981), pianist - Lionel BeauxisLionel BeauxisLionel Beauxis is a French rugby union player. He is tall and weighs . He plays at fly half for Stade Français....
(born 24 October 1985), French rugby union player - Bernard LapassetBernard LapassetBernard Lapasset MNZM is a French rugby administrator who is currently Chairman of the International Rugby Board . He previously served as President of the French Federation of Rugby Union from 1991 to May 2008, when Pierre Camou, then Vice-President took over...
(born 20 October 1947), International Rugby BoardInternational Rugby BoardThe International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
chairman - Marianne DissardMarianne DissardMarianne Dissard is a singer, lyricist and filmmaker living in Tucson, Arizona, USA. "A central figure in Tucson's desert music community" with her unique hybrid of French Chanson and Americana, she is noted as a ....
(born 20 Mai 1969), singer, filmmaker
International relations
Tarbes is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
- HuescaHuescaHuesca 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 the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
, Spain - AltenkirchenAltenkirchenAltenkirchen is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, capital of the district of Altenkirchen. It is located approx. 40 km east of Bonn and 40 km north of Koblenz. Altenkirchen is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Altenkirchen.-References:...
, Germany
External links
- Guide of Tarbes
- Tarbes town council website (in French)
- Tourism office website (in French)