View source for Bagnères-de-Bigorre

{{Infobox French commune
|name                   = Bagnères-de-Bigorre
|native name            = {{native name|oc|Banhèras de Bigòrra}}
|commune status         = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image                  = Bagnères-de-Bigorre.JPG
|caption                = A general view of Bagnères-de-Bigorre
|image coat of arms     = Blason ville fr Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées).svg
|arrondissement         = Bagnères-de-Bigorre
|canton                 = La Haute-Bigorre
|INSEE                  = 65059
|postal code            = 65200
|mayor                  = Claude Cazabat<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term                   = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality       = Haute-Bigorre
|coordinates            = {{coord|43.065|0.1506|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m            = 550
|elevation min m        = 440
|elevation max m        = 2872
|area km2               = 125.86
|population             = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
|population demonym     = Bagnérais(e)<ref>[https://www.habitants.fr/hautes-pyrenees-65 Le nom des habitants du 65 - Hautes-Pyrénées], habitants.fr</ref>
}}
'''Bagnères-de-Bigorre''' ({{IPA|fr|baɲɛʁ də biɡɔʁ|-|Fr-Bagnères-de-Bigorre.oga}}, literally ''Bagnères of [[Bigorre]]''; {{langx|oc|label=[[Gascon language|Gascon]]|Banhèras de Bigòrra}} {{IPA-oc|baˈɲɛɾɔz ðe βiˈɣɔrɔ|}}) is a [[Communes of France|commune]] and [[Subprefectures in France|subprefecture]] of the [[Hautes-Pyrénées]] [[Departments of France|Department]] in the [[Occitania (administrative region)|Occitanie]] [[regions of France|region]] of southwestern [[France]].
{{anchor|Etymology|Toponymy}}
==Name==
The town was known in [[classical antiquity|antiquity]] as {{nowrap|'''{{lang|la|Vicus Aquensis}}'''}}{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} ([[Latin]] for "watery [[vicus|neighborhood]]") and in the [[Middle Ages]] as {{nowrap|'''{{lang|la|Aquae Convenarum}}'''}}{{sfnp|Nègre|1990|p=296}}<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> ("Waters of the [[Comminges]]"). Its present name similarly means "Baths" ({{langx|oc|Banhèras}}) of [[Bigorre]], the area of southwestern [[France]] once inhabited by the ''{{lang|la|Bigorri}}'' and now forming most of the [[French department|department]] of [[Hautes-Pyrénées]]. Either Bagnères-de-Bigorre or nearby [[Cieutat]] was apparently the "Begorra" attested in AD&nbsp;400, which also derived from the ancient tribe.{{sfnp|Nègre|1990|p=59}}
==Heraldry==
{{Blazon-arms
|img1=Blason ville fr Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées).svg
|legend1=Arms of Bagnères-de-Bigorre
|text=
'''Blazon:'''<br/>
''Gules, 3 towers Argent, the middle elevated, enclosed by a surrounding wall the same, all masoned, embattled, windowed, and ported of Sable.''
}}
==Geography==
===Location===
Bagnères-de-Bigorre is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees partly in the valley of the [[Adour]] some {{convert|18|km|sp=us|abbr=on}} southeast of [[Tarbes]] and {{convert|15|km|sp=us|abbr=on|0}} east of [[Lourdes]].
===Hydrography===
[[File:La Mongie - Barrage de Castillon.JPG|thumb|The Castillon Dam at La Mongie]]
The [[Adour]] river flows through the north-east of the commune and the town flowing towards the north to eventually flow into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] at [[Bayonne]]. Numerous streams flow through the commune including the'' GaiVeste'' which forms the northern border as it flows north-east to join the Adour, the ''Oussouet'' which forms part of the western border as it flows north, the ''Ardazen'' which forms part of the eastern border as it flows east to join the ''Angoue'', the ''Quartier par d'Abay'' which also forms part of the eastern border as it flows north-east gathering numerous tributaries, the ''Lhécou'' flows north from ''Lac Bleu'' just south of the commune to join the Quartier par d'Abay, the ''Garet'' forms part of the south-eastern border as it flows north from several lakes in the south of the commune (Lac de Caderolles, Lac de Gréziolles), the ''Adour d'Arizes'' flows south-east, and the ''Adour du Tourmalet'' flows east then north-east through the south of the commune, the hamlet of La Mongie and the Castillon Dam, to join the Adour d'Arizes forming the ''Adour de Gripp''.<ref name=Google/>
{{Clear}}
===Climate===
Bagneres-de-Bigorre is relatively untouched by the west by south-west disturbances which blow out before the high border mountain range. It is however intensely exposed to north by north-west disturbances that collide with the terrain. This barrier effect is felt up to the foothills so that springs, autumns, and winters are cool and rainy while summers are often hot and particularly stormy.
{{Geographic location
| title = '''Neighboring communes and villages'''<ref name="Géo">[http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil?c=0.1506,43.065&z=7.92265E-5&l=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS.3D$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS@aggregate(1)&l=ADMINISTRATIVEUNITS.BOUNDARIES$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&permalink=yes Géoportail], [[Institut géographique national|IGN]] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
|width=auto
|Centre    = Bagnères-de-Bigorre
|North     = [[Hauban]]
|Northeast = [[Bettes]]
|East      = [[Lies, Hautes-Pyrénées|Lies]]
|Southeast = [[Gerde, Hautes-Pyrénées|Gerde]]
|South     = [[Vielle-Aure]]
|Southwest = [[Barèges]]
|West      = [[Labassère]]
|Northwest = [[Pouzac]]
}}
==History==
{{anchor|Vicus Aquensis}}
===Antiquity===
[[Bigorre]] was conquered by the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] [[List of Roman generals|general]] [[Julius Caesar]] in 56&nbsp;BCE and incorporated into the [[Roman province|province]] of [[Gallia Aquitania]]. [[Valerius Messala]] stamped out the last pockets of tribal resistance in 28&nbsp;BC at a victory over the [[Campanians|Campani]] on a hill in [[Pouzac]].<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> The Romans subsequently settled and greatly frequented Vicus Aquensis's natural springs.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} At its greatest extent, the Roman [[vicus]] covered about half as much area as the present community.{{refn|[[Philippe Mayoux|Mayoux]],<ref>{{citation |last=Mayoux |first=Philippe |title=Bagnères-de-Bigorre: History of a Spa Town |publisher=Alan Sutton |language=fr}}</ref> cited by the town's official website.<ref name="Histoire Mairie">{{citation |url=http://www.ville-bagneresdebigorre.fr/ |contribution=Discover the Town: History |title=Official website of the ville de Bagnères-de-Bigorre |access-date=19 December 2010 |language=Fr}}</ref>}} In the 4th-century [[Diocletian Reforms|reforms]], the area around Vicus Aquensis became [[Aquitania Tertia]] or [[Novempopulana]]. It was sacked by the [[Visigoths]] amid the [[Barbarian Invasions]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}
===Middle Ages===
The [[Visigoths]] in the area were displaced by the [[Franks]] following their defeat at the AD&nbsp;507 [[Battle of Vouillé]], but there are no documents or remains from the area to provide guidance on local history until 1171. Archaeologists have proposed that the city was destroyed at some point by an earthquake and abandoned following a [[Plague (disease)|plague]] outbreak in 580.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
The area had recovered by 1171, when {{nowrap|[[Centule III, Count of Bigorre|Centule III]]}}, [[count of Bigorre]], granted "Aquae Convenarum" a liberal charter.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} The bill of rights and franchises lists four villages in the area protected by ramparts. By 1313, 800 "fires" (i.e., [[Feu fiscal|taxable homesteads]]) were recorded, making Bagnères as large as [[Tarbes]], the county seat.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> The town was a place of manufacture and trade, with only 40% directly involved in agriculture. [[Gristmill|Mills]] were erected on widened canals fed by the Adour; in addition to grinding wheat, they were used to stamp cauldrons, forge [[scythe]]s, and [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]] hides.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> The [[Black Death]] reached the town in 1348. Amid the [[Hundred Years' War]], the town fell into [[Kingdom of England|English]] possession in 1360 before suffering a second outbreak of plague the following year. [[House of Trastámara|Henri de Trastámara]], an ally of the French king, plundered, ransomed, and razed the town in 1427. Two years later there were no more than 291 "[[feu fiscal|fires]]" in Bagnères, although the town slowly repopulated.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
===Renaissance===
The town became even more commercial. In 1551, [[list of Navarrese kings|King]] {{nowrap|[[Henry III of Navarre|Henry III]]}} of [[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]] reformed the town's government, replacing its six consuls indirectly elected by a general assembly of the locals with a larger council of 40.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
The area's natural springs again rose to national prominence under [[Jeanne d'Albret]],{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} who became [[list of Navarrese kings|queen]] of [[Kingdom of Navarre|Navarre]] and [[count of Bigorre|countess]] of [[county of Bigorre|Bigorre]] upon [[Henry II of Navarre|her father Henry]]'s death in 1555. She frequented the baths, prompting many other prominent visitors to follow.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}
Already badly disposed towards [[Catherine de' Medici]], queen regent of France, Jeanne converted to [[Calvinism]] on [[Christmas Day]], 1560. She began attempting to impose the [[Reformation]] on her domains the following year. As the people of Bagnères remained largely [[Catholicism|Catholic]], following the onset of the [[French Wars of Religion]] after the [[Massacre of Vassy]], arrests for [[heresy]] began in 1562. While the [[Gabriel, comte de Montgomery|Count of Montgomery]] was recovering [[Béarn]] from Catherine's allies in 1569, he went on to demand large ransoms from her other towns, including Bagnères. (It is unrecorded whether the people of Bagnères paid him, but he is recorded leaving the town unmolested and leaving for [[Gers]].) The governor of Bagnères Antoine Beaudéan was killed by the Protestant warlord Lizier in an ambush near Pouzac in 1574.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> By the end of the Wars of Religion, the town was ruined. Plague also returned in 1588. The outbreak ended following a religious procession prompted by the "Lighting of the Liloye", a [[Marian apparition]] at the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Médous.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
The ascension of Jeanne's son [[Henry IV of France|Henry]] as king of France in 1589 united his titles—including count of Bigorre—with the [[French monarchy]].<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
===Early Modern era===
[[File:Bagnères de Bigorre, Basses Pyrénées. 18 Août 1821 Bagnères de Bigorre, Basses Pyrénées. August 18 1821(n°27) - Fonds Ancely - B315556101 A COLSTON 004.jpg|thumb|Bagnères-de-Bigorre in 1821]]
The plague struck Bagnères again in 1628, 1653, and 1654. Public health measures were taken, with most patients isolated in the Salut Valley. The disease did not reappear after December 1654.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
On 21 June 1660, strong earthquakes hit the town, continuing for three weeks. Only seven people were killed, but 150 houses were damaged and the springs initially dried up. This was only temporary, however, and the water flowed again sometime later.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> Reconstruction was carried out with [[dimension stone]]s from the Salut Quarry. This stone has the distinction of becoming like marble once polished, a feature that characterized the architecture of the town afterwards.
[[Hydrotherapy]] was gaining importance. There were 25 private businesses by 1787. In 1775, a convent building was transformed into a gambling establishment called the ''Vaux-Hall'' where there was also dining and dancing. This is the first casino in Bagnères.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
===French Revolution===
[[File:Bagneresgrandsthermes.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The ''Grands Thermes'' thermal baths]]
During the [[French Revolution]], "moderate suspects" took refuge in the city from 1789 to 1793, ready to flee to [[Kingdom of Spain|Spain]] if the situation worsened. The departmental authorities were wary of the Bagnèrese, to whom they ascribed little civic or revolutionary spirit. In late 1793, before the hospitals in the southwest became saturated, the wounded were evacuated to spas. At Bagnères, the Saint Barthelemy Hospice, the Uzer and Lanzac houses, and the Hospice of the [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|Médous Capuchins]] were used as military hospitals.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
===Industrialization===
[[File:DSC 7807-Plan-Reseau-du-Mid.jpg|thumb|Bagnères on the [[Midi Railway]]'s branch road south from Tarbes]]
[[File:Bagneres de bigorre.jpg|thumb|upright|Plan of Bagnères in the 19th century.]]
In the 19th century, the [[hydrotherapy]] offered by Bagnères's spas was reckoned particularly effective for digestive complaints{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} but the private spas were growing more decrepit. In response, the municipality organized the construction of a Grand Thermal Spa (the "Thermes"), which was completed in 1828.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> By the 1870s, the tourists would double the town's population of {{circa|lk=no|9500}} during the "season", which ran from May until about the end of October.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} The casino also opened its own spa, the "Néothermes".{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}
The supply of marble became a pillar of the local economy, with the expansion of the Géruzet marble works making it one of the largest in France from 1829 to 1880. In the 1870s, the industry employed a thousand people.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> [[Slate]] was also quarried.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} [[Dominique Soulé]] expanded his business from an old mill purchased in 1862, the same year the town was connected to the [[Midi Railway]].<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> The town also produced woolen and worsted cloth, leather, pottery, and toys.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}} A local specialty was [[Barege|barège]], a light fabric of mixed silk and wool.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}
The demolition of the city's walls allowed the completion of ring roads around the town,<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/> and the town was the site of tribunals of first instance and of commerce.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}
===20th century===
The town's population had declined to around 7000 at the onset of the [[First World War]],{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} which resulted in the expansion of industry in Bagnères, particularly in the field of railway rolling stock. The marble industry collapsed but mechanical and textile industries replaced it. The share of hydrotherapy in the economy also decreased. In June 1944, during the [[Second World War]], a punitive expedition of a company of SS murdered 32 in the town and hundreds more in the valley in retaliation against the actions of the resistance in the region.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
The postwar period saw rapid urban growth, particularly in the 1960s. Rural areas of the commune disappeared. The territory was occupied by dwellings to the borders of the neighbouring communes of [[Gerde, Hautes-Pyrénées|Gerde]] and [[Pouzac]] which also become urban.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
At the end of the 20th century industrial activity decreased. The thermal spa guests were always present and new jobs were created by the implementation of the regional Centre for Reeducation and Rehabilitation, a large retirement home, and a nursing home.<ref name="Histoire Mairie"/>
==Administration==
'''List of Successive [[Mayor (France)|Mayors]]'''<ref>[http://www.francegenweb.org/mairesgenweb/resultcommune.php?id=2639 List of Mayors of France] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
{{Hidden begin
|title=[[Mayor (France)|Mayors]] from 1781 to 1941
|titlestyle = background:palegreen;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! From !! To !! Name
|-
| 1781 || 1784 || Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Pambrun
|-
| 1787 || 1790 || Dumoret
|-
| 1790 || 1791 || Lebrun
|-
| 1790 || 1790 || de Cazebonne
|-
| 1791 || 1792 || Etienne Xavier Salaignac
|-
| 1792 || 1794 || Pierre Guchan
|-
| 1794 || 1795 || Jean-Louis Rousse
|-
| 1795 || 1795 || Bonnet
|-
| 1795 || 1795 || Dabbadie
|-
| 1795 || 1797 || Jean-Jacques Gaye
|-
| 1797 || 1799 || Dussert
|-
| 1799 || 1799 || Jean-Jacques Gaye
|-
| 1799 || 1800 || Costallat
|-
| 1800 || 1801 || Jean-Marie Sarrabeyrouse
|-
| 1801 || 1806 || Etienne Louis Salaignac
|-
| 1806 || 1806 || Piera
|-
| 1806 || 1815 || Paul Alexandre de Joulas
|-
| 1815 || 1816 || Bertrand Pinac
|-
| 1816 || 1817 || Achille d'Uzer
|-
| 1817 || 1830 || Jean Alexandre Duffourc d'Antist
|-
| 1830 || 1831 || Jean-Pierre Dumont
|-
| 1831 || 1835 || Aristide Lasserre
|-
| 1835 || 1835 || Jean-Pierre Dumont
|-
| 1835 || 1838 || Aristide Lasserre
|-
| 1838 || 1842 || Louis Dumoret
|-
| 1842 || 1848 || Jean-Baptiste Dauphole
|-
| 1848 || 1848 || François Soubies
|-
| 1848 || 1848 || Ariste Pambrun
|-
| 1848 || 1870 || Clément Cyprien d'Uzer
|-
| 1870 || 1871 || Mathieu Gaye
|-
| 1871 || 1873 || Jean-Jacques Dumoret
|-
| 1873 || 1881 || Dominique Jean-Marie Cardailhac
|-
| 1884 || 1889 || Robert de Puysegur
|-
| 1889 || 1901 || Jean-Marie Dejeanne
|-
| 1901 || 1912 || Bertrand Fortassin
|-
| 1912 || 1914 || Louis Lafforgue
|-
| 1914 || 1915 || Jean Lhez
|-
| 1915 || 1918 || Jean-Marie Cougombles
|-
| 1918 || 1919 || Jean Lhez
|-
| 1919 || 1935 || Prosper Nogues
|-
| 1935 || 1941 || Henri Suberbie
|}
{{Hidden end}}
;[[Mayor (France)|Mayors]] from 1941
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! From !! To !! Name
|-
| 1941 || 1944 || René Sühner
|-
| 1944 || 1945 || Joseph Domec
|-
| 1945 || 1958 || Joseph Meynier
|-
| 1958 || 1965 || Raymond Compagnet
|-
| 1965 || 1977 || André de Boysson
|-
| 1977 || 1989 || Eugène Toujas
|-
| 1989 || 2013 || Rolland Castells
|-
| 2013 || 2020 || Jean Bernard Sempastous
|-
| 2020 || 2026 || Claude Cazabat
|}
===Twinning===
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}
Bagnères-de-Bigorre has [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinning]] associations with:<ref>[https://pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/cncdext/dyn/public/atlas/rechercheAtlasFrance.html National Commission for Decentralised cooperation] {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Alhama de Granada]] (Spain) since 1995.
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Granarolo dell'Emilia]] (Italy) since 1985.
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Malvern, Worcestershire|Malvern]] (England) since 2016.<ref>[http://malvernobserver.co.uk/news/malvern-officially-twinned-french-spa-town-bagneres-de-bigorre/ Malvern Observator]</ref>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Tutzing]] (Germany) since 1975.
*{{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Inverurie]] (Scotland) Since 2016.<ref>[https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/town-to-say-bonjour-to-its-new-french-twin1 North-east town to say 'bonjour' to its new French twin - Evening Express]</ref>
===Intercommunality===
The Community of communes of Haute-Bigorre (CCHB) was created in December 1994 to support joint development projects. It has been allocated a general grant for operations by the State and large grants by the General Council, the Regional Council, the State, and by Europe.
Its skills are in:
* Economic development (businesses, trades, commercial fabrics...);
* Services to the elderly, children, and the disabled;
* Protection and enhancement of the environment;
* Selective waste collection;
* Housing and living Environment policy;
* Land development;
* Tourism.
===Health===
Bagnères-de-Bigorre has a regional hospital which has 25 beds for medicine, 20 beds for longer stays (4 of aftercare for alcohol withdrawal), and 220 beds for rehabilitation and physical medicine (25 places for day hospitalization). On the Castelmouly site (accommodation for the dependent elderly) the capacity is 142 beds plus 2 temporary, 36 long-stay beds, and 8 day care places for people with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. The town also has a famous thermal baths.
===Education===
Schools in the commune are in the school district of the [[Academy of Toulouse]].
The commune has three kindergartens (Clair Vallon, Carnot, and Achard), and six elementary schools (Calandreta of Banhèras (Occitan School), Jules Ferry, Pic du Midi, Carnot, Lesponne, les Palomières, and Saint Vincent).
The General Council manages the Colleges of Blanche Odin (formerly city school Achard) and Saint Vincent while the region supports the Victor Duruy high school.
==Demography==
{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|2365|Bagnères-de-Bigorre}}</ref> and INSEE<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7633058?geo=COM-65059#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |4440
|1800 |5656
|1806 |6001
|1821 |6834
|1831 |7586
|1836 |8108
|1841 |8448
|1846 |8467
|1851 |8485
|1856 |8885
|1861 |9169
|1866 |9433
|1872 |9464
|1876 |9508
|1881 |9498
|1886 |9248
|1891 |8638
|1896 |8837
|1901 |8671
|1906 |8591
|1911 |8455
|1921 |8261
|1926 |8880
|1931 |9211
|1936 |8633
|1946 |9941
|1954 |11044
|1962 |10314
|1968 |10216
|1975 |9947
|1982 |9242
|1990 |8424
|1999 |8048
|2009 |8040
|2014 |7602
|2020 |7034
}}
==Economy==
The economy of Bagnères-de-Bigorre is mainly in the secondary sector, at one time including railway materials, but Hydrotherapy and tourism are the main activities in the commune.
===Industries===
Today there are many SMEs and SMIs specializing in electrical equipment, mechanical, and aerospace industries located in the commune.
There are Four commercial zones of activity:
*The '''Dominique Soulé Business Park''': an area of over 11 hectares with 14 companies (400 jobs). The main companies are:
**CFD Bagnères (formerly Constructions Ferroviaires de Bagnères ex Soulé),
**Novexia,
**Pommier,
**Nouvelle Bagnères Aéro,
**Protoplane – Avenir Composites,
**Bigorre Ingénierie.
*The '''Adour Industrial Zone''': an area of around 16 hectares with 23 companies (280 jobs). The main companies are:
**Electraline CBB,
**Adour Industries,
**Duteil Arnauné sas,
**Spem Aero,
**Industrial Cabling Installations Pyrenees (MCIP).
*The '''Haute-Bigorre Business park''': an area of over 4 hectares with 9 companies (70 jobs). The main companies are:
**Areva T & D,
**Amare Charpentes,
**Chaussons Matériaux,
**Adour Prothèses,
**Entreprise AOD
*The '''Haute-Bigorre Industrial Park''': an area of more than 3 hectares with 3 companies (70 jobs). The main companies are:
**ABB Soulé Surge Protection – Hélita,
**Mang Metal Industries.
===Hydrotherapy and tourism===
The '''Grands Thermes de Bagnères-de-Bigorre''' (Grand Thermal Baths of Bagnères-de-Bigorre) are traditionally employed for treatment of [[rheumatism]], nervous afflictions, indigestion, and other maladies.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} The naturally-sourced waters vary in temperature from {{convert|90|to|135|F|sp=us|abbr=on}}.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878}}
Like most thermal cities, Bagnères-de-Bigorre has a casino. It is in the same building with the Aquensis thermal spa. The ski resort of La Mongie is also nearby.
;Thermalism and tourism gallery
<gallery>
File:Bagneres de Bigorre (Ulpiano Checa) 03.jpg|A Poster by [[Ulpiano Checa]]
File:Casino de Bagnères-de-Bigorre.JPG|Building housing the Casino and Aquensis.
File:La Mongie ski resort - The village.jpg|Winter Ski station of Tourmalet.
</gallery>
===Transport===
Access to the commune is by the D935 roads from Tarbes which passes through the north-eastern tip of the commune and the town before continuing southeast to [[Beaudéan]]. The D938 branches off the D935 in the town and goes north to [[Tournay, Hautes-Pyrénées|Tournay]]. The D29 goes from Beaudéan to the centre of the commune with no exit. The D918 from [[Barèges]] passes through the southeast of the commune through the hamlet of La Mongie and continues northeast to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. Apart from the town area the commune is mostly mountainous with few roads.<ref name=Google>{{citation |url=https://www.google.com/maps/ |title=Google Maps |contribution-url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bagn%C3%A8res-de-Bigorre,+France/@42.9792195,0.134013,12z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x12a824df13bbe363:0x406f69c2f3d8a20 |contribution=Bagnères-de-Bigorre }}</ref>
The railway that connected [[Argelès-Bagnères|Bagnères]] and [[Tarbes]] was closed in the late 1980s and the service is now provided by the TER bus from the old railway station which is now known as the bus station. The nearest airport is [[Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport]] some {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=off}} to the north.
==Culture and heritage==
===Civil heritage===
The commune has several buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
*The '''Uzer House''' at 1 Place d'Uzer (17th century){{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00095339|PA00095339 Uzer House at 1 Place d'Uzer}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
*The '''Jean d'Albret House''' at 5 Rue du Vieux-Moulin (1539){{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00095338|PA00095338 Jean d'Albret House at 5 Rue du Vieux-Moulin}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref>
*The '''Tower of the Jacobins''' (14th century){{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00095340|PA00095340 Tower of the Jacobins}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> is built in the flamboyant Gothic style with a square [[Belfry (architecture)|belfry]] of two floors atop an octagonal tower {{convert|35|m|ft|abbr=off}} high. It is a remnant of what was once a [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] monastery.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}} The church was destroyed by fire in 1343. The convent and cloister were demolished in 1793.
;Other sites of interest
*The '''Hospital''' contains a framed Painting: The Virgin of Carmel with the child Jesus and the Prophet Elie Tobie, and an angel (18th century){{Palissy Icon}} which is registered as an historical object.<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000101|PM65000101 Painting: The Virgin of Carmel with the child Jesus and the Prophet Elie Tobie, and an angel}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref>
*The '''Town Hall''' contains Library Shelves (19th century){{Palissy Icon}} which are registered as an historical object.<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000100|PM65000100 Library Shelves}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref>
*The '''Grands Thermes de Bagnères-de-Bigorre''' (Grand Thermal Baths of Bagnères-de-Bigorre) were built in the [[Classical architecture]] of the 19th century using Pyrenees marble. It contains a Monument dedicated to the divinity of the Emperor Augustus (1st century){{Palissy Icon}} which is registered as an historical object.<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000099|PM65000099 Monument dedicated to the divinity of the Emperor Augustus}} {{in lang|fr}}{{Camera}}</ref> It also formerly held a good library.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}
*The '''[[Conservatoire botanique Pyrénéen]]'''
===Religious heritage===
The commune has two religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
*The old '''Church of Saint John''' Portico (1280){{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00095336|PA00095336 Church of Saint John Portico}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
*The '''Church of Saint Vincent''' (1557){{Mérimée Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Mérimée {{Mérimée|PA00095337|PA00095337 Church of Saint Vincent}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref> was built on a sanctuary of paleo-Christian origin. The style is [[Gothic architecture|High Gothic]] on the west façade while the south side is distinguished by its Renaissance style porch. The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
**2 Confessionals (18th century){{Palissy Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000098|PM65000098 2 Confessionals}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
**A Baptismal font enclosure and Group Sculpture: Baptism of Christ (18th century){{Palissy Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000097|PM65000097 Baptismal font enclosure and Group Sculpture: Baptism of Christ}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
**An [[Altar]] in the Saint Francis Chapel (18th century){{Palissy Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000096|PM65000096 Altar}} in the Saint Francis Chapel {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
**A [[Stoup]] (18th century){{Palissy Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000095|PM65000095 Stoup}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
**A [[Pulpit]] (18th century){{Palissy Icon}}<ref>Ministry of Culture, Palissy {{Palissy|PM65000094|PM65000094 Pulpit}} {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
===Bagnères-de-Bigorre gallery===
<gallery>
File:Tour_des_Jacobins_%28Bagn%C3%A8res-de-Bigorre%29.JPG|Tower of the Jacobins
File:Bagnereseglisestvincent.jpg|Church of Saint-Vincent
File:Église Saint-Vincent de Bagnères-de-Bigorre 01.JPG|The Altar in the Saint Francis Chapel
File:Bagnères-de-Bigorre - Cloître Saint-Jean.JPG| Cloister of Saint-Jean
File:Halles de Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées, France).JPG|Covered Market
File:Place de Strasbourg (Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France).JPG|Place de Strasbourg
</gallery>
===Environmental heritage===
[[File:Theodoxus fluviatilis thermalis MHNT.ZOO.2009.0.15.452.Bagnere de Bigore.jpg|thumb|''Theodoxus fluviatilis thermalis'']]
*The '''Grottes de Médous''' (Médous caves) are natural caves accessible to visitors as well as a place of pilgrimage.
*Bagnères-de-Bigorre is the reference site for ''Theodoxus fluviatilis thermalis'' which was described in the 19th century by the [[malacologist]] [[Dominique Dupuy]].
===Museums===
[[File:Bagnères-de-Bigorre - musée Salies.JPG|thumb|Salies Museum]]
The town has had a museum since at least the early 20th century.{{sfnp|''EB''|1911}}
The town has three museums:
*The '''Salies Museum of Fine Arts''' which lies below the oldest part of the thermal baths, the Dauphin baths dating from 1783
*The '''Salut Natural History Museum'''
*The '''Marble Museum''' created in 2007. This museum has more than 300 large samples of European marble.<ref>[http://www.museesbagneres.fr/ Museums of Bagnères], consulted on 19 December 2010. {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
===Cultural facilities===
The city has several cultural centers:
*The '''[[Multimedia library]]'''
*The '''Municipal Cultural Center'''
*'''Le Maintenon''' Cinema
Many cultural events are organized:
*The '''Piano Pic Festival'''
*'''Chopin in Bagneres'''
*The '''Weekend of Street Art'''
*The  '''À Voix Haute Music Festival''' (At a Loud Volume Music Festival)
*The '''High school girls video meeting''' (Ascension weekend)
*The '''Pyrenees Book Fair'''
The town has an orchestra called the ''Harmony Bagnéraise'' and a choir called ''La chorale des chanteurs montagnards'' (Chorus of Mountain Singers) which is the oldest secular choir in France and Europe [ref. required].
===Sports===
The [[Stade Bagnérais]] is a French rugby union club who have long played in the First Division, twice reaching the final of the Championship of France (1979 and 1981), and which plays in [[Fédérale 1]] in the Rugby Championship in France.
The town of Bagneres has several sports associations, school structures, a leisure center, and numerous sports facilities:
*4 Gymnasiums: La Plaine, Henri Cordier, Jules Ferry, and Carnot;
*The Apollo Hall for [[Dojo]];
*The André Boysson Swimming pool;
*Rugby and soccer fields: La Plains, Marcel Cazenave Sports Park, Cordier, and Bagnères-Pouzac SIVU Sports;
*Tennis Courts: inside and outside;
*The Municipal Equestrian Center;
*Bigorre Golf Course (in Pouzac);
*The Adour [[Artificial whitewater]];
*A [[Fronton (court)|Fronton]] in the Sports Park;
*A [[Skatepark]];
*Bédat Shooting Range;
*A range of mountain activities at Tourmalet
In 2008 and 2013 Bagnères-de-Bigorre was a stage in the [[Tour de France]]:
*'''[[2008 Tour de France]]''': stage finish, won by [[Vladimir Efimkin]]
*'''[[2013 Tour de France]]''': stage finish, won by [[Dan Martin (cyclist)|Dan Martin]]
===Worship===
[[File:Temple protestant de Bagnères-de-Bigorre.JPG|thumb|upright|Reformed Church]]
The Parish of Bagneres-de-Bigorre includes 17 communes in the [[diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes]] (Haut-Adour Sector).<ref>[http://www.catholique65.fr/diocese/paroisses/bagneres-de-bigorre Bagnères-de-Bigorre] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501235404/http://www.catholique65.fr/diocese/paroisses/bagneres-de-bigorre |date=2015-05-01 }} on the [[diocese of Tarbes and Lourdes]] website, consulted on 3 December 2014. {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
The Petit-Rocher [[Carmelites|Carmel]] was founded in 1833 by Mother Marie-des-Anges. Expelled in 1901, the Carmelites returned in 1921 and a new community was formed in 2009.<ref>''Christian Family'', No. 1829, 2–8 February 2013, p. 28-30 {{in lang|fr}}</ref>
There is also a temple of the Reformed Church built by Emilien Frossard in 1857. It is attached to the parish of Hautes-Pyrenees with [[Tarbes]] and [[Cauterets]].
==Notable residents==
*The '''Bédat Family''': came from Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[André Joseph Boussart]]''' (1758–1813): General of the Republican armies and of the Empire, died at Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Alfred Roland]]''' (1797–1874): composer and creator of the Conservatory of Music of Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''Marie-Armand d'Avezac de Castera-Macaya''' (1798–1875): archivist and geographer, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''Jean-Jacques Vignerte''' (1806–1870): Politician, died at Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Charles Dancla]]''' (1817–1907): violinist and composer, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Charles Duclerc]]''' (1812–1888): Politician, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''Admiral [[Albert Hastings Markham|Sir Albert Hastings Markham]]''' (1841–1918): British explorer and Royal Navy officer, designer of the [[flag of New Zealand]], born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''Dominique Soulé''' (1847?-?): Founder of the railway materials industrial works in 1862 which carried his name until 1992
*'''Blanche Odin''' (1865–1957): Painter water-colourist, lived and died in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Julián Bourdeu]]''' (1870–1932): Journalist and Police commissary in [[Argentina]], born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''Philadelphe de Gerde''' (1871–1952): [[Félibrige]] poet from [[Gerde, Hautes-Pyrénées|Gerde]] who has a [[stele]] commemorating here opposite the thermal baths
*'''Marcellin Duclos''' (1879–1969): Opera singer (Baritone), born and died in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*[[Field marshal (United Kingdom)|Field Marshal]] '''[[Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke|Sir Alan Brooke]]''' (1883–1963): [[British Army]] officer, became [[Chief of the General Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Imperial General Staff]], born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Pierre-Georges Latécoère]]''' (1883–1943): Industrialist and businessman, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''Pierre Lamy de la Chapelle''' (Limoges 1892-Bagnères-de-Bigorre 1944): son of Dominique Soulé, pioneer of the ski station at La Mongie, founded the tennis club of Bagnères-de-Bigorre in 1920, originated the idea of serving the Pic-du-Midi with a cable car
*'''[[Tony Poncet]]''' (1918–1979): [[tenor]], Opera singer and war veteran, lived in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Jean Gachassin]]''' (1941–): former French rugby player and president of the [[Fédération française de tennis]], born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Jean-Louis Bruguès]]''' (1943–): Archbishop, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Roland Bertranne]]''' (1949–): former rugny player who played at [[Stade Bagnérais]]
*'''[[Jean-Paul Betbeze]]''' (1949–): economist, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Jean-Michel Aguirre]]''' (1951–): international Rugby Union player and former player for [[Stade Bagnérais]]
*'''[[Yves Duhard]]''' (1955–): Rugby Union player, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Wilfrid Forgues]]''' (1969–) and '''[[Frank Adisson]]''' (1969–): Olympic champions in Canoeing in 1996
*'''[[Sophie Theallet]]''' (1964–), Fashion designer, born in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*The '''[[Société Ramond]]''': founded at a meeting between [[Henry Russell (explorer)|Henry Russell]], [[Charles Packe (explorer)|Charles Packe]], [[Farnham Maxwell-Lyte]], and Emilien Frossard in 1865, and named after [[Louis Ramond de Carbonnières]], based in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
*'''[[Tony Hawks]]''': English writer and comedian, purchased a house in a village near Bagnères-de-Bigorre as told in his 2006 book ''A Piano in the Pyrenees''.
==See also==
*[[Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department]]
*[[List of spa towns in France]]
*[[Stade Bagnérais]]
*[[Bigorre]]
*[[La Mongie]]
==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
{{Reflist|30em}}
==References==
* {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Bagnères-de-Bigorre |volume=3  |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1878}} |page=235 }}
* {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Bagnères-de-Bigorre |volume=3 |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1911}} |page=202 }}
* {{citation |last=Nègre |first=Ernest |title=General Toponymy of France |publisher=Librairie Droz |date=1990 |isbn=2-60002-883-8 |language=Fr}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Bagnères-de-Bigorre}}
*[http://www.ville-bagneresdebigorre.fr/ Bagnères-de-Bigorre official website] {{in lang|fr}}
*[http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil?c=0.1506,43.065&z=7.92265E-5&l=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS.3D$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS@aggregate(1)&l=ADMINISTRATIVEUNITS.BOUNDARIES$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&permalink=yes Bagnères-de-Bigorre on Géoportail], [[Institut géographique national|National Geographic Institute]] (IGN) website {{in lang|fr}}
*[http://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/cassinige.html?lat=43.065&lon=0.1506&zoom=13 ''Baigneres en Bigorre'' on the 1750 Cassini Map]
{{Hautes-Pyrénées communes}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagneresdebigorre}}
[[Category:Communes of Hautes-Pyrénées]]
[[Category:Spa towns in France]]
[[Category:Subprefectures in France]]