The Aquitani were a tribe that lived in the region between the Pyrenees , the Atlantic Ocean , and the Garonne , in present-day southwestern France in the 1st century BC. The Romans dubbed this region Gallia Aquitania . Classical authors such as Julius Caesar and Strabo clearly distinguish the Aquitani from the other peoples of Gaul , and note their similarity to others in the Iberian Peninsula .
60-734: Tarbes ( French pronunciation: [taʁb] ; Gascon : Tarba ) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as Turba or Tarba in Roman times . Tarbes is part of the historical region of Gascony . Formerly of strong industrial tradition, Tarbes today tries to diversify its activities, particularly in aeronautics and high tech around
120-470: A sociolect of Gascon with special phonetic and lexical features, which linguistics named Judeo-Gascon . It has been superseded by a sociolect of French that retains most of the lexical features of this former variety. Béarnais , the official language when Béarn was an independent state, does not correspond to a unified language: the three forms of Gascon are spoken in Béarn (in the south, Pyrenean Gascon, in
180-642: A distinct part of Gaul: All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts , in ours Gauls , the third. All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws. The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani Despite apparent cultural and linguistic connections to ( Vascones ), the region of Aquitania extended only to
240-531: A neighbouring commune of the agglomeration, is also home to TARMAC, a company dedicated to the dismantling of aircraft for which it was necessary to construct an imposing building. The platform is, again, installed on the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées airport area, and revolves around the three activities of storage, maintenance and deconstruction. Boostec , based in Bazet , collaborated with EADS - Astrium to build
300-460: A reduced majority (51.3%) in 1995, against Gérard Trémège (UDF-RPR). 2001 then marked a brand new change: Gérard Trémège, after a merger of the lists of DL-UDF and RPR, became mayor with 50.1% of the vote (26 votes in advance). He was re-elected on 17 March 2008 under the UMP - Radical Party label "Valoisien" this time with 54.3% (1,705 votes ahead of Jean Glavany ) and again on 23 March 2014, this time in
360-402: A week, respectively. Meridiana connects to Rome and finally Air Nostrum (Iberia Regional) offers two flights per week to Madrid Barajas . The airport also offers seasonal charter flights to and from the largest European cities. The Gare de Tarbes railway station offers direct connections with Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bayonne and several regional destinations. Tarbes is also served by
420-530: Is a Pre-Pyrenees town within the rich agricultural plain of the river Adour , 155 kilometres (96 miles) southwest of Toulouse , 144 kilometres (89 miles) to the east of Bayonne , 70 kilometres (43 miles) southwest of Auch and 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Lourdes . Tarbes is 1 hr 30 mins from the Atlantic Ocean , 2 hrs 50 mins from the Languedoc coast and 35 minutes from the nearest ski resorts . It
480-508: Is located at an average elevation of 304 metres (997 feet). To the south of Tarbes, along with the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, is the border with Spain. The Pyrenees mountains, lying along the border between France and Spain, can be seen from the town. Tarbes is crossed to the east by the Adour river and to the west by the Échez and by the Gespe, a tributary which joins the Échez on the territory of
540-521: Is mild and sunny. Winter, meanwhile, is less rigorous but can still hold some surprises. The lowest temperature was recorded in January 1985 with a temperature under shelter of −17.9 °C (−0.2 °F). Conversely, there was a maximum temperature of 39 °C (102 °F) in August 2003. The name of the town was recorded in the 5th century as Civitas Turba ubi castrum Bigòrra (The town of Turba (possibly 'of
600-550: Is still the second of the Midi-Pyrénées. Also in the town centre, the Rex Hotel, a designer hotel addressing a rather affluent clientele, and the arrival of brands such as H&M and new places of leisure ( CGR [ fr ] , etc.) seem to attest to the attractiveness of the town. Often presented as a "market town", Tarbes is home to important halls and market squares, allowing opportunities for local agriculture. Symbol of
660-704: Is the change from "f" to "h". Where a word originally began with [f] in Latin, such as festa 'party/feast', this sound was weakened to aspirated [h] and then, in some areas, lost altogether; according to the substrate theory, this is due to the Basque dialects' lack of an equivalent /f/ phoneme , causing Gascon hèsta [ˈhɛsto] or [ˈɛsto] . A similar change took place in Spanish . Thus, Latin facere gives Spanish hacer ( [aˈθer] ) (or, in some parts of southwestern Andalusia , [haˈsɛɾ] ). Another phonological effect resulting from
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#1732847750710720-516: Is the vernacular Romance variety spoken mainly in the region of Gascony , France . It is often considered a variety of Occitan , although some authors consider it a different language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn ( Béarnese dialect ) in southwestern France (in parts of the following French départements : Pyrénées-Atlantiques , Hautes-Pyrénées , Landes , Gers , Gironde , Lot-et-Garonne , Haute-Garonne , and Ariège ) and in
780-548: The A64 allowing in the direction of Toulouse, to drive freely to Lannemezan or Capvern , and towards Bayonne and joining Pau, which is also accessible from the RD 817 [ fr ] . The communes of Grand Tarbes [ fr ] are served by a bus network called Alezan . An electric shuttle for the town centre. Finally, it is possible to rent cycles in the Place du Foirail , under
840-522: The Adour to found the town of Tarbes, and its sister, on the banks of the Gave de Pau , arose as Lourdes . In the 3rd century BC, the foundations of Tarbes began to emerge, based on the testimonies of the exhumed remains which had been buried. By need for salt trade, merchants who were likely Aquitanians travelled across the Pyrenean foothills. To continue their journey, they had to use a ford in order to cross
900-492: The Adour which descended from the mountain. It was more prudent to split the loads to cross the ford as a result of which a pause was necessary. The bottom of the valley was dominated by a sandy emergence which prompted people to settle there. Then, Tarba experienced a Roman colonisation and acquired ancient villas and large agricultural estates, found particularly in the Ormeau quarter. The existence of craft has been verified by
960-978: The Aquitanian language , was a precursor of the Basque language and the substrate for the Gascon language (one of the Romance languages ) spoken in Gascony . Between the 1st century and the 13th century , the Aquitani gradually adopted the Gascon language while part of the Roman Empire , then the Duchy of Gascony and the Duchy of Aquitaine . At the time of the Roman conquest, Julius Caesar , who defeated them in his campaign in Gaul , describes them as making up
1020-511: The Atlantic Ocean and three hours from the Mediterranean via the La Pyrénéenne autoroute , the city offers a certain lifestyle and boasts a cultural life which is packed with clubs and sport. Being farther away from Toulouse than other cities the former region of Midi-Pyrénées, Tarbes may appear to display greater economic independence. It also often occupies the second place in
1080-517: The Fifth Republic was marked by several waves. In the elections of 1959, the outgoing Socialist mayor, Marcel Billières, was a victim of the resilience of the Communist Party but especially also the shift to the right, which managed to seize the city hall with the election of Paul Boyrie. He was comfortably re-elected in 1965 (58.4%) and 1971 (55.2%). However, his sudden death a few weeks before
1140-545: The Herschel space telescope , launched on 14 May 2009. In addition to the Aerospace Valley involving DeciElec, Socata/Daher, Pearl and Tarmac, Tarbes is developing several business parks. Tarbes also houses the second University centre of the Midi-Pyrénées with a University Institute of technology (IUT) and National School of Engineers of Tarbes (ENIT) having more than 5,000 students. The Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport
1200-515: The National Stud of Tarbes [ fr ] and Tarbes gave birth to the Anglo-Arabian horse breed. In 1859, Tarbes was connected to Paris by rail. In the 19th century, various legacies enrich the public spaces of Tarbes. In 1853, Placide Massey [ fr ] bequeathed to the city the eponymous garden, still unfinished. In 1877, a donation by the former Mayor Antoine Brauhauban
1260-523: The TBM 850 and TB 20 . Its headquarters and its main industrial site are located on the outskirts of the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport in the canton of Ossun, south of Grand Tarbes, where its facilities are spread over 53 hectares (130 acres), of which 80,000 square metres (860,000 sq ft) are covered surfaces. At the end of 2006, its strength stood at more than 1,050 people. Ossun ,
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#17328477507101320-579: The Val d'Aran of Catalonia. Aranese , a southern Gascon variety, is spoken in Catalonia alongside Catalan and Spanish . Most people in the region are trilingual in all three languages, causing some influence from Spanish and Catalan. Both these influences tend to differentiate it more and more from the dialects of Gascon spoken in France. Most linguists now consider Aranese a distinct dialect of Occitan and Gascon. Since
1380-510: The Vikings led a devastating raid following which the Bishop of Bigorre reported that the city Bigorre was beginning with the cathedral, named with originality, la Sède . At the end of the 12th century, the count of Bigorre settled in his castle of Tarbes, resulting with the court of justice being in his suite. Then, the capital of Bigorre received a Royal Seneschal. Two noble houses were founded in
1440-586: The Vél'en Ville system. Tarbes is the capital of the Hautes-Pyrénées department and concentrates various utilities including the court of grand instance, a branch of the Bank of France , the Chamber of Commerce and local industry, the Chamber of skilled crafts, crafts and Services. In 2011, the municipality of Tarbes was rewarded with the label " Ville Internet [ fr ] @@@@". The municipal history of Tarbes under
1500-498: The 11th century over the coastal fringe of Gipuzkoa extending from Hondarribia to San Sebastian , where Gascon was spoken up to the early 18th century and often used in formal documents until the 16th century, with evidence of its continued occurrence in Pasaia in the 1870s. A minor focus of influence was the Way of St James and the establishment of ethnic boroughs in several towns based on
1560-598: The 13th century, outside the walls, one the convent of the Cordeliers near Carrère Longue , the other being that of the Carmelites in the vicinity of the Bourg Crabé. At the end of the medieval centuries, the city was composed of six separate fortified towns, juxtaposed and aligned on an east–west axis, where the original core was ordered around the cathedral. There were thus la Sède, Carrère, Maubourguet and Bourg Vieux flanked to
1620-585: The 1977 elections caused confusion in the ranks of the outgoing majority. In this election, the Communist Paul Chastellain [ fr ] prevailed in the first round (50.6%), at the head of a list of union of the left. He was reelected in 1983 with 54.8% against Jean Journé (UDF-RPR), but took ill with a heart attack during the count. Raymond Erracarret (FCP) was elected mayor by the municipal council. The new councillor regained his chair in 1989 with 54.1% against Jean Journé (UDF-RPR), then with
1680-584: The 2006 adoption of the new statute of Catalonia , Aranese is co-official with Catalan and Spanish in all of Catalonia (before, this status was valid for the Aran Valley only). It was also one of the mother tongues of the English kings Richard the Lionheart and his younger brother John Lackland . While many scholars accept that Occitan may constitute a single language, some authors reject this opinion and even
1740-425: The Basque substrate may have been Gascon's reluctance to pronounce a /r/ at the beginning of words, resolved by means of a prothetical vowel. Although some linguists deny the plausibility of the Basque substrate theory, it is widely assumed that Basque, the "Circumpyrenean" language (as put by Basque linguist Alfonso Irigoyen and defended by Koldo Mitxelena , 1982), is the underlying language spreading around
1800-566: The French influence over the Hispanic Mark on medieval times, shared similar and singular features are noticeable between Gascon and other Latin languages on the other side of the border: Aragonese and far-western Catalan (Catalan of La Franja ). Gascon is also (with Spanish, Navarro-Aragonese and French) one of the Romance influences on the Basque language . Aquitani Their old language,
1860-591: The Pyrenean Days of Gynecology, of worldwide recognition. The population of the commune of Tarbes as of 1 January 2017 is 41,518 inhabitants, thus placing the commune as 12th of the Occitanie region. In 2017, the Communauté d'agglomération de Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (86 communes, 123,588 inhabitants) was created which, regionally, ranks 8th in population. The urban unit ( unité urbaine ) has 78,594 inhabitants. It includes
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1920-552: The Pyrenees according to Caesar: Aquitania extends from the river Garonne to the Pyrenaean mountains and to that part of the ocean which is near Hispania: it looks between the setting of the sun, and the north star. Late Romano-Aquitanian funerary slabs and altars contain what seem to be the names of deities or people similar to certain names in modern Basque , which has led many philologists and linguists to conclude that Aquitanian
1980-698: The Pyrenees onto the banks of the Garonne River, maybe as far east as the Mediterranean in Roman times ( niska cited by Joan Coromines as the name of each nymph taking care of the Roman spa Arles de Tech in Roussillon , etc.). Basque gradually eroded across Gascony in the High Middle Ages (Basques from the Val d'Aran cited still circa 1000), with vulgar Latin and Basque interacting and mingling, but eventually with
2040-454: The center and in the east, Eastern Gascon; to the north-west, Western Gascon). A poll conducted in Béarn in 1982 indicated that 51% of the population could speak Gascon, 70% understood it, and 85% expressed a favourable opinion regarding the protection of the language. However, use of the language has declined dramatically over recent years as a result of the Francization taking place during
2100-467: The commune. Tarbes features an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Cfb ), with relatively hot summers, mild winters and abundant rainfall. Tarbes benefits from its privileged location in the area of the Adour , a milder microclimate than at Lourdes, from a higher altitude, and somewhat less rainy than in Pau, and sunnier. Summers are warm and often stormy, while spring is rainy and cool and autumn
2160-463: The concerned region. It is mainly in Béarn that the population uses concurrently the term "Béarnais" to designate its Gascon forms. This is because of the political past of Béarn, which was independent and then part of a sovereign state (the shrinking Kingdom of Navarre ) from 1347 to 1620. In fact, there is no unified Béarnais dialect, as the language differs considerably throughout the province. Many of
2220-877: The crowd') where the castle of Bigòrra is located). It was an important town in Novempopulania , one of the Roman provinces at that time. In the 6th century Gregory of Tours referred to it as Talvam vicum . In the Middle Ages it was called Tarbé (1214), Tursa , Tarvia (1284) and also Tarbia . Not to be confused with the Tarbelli , whose capital was Dax . Legend holds that the Queen of Ethiopia , Tarbis, proposed her love to Moses and that he refused. Inconsolable, she decided to leave her throne and hide her disappointment. After many wanderings, she arrived in Bigorre and built her home on
2280-574: The current Rue Maréchal-Foch ). Then, the Constituent Assembly, which included Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac (Deputy of Bigorre to the Estates-General), decided to undertake administrative reform and Tarbes benefitted by becoming capital of the department of the Hautes-Pyrénées. From 1800, Tarbes became the chef-lieu and headquarters of a prefecture (an increase of its administrative role and its functions). In 1806, Napoleon I re-established
2340-435: The differences in pronunciation can be divided into east, west, and south (the mountainous regions). For example, an 'a' at the end of words is pronounced "ah" in the west, "o" in the east, and "œ" in the south. Because of Béarn's specific political past, Béarnais has been distinguished from Gascon since the 16th century, not for linguistic reasons. Probably as a consequence of the linguistic continuum of western Romania and
2400-565: The different zones of activities which are increasing. The recent development of Tarbais beans and other regional specialties also shows a willingness to develop the agri-food industry thus justifying its nickname of "market town". Its 42,888 inhabitants are called Tarbaises and the Tarbais . 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. Tarbes
2460-558: The east of the Count's castle, with Bourg Neuf and Bourg Crabé each surrounded by their own walls. During the Wars of Religion , in 1569, the troops of Jeanne d'Albret burned the cathedral, the convents and other churches as well as the bishopric. Despite the strategic destruction to try to defend Bourg Vieux, the inhabitants were massacred. In the 17th century, after the plague and the problems of housing people of war, Tarbes ensured its revival with
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2520-654: The first round with 52.95% of the votes. Since the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015, the city of Tarbes is subdivided into 3 cantons: Since January 2017 Tarbes is part of the Communauté d'agglomération Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées . This was created by the merger of the Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Tarbes with 6 neighbouring Communautés de communes . Grand Tarbes had been created in December 1995 from
2580-557: The former Communauté de communes de l'agglomération tarbaise . The Communauté d'agglomération has competences related to transportation, travellers , culture, sports, environment, the university and the city's policy. It now includes 86 municipalities and has some 123,000 inhabitants (2014 legal population, INSEE). The city has also a medical centre spread over three sites that make up the Intercommunal Hospital Centre of Tarbes – Vic-en-Bigorre (CHIC-TV). On 6 June 2003,
2640-574: The former replacing the latter north of the east and middle Pyrenees and developing into Gascon. However, modern Basque has had lexical influence from Gascon in words like beira ("glass"), which is also seen in Galician-Portuguese . One way for the introduction of Gascon influence into Basque came about through language contact in bordering areas of the Northern Basque Country , acting as adstrate. The other one has taken place since
2700-432: The institution changed its name and became the Hospital Centre of Bigorre (CHB): A short stay site ("La Gespe" in Tarbes) and two geriatric sites ("L'Ayguerote" in Tarbes and Vic en Bigorre); in 2016 the new hospital of Tarbes and Lourdes will be in Lanne , opposite the airport. The Ormeau Polyclinic in collaboration with the Pyrenees-Bigorre Clinic is the second centre of health in Tarbes. Every year in October, are organised
2760-440: The last centuries, as Gascon is rarely transmitted to young generations any longer (outside of schools, such as the Calandretas ). By April 2011, the Endangered Languages Project estimated that there were only 250,000 native speakers of the language. The usual term for Gascon is "patois", a word designating in France a non-official and usually devaluated dialect (such as Gallo ) or language (such as Occitan ), regardless of
2820-503: The local food industry, a Cooperative of tarbais beans including emerged at the heart of the Bastillac zone. The small Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the town centre. This airport is served by HOP! which provides three daily and two weekend air services to Paris-Orly . Jetairfly , which ensures a connection of two flights a week during the summer. Ryanair serves London Stansted, Dublin, Lisbon and Milan Bergamo , with two and three flights
2880-571: The more urbanised communes and those nearest to Tarbes, notably the communes of Aureilhan (7,745 inhabitants), Bordères-sur-l'Échez (5,227 inhabitants), Séméac (4,926 inhabitants) and Barbazan-Debat (3,463 inhabitants). The urban area ( aire d'attraction d'une ville ) has 135,654 inhabitants (2018), and is the ninth of Occitanie behind Toulouse, Montpellier, Perpignan, Nîmes, Béziers, Narbonne, Montauban and Albi. Gascon language Gascon ( English: / ˈ ɡ æ s k ə n / ; Gascon: [ɡasˈku(ŋ)] , French: [ɡaskɔ̃] )
2940-407: The name Occitan : instead, they argue that the latter is a cover term for a family of distinct lengas d'òc rather than dialects of a single language. Gascon, in particular, is distinct enough linguistically to have been described as a language in its own right. The language spoken in Gascony before Roman rule was part of the Basque dialectal continuum (see Aquitanian language ); the fact that
3000-405: The privileges bestowed on the Francs by the Kingdom of Navarre from the 12th to the early 14th centuries, but the variant spoken and used in written records is mainly the Occitan of Toulouse. The énonciatif (Occitan: enunciatiu ) system of Gascon, a system that is more colloquial than characteristic of normative written Gascon and governs the use of certain preverbal particles (including
3060-474: The reconstruction of the Episcopal Palace in 1652 (today the office of the prefecture), the foundation of a third hospital in 1690 and two new convents ( Capuchins and Ursulines ). Irrigation of the land and the water power used by the craftsmen were produced by the system of canals derived from the Adour. The 18th century announced a growth of the population, and the development of agriculture, crafts and trade. The town expanded and new quarters appeared (such as
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#17328477507103120-462: The regional urban hierarchy. It maintains close relations with Nouvelle-Aquitaine and, in particular, with Pau , a nearby town of the Pre-Pyrenees. Tarbes is the second industrial city of the former region of Midi-Pyrénées. this is particularly illustrated in the field of railway construction and aeronautics with the presence of nearby companies such as Alstom and Daher . Daher-Socata manufactures business and tourism aircraft there, including
3180-414: The remains of the workshops of potters and weavers. The urban core, meanwhile, assumed the administrative functions and would have had an early Christian church in the 4th century. In the 5th and 6th centuries, as a result of the barbarian invasions which swept in successive waves, the city shrank around the castrum , of which a remnant remains in the rear courtyard of the prefecture. In about 840 AD,
3240-413: The sometimes emphatic affirmative que , the occasionally mitigating or dubitative e , the exclamatory be , and the even more emphatic ja / ye , and the "polite" se ) has also been attributed to the Basque substrate. Gascon is divided into three varieties or dialect sub-groups: The Jews of Gascony, who resided in Bordeaux , Bayonne and other cities, spoke until the beginning of the 20th century
3300-414: The word 'Gascon' comes from the Latin root vasco / vasconem , which is the same root that gives us 'Basque', implies that the speakers identified themselves at some point as Basque. There is a proven Basque substrate in the development of Gascon. This explains some of the major differences that exist between Gascon and other Occitan dialects. A typically Gascon feature that may arise from this substrate
3360-428: Was awarded the Croix de Guerre . After the return of peace, the industry diversified and there was an expansion of the population. Tarbes remained a city of strong military character. Today, Tarbes has also become a university city and the main activities are now within the tertiary sector (services). In addition to its privileged geographical situation, less than an hour from the Pyrenees mountains, two hours from
3420-448: Was closely related to an older form of Basque. Julius Caesar draws a clear line between the Aquitani, living in present-day south-western France and speaking Aquitanian, and their neighboring Celts living to the north. The fact that the region was known as the Vasconia in the Early Middle Ages , a name that evolved into the better known form of Gascony , along with other toponymic evidence, seems to corroborate that assumption. Although
3480-413: Was privatized in 2021. The goal is to augment that number by a factor of three, come 2025. During World War I , Tarbes intensified its production of artillery by virtue of its geographical position in the back country. Marshal Foch , Commander-in-Chief of all allied armies, was born in Tarbes in 1851. During World War II , the Resistance was also part of the everyday life of the town of Tarbes, which
3540-423: Was responsible for the construction of an imposing hall which bore his name (this building was destroyed in 1970 to establish outdoor parking). The end of the 19th century still saw the construction of the two fountains of Place Marcadieu , a legacy of the benefactor Félicitée Duvignau. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, General Verchère de Reffye transformed the experimental workshop of Meudon , which
3600-494: Was transferred by train to Tarbes, into a fully-fledged artillery workshop (called an arsenal by the townspeople). Thus, Tarbes became an industrial and working-class town but also asserted its military vocation by the construction of the Larrey, Soult and Reffye neighbourhoods. Today Les Forges de Tarbes still produce artillery shells for the French Army's Leclerc MBT and CAESAR self-propelled howitzer . The firm, which in March 2024 produced around 4,000 artillery shells per month,
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