Barèges

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Coordinates: 42°53′49″N 0°03′57″E / 42.897, 0.06583

Commune of Barèges Main street in Barèges, thermal baths (left)
Location
Administration
Country	France
Region	Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Hautes-Pyrénées
Arrondissement	Argelès-Gazost
Canton	Luz-Saint-Sauveur
Statistics
Elevation	1,070 m–3,087 m (avg. 1,250 m)
Land area¹	45.84 km²
Population² (1999)	258
- Density	5/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	65481/ 65120
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Barèges is a commune of the Hautes-Pyrénées département, in southwestern France.

[edit] Economy

Its warm mineral waters first became generally known in 1675 when they were visited by Madame de Maintenon and the duke of Maine, son of Louis XIV. A military hospital was founded in 1760.

Barèges is also the second oldest ski resort in France, and when the funicular was opened in 1936 the resort became a tourist destination. The resort, now linked with La Mongie, is the largest ski area in the French Pyrénées.

The light silk and wool fabric called barège takes its name from the place, where it was first made.

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.

[edit] External links

• Description of ski area

Coordinates: 42°54′N 0°04′E / 42.9, 0.067