Barcelonnette (; , also ; obsolete ) is a commune of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and a

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

in the department of

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (sometimes abbreviated as AHP; ; ; ), formerly until 1970 known as Basses-Alpes (, ), is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the sou ...

, in the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region. It is located in the southern

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

, at the crossroads between

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

and the

Dauphiné The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was ...

, and is the largest town in the

Ubaye Valley The Ubaye Valley is an area in the Alpes de Haute-Provence ''département'', in the French Alps, having approximately 7,700 residents. Its residents are called ''Ubayens''. Its principal town is the ''sous-préfecture'' of Barcelonnette. 350px, A ...

. The town's inhabitants are known as ''Barcelonnettes''.

Toponymy

Barcelonnette was founded and named in 1231, by Ramon Berenguer IV,

Count of Provence The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

. Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, ''Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieux en France'', Éd. Larousse, 1968, pp. 1693–1694. While the town's name is generally seen as a diminutive form of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing point out an earlier attestation of the name ''Barcilona'' in Barcelonnette in around 1200, and suggest that it is derived instead from two earlier stems signifying a mountain, *''bar'' and *''cin'' (the latter of which is also seen in the name of

Mont Cenis Mont Cenis (; , ) is a massif in Savoie (France) (with an elevation of at Pointe de Ronce and a pass at an elevation of ), which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps. Etymology The term "Mont Cenis" could be derived from '' ...

). Charles Rostaing, ''Essai sur la toponymie de la Provence depuis les origines jusqu'aux invasions barbares'', Laffite Reprints, Marseille, 1973 (1st edition 1950), p 91Ernest Nègre, ''Toponymie générale de la France : étymologie de 35 000 noms de lieux'', Genève : Librairie Droz, 1990. Collection ''Publications romanes et françaises'', volume CVCIII. Volume III : Formations dialectales (suite) ; formations françaises § 30208 § 30208 In the Vivaro-Alpine dialect of

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

, the town is known as ''Barcilona de Provença'' or more rarely ''Barciloneta'' according to the classical norm; under the

Mistralian norm The Mistralian norm is a linguistic norm for the Occitan language Occitan (; ), also known by its native speakers as (; ), sometimes also referred to as Provençal, is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan ...

it is called ''Barcilouna de Prouvença'' or ''Barcilouneto''. In ''Valéian'' (the dialect of Occitan spoken in the Ubaye Valley), it is called ''Barcilouna de Prouvença'' or ''Barcilounéta''.François Arnaud, Gabriel Maurin, ''Le langage de la vallée de Barcelonnette'', Paris : Champion, 1920 – Re-edited in 1973, Marseille: Laffitte ReprintsJean-Rémy Fortoul, ''Ubaye, la mémoire de mon pays : les gens, les bêtes, les choses, le temps'', Barcelonnette: Sabença de la Valeia/Mane: Alpes de Lumière, 1995. ; ''Barcino Nova'' is the town's

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

name meaning "new Barcelona"; ''Barcino'' was the Roman name for Barcelona in Catalonia from its foundation by Emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

in 10 BC,Chapter 2: Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino, Romans at Mons Taber
Town Hall of Barcelona and the name was changed to ''Barcelona'' only during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. The inhabitants of the town are called ''Barcelonnettes'', or ''Vilandroises'' in Valéian.

History

Origins

The Barcelonnette region was populated by

Ligures The Ligures or Ligurians were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day Northern Italy, north-western Italy, is named. Because of the strong Celts, Celtic influences on their language and culture, they were also known in anti ...

from the 1st millennium BC onwards, and the arrival of the

Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

several centuries later led to the formation of a mixed Celto-Ligurian people, the Vesubians.

Polybius Polybius (; , ; ) was a Greek historian of the middle Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , a universal history documenting the rise of Rome in the Mediterranean in the third and second centuries BC. It covered the period of 264–146 ...

described the Vesubians as belligerent but nonetheless civilised and mercantile, and

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

praised their bravery. The work ''History of the Gauls'' also places the Vesubians in the Ubaye Valley. Following the Roman conquest of Provence, Barcelonnette was included in a small province with modern Embrun as its capital and governed by Albanus Bassalus. This was integrated soon afterwards into

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in Occitania and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the first ...

. In 36 AD, Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

transferred Barcelonnette to the province of the

Cottian Alps The Cottian Alps (; ; ) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France (Hautes-Alpes and Savoie) and Italy (Piedmont). The Fréjus Road Tunnel and Fréjus Rail Tunnel between Modane and Susa, Ital ...

. The town was known as ''Rigomagensium'' under the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

and was the capital of a civitas (a provincial subdivision),Raymond Collier, ''La Haute-Provence monumentale et artistique'', Digne, Imprimerie Louis Jean, 1986, p. 15 though no Roman money has yet been found in the canton of Barcelonnette.Raymond Collier, ''La Haute-Provence monumentale et artistique'', p. 37

Medieval town

The town of Barcelonnette was founded in 1231 by Ramon Berenguer IV,

. According to Charles Rostaing, this act of formal "foundation", according certain privileges to the town, was a means of regenerating the destroyed town of ''Barcilona''. The town was afforded a ''consulat'' (giving it the power to administer and defend itself) in 1240.Under the direction of Édouard Baratier, Georges Duby, and Ernest Hildesheimer, ''Atlas historique. Provence, Comtat Venaissin, principauté d'Orange, comté de Nice, principauté de Monaco'', Librairie Armand Colin, Paris, 1969, p. 163 Control of the area in the

swung between the Counts of Savoy and of Provence. In 1388, after Count Louis II of Provence had left to conquer

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, the Count of Savoy Amadeus VIII took control of Barcelonnette; however, it returned to Provençal control in 1390, with the d'Audiffret family as its lords. On the death of Louis II in 1417 it reverted to Savoy, and, although Count René again retook the area for Provence in 1471, it had returned to Savoyard dominance by the start of the 16th century, by which point the County of Provence had become united with the Kingdom of France due to the death of Count

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

in 1481.

Ancien Régime

During

's invasion of Provence in 1536,

Francis I of France Francis I (; ; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once removed and father-in-law Louis&nbs ...

sent the Count of Fürstenberg's 6000 ''

Landsknechte The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were German mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line was ...

'' to ravage the area in a

scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...

policy. Barcelonnette and the Ubaye Valley remained under French sovereignty until the second

Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis The Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in April 1559 ended the Italian Wars (1494–1559). It consisted of two separate treaties, one between England and France on 2 April, and another between France and Spain on 3 April. Although he was not a signatory ...

on 3 April 1559. In 1588 the troops of François, Duke of Lesdiguières entered the town and set fire to the church and convent during their campaign against the Duke of Savoy. In 1600, after the Treaty of Vervins, conflict returned between

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

and Savoy, and Lesdiguières retook Barcelonnette until the conclusion of the Treaty of Lyon on 17 January the following year. In 1628, during the

War of the Mantuan Succession The War of the Mantuan Succession, from 1628 to 1631, was caused by the death in December 1627 of Vincenzo II, last male heir from the House of Gonzaga, long-time rulers of Mantua and Montferrat. Their strategic importance led to a proxy war b ...

, Barcelonnette and the other towns of the Ubaye Valley were pillaged and burned by Jacques du Blé d'Uxelles and his troops, as they passed through towards Italy to the

Duke of Mantua During its Timeline of Mantua, history as independent entity, Mantua had different rulers who governed on the city and the lands of Mantua from the Middle Ages to the early modern period. From 970 to 1115, the Counts of Mantua were members of ...

's aid. The town was retaken by the Duke of Savoy in 1630; and in 1691 it was captured by the troops of the Marquis de Vins during the War of the League of Augsburg. Between 1614 and 1713, Barcelonnette was the seat of one of the four prefectures under the jurisdiction of the Senate of Nice. At this time, the community of Barcelonnette successfully purchased the '' seigneurie'' of the town as it was put to auction by the Duke of Savoy; it thereby gained its own justicial powers.Jean Nicolas, ''La Rébellion française : mouvements populaires et conscience sociale, 1661–1789'', Paris: Gallimard, 2008. Collection ''Folio'', , p. 311 In 1646, a college was founded in Barcelonnette.Prefecture of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,
Histoire de l'Arrondissement de Barcelonnette
", ''Préfecture des Alpes de Haute-Provence'', accessed 23 June 2012 A "significant" part of the town's inhabitants had, by the 16th century, converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

, and were repressed during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion were a series of civil wars between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants (called Huguenots) from 1562 to 1598. Between two and four million people died from violence, famine or disease di ...

. The '' viguerie'' of Barcelonnette (also comprising Saint-Martin and Entraunes) was reattached to France in 1713 as part of a territorial exchange with the Duchy of Savoy during the

Treaties of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaty, peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vac ...

. The town remained the site of a ''viguerie'' until the French Revolution.''La Révolution dans les Basses-Alpes'', Annales de Haute-Provence, bulletin de la société scientifique et littéraire des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, no 307, 1st term 1989, 108th year, p 107 A decree of the council of state on 25 December 1714 reunited Barcelonnete with the general government of Provence.

Revolution

Barcelonnette was one of few settlements in Haute-Provence to acquire a

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

before the Revolution, in fact having two: * the lodge of ''Saint-Jean-d'Écosse des amis réunis'', affiliated with the ''Saint-Jean-d'Écosse'' lodge in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

; * the lodge of ''Saint-Jean'', affiliated with the ''Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem d'Avignon'' lodge founded in 1749. Robert-Henri Bautier, "Les loges maçonniques (seconde moitié du XVIII^e siècle)", maps 120 and 121 and commentary ''in'' Baratier, Duby & Hildesheimer, ''Atlas historique''Patrice Alphand, "Les Sociétés populaires", ''La Révolution dans les Basses-Alpes'', Annales de Haute-Provence, bulletin de la société scientifique et littéraire des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, no 307, 1st term 1989, 108th year, p. 292 In March 1789, riots took place as a result of a crisis in wheat production.''La Révolution dans les Basses-Alpes'', Annales de Haute-Provence, bulletin de la société scientifique et littéraire des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, no 307, 1st term 1989, 108th year, p. 11 In July, the

Great Fear The Great Fear () was a general panic that took place between 22 July to 6 August 1789, at the start of the French Revolution. Rural unrest had been present in France since the worsening grain shortage of the spring. Fuelled by rumours ...

of aristocratic reprisal against the ongoing French Revolution struck France, arriving in the Barcelonnette area on 31 July 1789 (when the news of the

storming of the Bastille The Storming of the Bastille ( ), which occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, was an act of political violence by revolutionary insurgents who attempted to storm and seize control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison k ...

first reached the town) before spreading towards Digne. Michel Vovelle, "Les troubles de Provence en 1789", map 154 and commentary, ''in'' Baratier, Duby & Hildesheimer, ''Atlas historique'' This agitation continued in the Ubaye Valley; a new revolt broke out on 14 June,Annales de Haute-Provence, p. 15 and famine was declared in April 1792. The patriotic society of the commune was one of the first 21 created in

, in spring 1792, by the envoys of the departmental administration.Alphand, "Les Sociétés populaires", pp. 296–301 Around a third of the male population attended at the club.Alphand, "Les Sociétés populaires", p. 320 Another episode of political violence occurred in August 1792. Barcelonnette was the seat of the District of Barcelonnette from 1790 to 1800.

Modern history

Barcelonnette-Villas mexicaines-IMG 1240

In December 1851, the town was home to a movement of republican resistance towards

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

's coup. Though only a minority of the population, the movement rebelled on Sunday 7 December, the day after the news of the coup arrived. Town officials and gendarmes were disarmed and placed in the

maison d'arrêt Maisons d'arrêt ("houses of arrest") are a category of prison in France, Belgium and other French-speaking countries, which hold prisoners awaiting trial or sentencing, or those being held for less than one year. In the Netherlands the Huis van ...

. A committee of public health was created on 8 December; on 9 December the inhabitants of Jausiers and its surroundings formed a colony under the direction of general councillor Brès, and Mayor Signoret of Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye. This was stopped, however, on 10 December before it could reach Barcelonnette, as the priest of the subprefecture had intervened. On 11 December, several officials escaped and found refuge in L'Argentière in Piedmont. The arrival of troops on 16 December put a final end to the republican resistance without bloodshed, and 57 insurgents were tried; 38 were condemned to deportation (though several were pardoned in April). Between 1850 and 1950, Barcelonnette was the source of a wave of emigration to Mexico. Among these emigrants was Jean Baptiste Ebrard, founder of the

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

department store chain in Mexico. On the edges of Barcelonnette and Jausiers there are several houses and villas of colonial style (known as ''maisons mexicaines''), constructed by emigrants to Mexico who returned to France between 1870 and 1930. A plaque in the town commemorates the deaths of ten Mexican citizens who returned to Barcelonnette to fight in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 26 Jews were arrested in Barcelonnette before being deported.AJPN,
Département des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence en 1939-1945
, ''Anonymes, Justes et Persécutés durant la période nazie dans les communes de France'', accessed 25 May 2012 The 89th ''compagnie de travailleurs étrangers'' (Company of Foreign Workers), consisting of foreigners judged as undesirable by the Third Republic and the

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

and committed to forced labour, was established in Barcelonnette.AJPN,
89e CTE
, ''Anonymes, Justes et Persécutés durant la période nazie dans les communes de France'', accessed 27 May 2012Josette Lesueur, Gérard Lesueur, ''Les travailleurs espagnols en Ubaye, 1939–1940'', Barcelonnette, Sabença de la Valeia, 2010, collection "Cahiers de la Vallée", , p. 11 The 11th Battalion of '' Chasseurs alpins'' was garrisoned at Barcelonnette between 1948 and 1990.Conseil général des AHP, "Un second souffle pour l'Ubaye?", ''Le Magazine du conseil général'', no. 70 June 2009, p. 6

Geography

Barcelonnette is situated in the wide and fertile

, of which it is the largest town. It lies at an elevation of 1132 m (3717 ft) on the right bank of the Ubaye River, and is surrounded by mountains which reach peaks of over 3000 m;Jacques Levainville
"La vallée de Barcelonnette"
In: '' Annales de Géographie''. 1907, t. 16, n°87. pp. 223–244. the tallest of these is the Needle of Chambeyron at 3412 m. Barcelonnette is situated 210 km from

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, 91 km from

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionGap.

Biodiversity

As a result of its relief and geographic situation, the Ubaye Valley has an "abundance of plant and animal species".« Au cœur des Alpes « sèches »
, ''www.mercantour.eu'' The fauna is largely constituted of golden eagles, marmots,

ibex An ibex ( : ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa. T ...

and vultures, and the flora includes a large proportion of

larches Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high lat ...

, génépis and white asphodels.

Climate

The

has an

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

and winters are harsh as a result of the altitude, but there are only light winds as a result of the relief. There are on average almost 300 days of sun and 700 mm of rain per year.

Hazards

None of the 200 communes of the department is entirely free of seismic risk; the canton of Barcelonnette is placed in zone 1b (low risk) by the determinist classification of 1991 based on seismic history,Prefecture of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,
Dossier départemental sur les risques majeurs dans les Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
'' (DDRM), 2008, p. 39 and zone 4 (average risk) according to the probabilistic EC8 classification of 2011.Minister of Ecology, Sustainable development, transport and housing
Notice communale
on the Gaspar database, uploaded 8 July 2011, accessed 30 June 2012 The commune is also vulnerable to avalanches, forest fires, floods, and landslides. Barcelonnette is also exposed to the possibility of a technological hazard in that road transport of dangerous materials is allowed to pass through on the RD900.Prefecture of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, ''Dossier départemental sur les risques majeurs'', p. 95Prefecture of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, ''Dossier départemental sur les risques majeurs'', p. 80 The town has been subject to several orders of natural disaster: floods and mudslides in 1994 and 2008, and landslides in 1996 and 1999. The strongest recorded earthquakes in the region occurred on 5 April 1959, with its epicentre at Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye and a recorded intensity of 6.5 at Barcelonnette, and on 17 February 1947, with its epicentre at Prazzo over the Italian border. BRGM,
Epicentres of distant tremors (greater than 40 km) felt in Barcelonnette
", ''Sisfrance'', accessed 30 June 2012

Architecture

* The town hall was constructed in the 1930s after the destruction of the Saint Maurice chapel in July 1934.Raymond Collier, ''La Haute-Provence monumentale et artistique'', p. 212 Its pediment was originally from the old Dominican convent and was identified in 1988.Arrêté du 30 décembre 1988, , accessed 25 October 2008 No houses in the town date from before the 17th century, the town having been rebuilt after the fire of 1628. The old hospital in the town dates from 1717.Raymond Collier, ''La Haute-Provence monumentale et artistique'', p. 434 * The old

gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

on Place Manuel was originally constructed to house the subprefecture in 1825 in a neoclassical style, and its façade occupies one entire side of the square. Place Manuel was named after the Restoration politician Jacques-Antoine Manuel; the fountain in the centre of the square contains his image sculpted by David d'Angers.Raymond Collier, ''La Haute-Provence monumentale et artistique'', p. 533 * The parish church was originally built in the Middle Ages, but was destroyed in the fire of 1628. It was quickly reconstructed between 1634 and 1638, and further between 1643 and 1644. This was later demolished in 1926–27 to allow the construction of the current church, though this still contains the steeple from the 17th-century reconstruction.Raymond Collier, ''La Haute-Provence monumentale et artistique'', pp. 193 and 392-393 * The Cardinalis tower was constructed in the 14th century as a bell tower for the Dominican convent, which was founded on the bequest of Hugh of Saint-Cher. It was damaged in the wars of the 17th century and was rebuilt, though parts still exist from the original construction. It is classed as a

monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

of France. The subprefecture has been situated since 1978 in a ''maison mexicaine'', the Villa l'Ubayette, constructed between 1901 and 1903.

Population

In 1471, the community of Barcelonnette (including several surrounding parishes) comprised 421 fires (households). In 1765, it had 6,674 inhabitants, but emigration, particularly to Mexico, slowed the town's growth in the period before the

. According to the census of 2017, Barcelonnette has a population of 2,598 (municipal population) across a total area of 16.42 km². The town is characterised by low population density. Between 1990 and 1999 the town's annual mean population growth was -0.6%, though between 1999 and 2007 this increased to an average of -0.2%.

Economy

The city is mainly a tourist and resort centre, serving many ski lodges. The

Pra-Loup Pra-Loup is a ski resort in France, at Uvernet-Fours in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, from the town of Barcelonnette. Geography Ski area The ski station has two separate base areas, 2 km apart: * Pra-Loup 1600 - primary base area at above ...

resort is 7 km from Barcelonnette; Le Sauze is 5 km away. It and the Ubaye Valley are served by the Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airfield. Notably, Barcelonnette is the only subprefecture of France not served by rail transport; the Ubaye line which would have linked Chorges to Barcelonnette was never completed as a result of the First World War and the construction of the Serre-Ponçon Dam between 1955 and 1961.

Education

An '' école normale'' (an institute for training primary school teachers) was founded in Barcelonnette in 1833, and remained there until 1888 when it was transferred to Digne.Th. L., "École primaire", ''in'' Renaud Alberny, Denis-Armand Canal, Thomas Laurenceau, Dominique Voisin, ''Les Écoles de la République'', Niort : Eclectis, 1993. , p. 17 The ', originally the ''collège Saint-Maurice'' and renamed after the politician André Honnorat in 1919, is located in the town;

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (; 24 October 1932 – 18 May 2007) was a French physicist and the Nobel Prize laureate in physics in 1991. Education and early life He was born in Paris, France, and was home-schooled to the age of 12. By the age of ...

and Carole Merle both studied there.Renaud Alberny ''et al.'', "École primaire", p. 19Academic inspection of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,
Liste des lycées publics
'', published 6 April 2010, Accessed 31 October 2010 Currently, three schools exist in Barcelonnette: a public nursery school, a public elementary school, and a private school (under a contract by which the teachers are paid by the national education system).Academic inspection of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,
Liste des écoles de la circonscription de Sisteron-Sud
'', published 27 April 2010, accessed 31 October 2010 In 2010 the ''lycée André-Honnorat'' opened a boarding school aimed at gifted students of poorer social backgrounds, in order to give them better conditions in which to study.Académie d'Aix-Marseille,
Installation des 46 premiers internes dans le premier internat d'excellence de l'Académie à Barcelonnette
'', published 3 September 2010, accessed 21 September 2010Academic inspection of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,
Liste des collèges publics
'', published 6 April 2010, accessed 31 October 2010 It is located in the ''Quartier Craplet'', formerly the garrison of the 11th Battalion of '' Chasseurs Alpins'' and then the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

's ''Centre d'instruction et d'entraînement au combat en montagne'' (CIECM).

Transportation

Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airfield (

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

: BAE,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

LFMR) is located at Saint Pons, 3 km (2 miles) west of Barcelonnette.

International links

Barcelonnette is twinned with: *

Valle de Bravo Valle de Bravo () is one of 125 Municipalities of Mexico, municipalities in the State of Mexico, Mexico. The largest town and municipal seat is the town of Valle de Bravo. It is located on the shore of Lake Avándaro, approximately 156 km ( ...

, Mexico It is also the site of a Mexican honorary consulate.

Notable residents

* Jacques-Antoine Manuel (1775–1827), lawyer, politician and orator. * Paul Reynaud (1878–1966), liberal politician and lawyer *

(1932–2007), physicist and winner of the

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

in 1991 * Daniel Spagnou (born 1940), UMP politician * Bruno Dary (born 1952), general and military governor of Paris * Pierre Bottero (1964–2009), a French writer.

References

External links

*
Tourism website
{{Authority control Communes of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Subprefectures in France People from Barcelonnette