Le Barp (; ) is a municipality in the Southwest of France that has 5410 inhabitants (April 2018). It is located in the Department of

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

in the Region of

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

. It is also located in the Landes Forest, on the territory of the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park. Le Barp has a special geographic situation because it is located between

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and

Arcachon Bay Arcachon Basin or alternatively Arcachon Bay (, ; ) is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest coast of France, situated in Pays de Buch between the Côte d'Argent and the Côte des Landes, in the region of Aquitaine. The bay covers an ar ...

which are two highly tourist destinations. The inhabitants are called the «Barpais».

Population

As of 2019, there are 5,605 inhabitants in Le Barp.

Geography

Le Barp is located on the territory of the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park, near the Val de l'Eyre. The adjacent municipalities of Le Barp are

Cestas Cestas (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population Economy Cestas Solar Park was the biggest solar park in Europe when Neoen opened it in December 2015. See also *Communes of the ...

in the North, Saucats in the North East, Saint-Magne in the South East,

Belin-Béliet Belin-Béliet (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France. It was created in 1974 by the merger of the former communes Belin and Béliet. Population The population data given in the table below for 1968 and earlier refer ...

In the South, Salles in the South West and

Mios Mios (; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population Its inhabitants are called ''Miossais''. Sights The Saint Brice chapel has a bell dating from 1700 classed as a '' monument historique' ...

in the West. Le Barp is also located on the D1010 national road and close to the A63 motorway.

History

The town was founded around the hospital that already existed in the thirteenth century instead of the current church and which did not survive the abandonment of the pilgrimage. Le Barp is on the way from Tours to Santiago de Compostela and many pilgrims go through Le Barp every year. It is a part of its history. This former hospital was an important stop for pilgrims. To the Revolution, the Saint-Jacques parish formed the commune of Le Barp.

Economy

Agriculture

Most of the primary activity is oriented towards the exploitation of the forest that covers a large part of the municipal territory. The company Planasa (Darbonne Pépinière) produces strawberries and small red fruits and also exports and markets plants. Le Barp is famous for its production of Sables des Landes asparagus and its cooking recipes.

Industry

The Aquitaine Scientific and Technical Design Centre (CESTA) of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission is located in the north of the municipal territory.

Local culture and heritage

Places and monuments

The Saint-Jacques Church was completely rebuilt during the second part of the 19th century. It has a bell tower dating from the 18th century. Le Barp, situated on the territory of the Landes de Gascogne Regional Park, participates in the Contemporary Art Forest Project (Forêt d'Art Contemporain in French). It hosts a contemporary work of art like several other neighbouring municipalities.

References

Communes of Gironde {{Gironde-geo-stub