Serres (;

Vivaro-Alpine Vivaro-Alpine () is a variety of Occitan spoken in southeastern France (namely, around the Dauphiné area) and northwestern Italy (the Occitan Valleys of Piedmont and Liguria). There is also a small Vivaro-Alpine enclave in the Guardia Piemontes ...

: ''Sèrres'') is a commune in the

Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes (; ; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of Southeastern France. It is located in the heart of the French Alps, after which it is named. Hautes-Alpes had a population ...

department in southeastern

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 ...

Geography

Serres is located in the south of the

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 ...

History

Serres is located in a region called ''

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 ...

'' which, centuries ago, was traditionally given as a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

to the '' Dauphin'' (the heir to the throne). Former medieval stronghold built at the entrance of a pass through which flows the river

Buëch The Buëch (; ) is a river in southeastern France, a right tributary of the Durance. It is long. Its drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth ...

, it is rich in local history - notably because of the role of the Duke of Lesdiguières during the religious wars at the end of the 16th century.

Population

Transportation

Serres is located at the junction of ''route des deux-soleils'' ( N75) and ''route des baronnies'' (D994), not far from the larger towns of Gap and

Sisteron Sisteron (; , ; from ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the river Durance just after the confluence of the rivers Buëch and Sasse. ...

Culture

Several associations very active in the village offer cultural events of high quality in various domains such as promotion of Serres exceptional historical architecture and traditions, contemporary art, and a jazz festival which has become a very famous musical event. Les Amis de Serres : this association aims to promote tourism, the rich history of the village, and maintain the magnificent architectural treasures as well as the environmental quality of life. The Association organises various events, like Serres à la lumière du passé, with the participation of artistic craftworkers (luthiers, iron craftsmen, tapestry makers, embroiderers ...), artists (musicians, singers, dancers...) et presentation of ancient shops of the village. Serres Lez'Arts, association of the artists of Serres, which presents, amongst others, contemporary art events, especially the annual open day exhibitions. About 25 artists, painters, sculptors, etc... present their work during three days at the end of September. This events gathers more than 300 drawings, paintings, sculptures, etc... Blue Buëch, the association who has organized since 2002 Serres Jazz Festival every summer, during approximately one week at the end of July. The programme includes every kind of Jazz music, classical, standard, manouche, vocal, blues, etc... provided it be of high quality, which is the basis of the recognition of Serres Jazz amongst the top great festivals. During the rest of the year, the association organizes, together with partners such as Musique au Coeur des Baronnies, concerts illustrating the dialogue between classical and Jazz music.

References

External links

Serres Tourist Office

Serres sur le site de l'Insee

Serres Jazz Festival
Communes of Hautes-Alpes {{HautesAlpes-geo-stub