Tarbes

Tarbes () is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is part of the historical region of Gascony and is the capital since 1790 of the Hautes-Pyrénées department.
It is the second largest metropolitan area of the old Midi-Pyrénées region, after Toulouse.
Name.
The city is named for the first time during the 5th century like "Civitas Turba ubi castrum Bigorra". It is also an important city of the "Novempopulania". Gregory of Tours, in the 7th century, called the city as "Talvam vicum".
During the Middle Ages, the city was named as "Tarbe" (1214), "Tursa", "Tarvia" (1284) and also "Tarbia".
History.
A small town founded in the 3rd century B.C. became a Roman colony under the name of "Tarba". It was destroyed by the Vikings in 840 and rebuilt by the Bishop of Bigorre or Tarbes.
From the twelfth century on, Tarbes became the capital of the County of Bigorre. During the religious wars, the cathedral was burnt in 1569 by Protestants but the bishop had it rebuilt in 1652.
In 1790, Tarbes became the capital of the new department of Hautes-Pyrénées.
Geography.
Tarbes is located in the southwest of France, at the foot of the Pyrenees, in a fertile plain of the valley of the river Adour, at to the northeast of Lourdes, to the southeast of Auch, to the east of Bayonne and to the southwest of Toulouse.
It has an area of and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .
Two rivers flow through the city: the Adour by the east and the Échez by the west.
Neighboring municipalities.
The following municipalities ("communes") are around Tarbes:
Climate.
Tarbes has an oceanic climate with relatively hot summers, mild winters and abundant rainfall, Cfb in the Köppen climate classification.
Population.
The inhabitants of Tarbes are known, in French, as "Tarbais" (women: "Tarbaises").
The city of Tarbes has a population, in 2014, of 40,900; its population density is of inhabitants/km2.
Evolution of the population in Tarbes
Administration.
Tarbes is the prefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées department since 1790. It is also the capital of three "Cantons":
It is part of the intercommunality "Le Grand Tarbes" ().
Sister cities.
Tarbes is twinned with:
Transport.
The "Gare de Tarbes" railway station offers direct connections with Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bayonne and other cities in the region. There is a motorway that connects Tarbes with Bayonne and Toulouse. Tarbes is also served by the small Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport situated 10 kilometers away of the city centre.