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Barcelonnette

 
Wikipedia: Barcelonnette

Coordinates: 44°23′12″N 6°39′11″E / 44.3866666667°N 6.65305555556°E / 44.3866666667; 6.65305555556

Commune of Barcelonnette

Barcelonnette-Place Manuel-IMG 1222.JPG
Place Manuel
Location
Barcelonnette is located in France
Barcelonnette
Administration
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Arrondissement Barcelonnette
Canton Barcelonnette
Mayor Jean Chabre
(2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation 1,115–2,680 m (3,660–8,790 ft)
(avg. 1,132 m/3,710 ft)
Land area1 16.42 km2 (6.34 sq mi)
Population2 2,819  (1999)
 - Density 172 /km2 (450 /sq mi)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 04019/ 04400
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.

Barcelonnette (Barcilona de Provença in Occitan) is a commune in the Ubaye Valley, in the southern French Alps, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, of which it is a sub-prefecture.

Contents

History

The city's name comes from Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Barcelona and count of Provence, who founded the city in 1231. The vallée de Barcelonnette, the area around the town, belonged to the Duchy of Savoy in the early modern period. At the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), the vallée de Barcelonnette was traded to France. Thus Barcelonnette has only been a French possession since the 18th century.

Situation

The city and the region around has been the center of a French emigration wave to the Americas (mostly Mexico) in the late 19th and early beginning 20th centuries. Families which had prospered abroad came back and built the huge mansions that one can see all over the town called Maisons Mexicaines. The construction of such mansions took place primarily from 1880 to 1930. Today, a large community of Barcelonettes live in Mexico City, San Luis Potosí and Puebla, Mexico. The most famous of these descendants is the Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez and the Jazz composer and writer Alain Derbez.

Geography and Industry

Barcelonnette is situated in a wide and very fertile valley. It lies at an elevation of 1132 m (3717 ft) on the right bank of the Ubaye River, on which it is the most well-known place.

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

External links

Ubaye valley

Gallery



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