The history of Bigorre dates from the 6th Century BC when the Bigerri occupied the region. Conquered by the Roman general Crassus in 56 BC, Bigorre entered into the Roman province of Novempopulanie. After the disorder of the Vandal and Frank invasions, Bigorre was controlled by the Dukes of Gascony in the 9th Century and was incorportated into the County of Béarn in 1080. In 1097, Bigorre became an independent County and remained so during the English occupation of the region during the 14th century. Recaptured by Jean de Foix in 1407, Bigorre was reincorporated into Béarn in 1429.
After the French revolution the new departement, Hautes Pyrénées, followed very much the lines of ancient Bigorre.
Geographically, Bigorre consists of two distinct areas: the plains to the north around Tarbes and the high mountains to the south. Although Tarbes is in fact the capital of the Hautes Pyrénées, the near-by town of Lourdes has certainly eclipsed it in recent years. To the south and in the mountains there is the national park and the dynamic little towns of Bagnères-de-Bigorre and Argèles-Gazost. The scenery here is breathtaking and because of Lourdes the access to this region is relatively easy.
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