Arbus (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.
Geography
Arbus is located in the urban area of Pau 15 km to the north-west of the city and some 35 km south-east of Orthez mostly on the south bank of the Gave de Pau. Access to the commune is on the D2 road from Laroin in the south-east passing through the north of the commune to Abos in the north-west. Access to the village is by the D804 running off the D2 in the commune and continuing to Artiguelouve in the south-east and also by the D229 from the village to Parbayse in the south-west. The commune is mixed forest and farmland with large forests in the west, south, and south-east.Google Maps
Located in the Drainage basin of the Adour, the Gave de Pau flows through the northern part of the commune with some of its tributaries flowing through the rest of the commune: the Juscle and Baise Lasseube, as well as their tributaries, the Sibé stream, and the old Canal du Moulin which is itself joined in the commune by the Arrious stream.
Historical places and hamlets
Alicq Barraqué Barrère Bédat Bellocq Berduc Bert Biscar Bordes Candau Cap d'Arrandes Castaing Castéra Catroui Chigé Croutzé Fages Ferrou Gaurrat Laborde Labourdette Lacroix Lagré Lahitte Lalanne Laplace Larribot Larrieste Laugary Manciet Monget Mounes Parisot Pé de Lahore Peyrounet Pommé Priou Ramonteu Rauly Saint-Sorque Sarthou Serviau Sibé Sibers Tourangé Les Tourne-Brides Tuheil Vigneau
Géoportail, IGN
Neighbouring communes and villages
Toponymy The commune name in béarnais is Arbús (according to the classical norm of Occitan). According to Michel Grosclaude, there is an aquitane root *arb-, meaning "grass" (close to alpe), and a collective suffix -untz giving a meaning of "a place where there is grass".
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description Arbus Arbus 1170 Raymond Barcelona Village Arbuus 1307 Raymond Orthez Arbus 1385 Grosclaude Census Arbus 1750 Cassini Alicq Alicq 1863 Raymond Farm Loubagnon Looubagnon 1775 Raymond Terrier Place Saint-Mamet Saint-Mamet 1863 Raymond Place Sibé Le Ruisseau de Sibe 1863 Raymond Stream, tributary of the Baïse de Lasseube
Sources: Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 Michel Grosclaude, Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750Cassini Map 1750 – Arbus
Origins: Barcelona: Titles of Barcelona.Titles published in the proofs of the History of Béarn by Pierre de Marca Orthez: Cartulary of Orthez.Cartulary of Orthez called Martinet, manuscript from the 14th to the 17th centuries in the Archives of the Orthez town hall Census: Census of BéarnManuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Terrier: Terrier of Arbus.Manuscript from the 18th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
History
Paul Raymond on page 5 of his 1863 dictionary noted that in 1385 Arbus had 40 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Pau. The town was a dependency of the Marquisate of Gassion.
Administration
List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France From To Name 1995 2026 Didier Larrieu
Inter-communality The commune of Arbus is part of eight inter-communal structures: the Communauté d'agglomération Pau Béarn Pyrénées; the SIVU for the management and development of the watercourses in the Baïses basin; the SIVU for aged and infirm services for the Canton of Lescar; the AEP association for Gave and Baïse; the association for the management of the banks of the Juscle and its tributaries; the association for sanitation of the communes in the valleys of the Juscle and the Baïse; the Energy association for Pyrénées-Atlantiques; the inter-communal syndicate for defence against floods of the Gave de Pau.
Demography The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arbusiens or Arbusiennes in French.Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
Economy The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Winemakers of Jurançon and of Béarn and partially in the AOC zone for Ossau-iraty.
Culture and Heritage
Religious Heritage The Parish Church of Saint-Mamer (1868) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
Amenities
Education The town has a primary school.The Arbus School on the commune website
Notable people linked to the commune Arnaud II of ArbusNominal spelling given by La Grande Encyclopédie (or Arnaldus of ArbouzeNominal spelling given by the Trésor de Chronologie) from 1303Date given by La Grande Encyclopédie and the Trésor de Chronologie to 1320Date given by La Grande Encyclopédie was Bishop of Lescar. Pommiès André, born in 1904 at Bordeaux and died in 1972 at Arbus was a French military Hero of the Resistance. Georges Lapassade, born in 1924 at Arbus and died in 2008 at Stains, was a philosopher and French sociologist.
See also Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
References
External links Arbus official website Community of communes of Miey de Béarn website Arbus page Arbus on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website Arbus on the 1750 Cassini Map