Tarbes (; Gascon: Tarba) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as Turba or Tarba in Roman times. Tarbes is part of the historical region of Gascony.
Formerly of strong industrial tradition, Tarbes today tries to diversify its activities, particularly in aeronautics and high tech around the different zones of activities which are increasing. The recent development of Tarbais beans and other regional specialties also shows a willingness to develop the agri-food industry thus justifying its nickname of "market town". Its 42,888 inhabitants are called Tarbaises and the Tarbais.
It is the seat of the diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes. The 1st Parachute Hussar Regiment and 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment are stationed in Tarbes.
Geography
Location
Tarbes is a Pre-Pyrenees town within the rich agricultural plain of the river Adour, southwest of Toulouse, to the east of Bayonne, southwest of Auch and northeast of Lourdes. Tarbes is 1 hr 30 mins from the Atlantic Ocean, 2 hrs 50 mins from the Languedoc coast and 35 minutes from the nearest ski resorts. It is located at an average elevation of .
To the south of Tarbes, along with the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, is the border with Spain. The Pyrenees mountains, lying along the border between France and Spain, can be seen from the town.
Hydrography Tarbes is crossed to the east by the Adour river and to the west by the Échez and by the Gespe, a tributary which joins the Échez on the territory of the commune.
Neighbouring communes
Climate Tarbes features an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb), with relatively hot summers, mild winters and abundant rainfall. Tarbes benefits from its privileged location in the area of the Adour, a milder microclimate than at Lourdes, from a higher altitude, and somewhat less rainy than in Pau, and sunnier. Summers are warm and often stormy, while spring is rainy and cool and autumn is mild and sunny. Winter, meanwhile, is less rigorous but can still hold some surprises. The lowest temperature was recorded in January 1985 with a temperature under shelter of . Conversely, there was a maximum temperature of in August 2025.
Location Sunshine Rain Snow Storm Fog Paris 1,630 hrs/yr /yr 15 days/yr 19 days/yr 13 days/yr Nice 2,694 hrs/yr /yr 1 day/yr 31 days/yr 1 day/yr Toulouse 2,010 hrs/yr /yr 7 days/yr 26 days/yr 44 days/yr Pau 1,850 hrs/yr /yr 6 days/yr 27 days/yr 42 days/yr Tarbes 1,940 hrs/yr /yr 9 days/yr 29 days/yr 31 days/yr National average 1,973 hrs/yr /yr 14 days/yr 22 days/yr 40 days/yr
Toponymy The name of the town was recorded in the 5th century as Civitas Turba ubi castrum Bigòrra (The town of Turba (possibly 'of the crowd') where the castle of Bigòrra is located). It was an important town in Novempopulania, one of the Roman provinces at that time. In the 6th century Gregory of Tours referred to it as Talvam vicum. In the Middle Ages it was called Tarbé (1214), Tursa, Tarvia (1284) and also Tarbia. Not to be confused with the Tarbelli, whose capital was Dax.
Legendary origin of the name Legend holds that the Queen of Ethiopia, Tarbis, proposed her love to Moses and that he refused. Inconsolable, she decided to leave her throne and hide her disappointment. After many wanderings, she arrived in Bigorre and built her home on the Adour to found the town of Tarbes, and its sister, on the banks of the Gave de Pau, arose as Lourdes.
History
Antiquity
In the 3rd century BC, the foundations of Tarbes began to emerge, based on the testimonies of the exhumed remains which had been buried. By need for salt trade, merchants who were likely Aquitanians travelled across the Pyrenean foothills. To continue their journey, they had to use a ford in order to cross the Adour which descended from the mountain. It was more prudent to split the loads to cross the ford as a result of which a pause was necessary. The bottom of the valley was dominated by a sandy emergence which prompted people to settle there.
Then, Tarba experienced a Roman colonisation and acquired ancient villas and large agricultural estates, found particularly in the Ormeau quarter. The existence of craft has been verified by the remains of the workshops of potters and weavers. The urban core, meanwhile, assumed the administrative functions and would have had an early Christian church in the 4th century.
Middle Ages
In the 5th and 6th centuries, as a result of the barbarian invasions which swept in successive waves, the city shrank around the castrum, of which a remnant remains in the rear courtyard of the prefecture.
In about 840 AD, the Vikings led a devastating raid following which the Bishop of Bigorre reported that the city Bigorre was beginning with the cathedral, named with originality, la Sède.
At the end of the 12th century, the count of Bigorre settled in his castle of Tarbes, resulting with the court of justice being in his suite. Then, the capital of Bigorre received a Royal Seneschal.
Two noble houses were founded in the 13th century, outside the walls, one the convent of the Cordeliers near Carrère Longue, the other being that of the Carmelites in the vicinity of the Bourg Crabé.
At the end of the medieval centuries, the city was composed of six separate fortified towns, juxtaposed and aligned on an east–west axis, where the original core was ordered around the cathedral. There were thus la Sède, Carrère, Maubourguet and Bourg Vieux flanked to the east of the Count's castle, with Bourg Neuf and Bourg Crabé each surrounded by their own walls.
During the Wars of Religion, in 1569, the troops of Jeanne d'Albret burned the cathedral, the convents and other churches as well as the bishopric. Despite the strategic destruction to try to defend Bourg Vieux, the inhabitants were massacred.
Early Modern era In the 17th century, after the plague and the problems of housing people of war, Tarbes ensured its revival with the reconstruction of the Episcopal Palace in 1652 (today the office of the prefecture), the foundation of a third hospital in 1690 and two new convents (Capuchins and Ursulines). Irrigation of the land and the water power used by the craftsmen were produced by the system of canals derived from the Adour.
The 18th century announced a growth of the population, and the development of agriculture, crafts and trade. The town expanded and new quarters appeared (such as the current Rue Maréchal-Foch). Then, the Constituent Assembly, which included Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac (Deputy of Bigorre to the Estates-General), decided to undertake administrative reform and Tarbes benefitted by becoming capital of the department of the Hautes-Pyrénées.
19th century
Prerogatives of a chef-lieu From 1800, Tarbes became the chef-lieu and headquarters of a prefecture (an increase of its administrative role and its functions). In 1806, Napoleon I re-established the and Tarbes gave birth to the Anglo-Arabian horse breed. In 1859, Tarbes was connected to Paris by rail.
Legacy In the 19th century, various legacies enrich the public spaces of Tarbes. In 1853, bequeathed to the city the eponymous garden, still unfinished. In 1877, a donation by the former Mayor Antoine Brauhauban was responsible for the construction of an imposing hall which bore his name (this building was destroyed in 1970 to establish outdoor parking). The end of the 19th century still saw the construction of the two fountains of Place Marcadieu, a legacy of the benefactor Félicitée Duvignau.
Industrial development After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, General Verchère de Reffye transformed the experimental workshop of Meudon, which was transferred by train to Tarbes, into a fully-fledged artillery workshop (called an arsenal by the townspeople). Thus, Tarbes became an industrial and working-class town but also asserted its military vocation by the construction of the Larrey, Soult and Reffye neighbourhoods. Today Les Forges de Tarbes still produce artillery shells for the French Army's Leclerc MBT and CAESAR self-propelled howitzer. The firm, which in March 2024 produced around 4,000 artillery shells per month, was privatized in 2021. The goal is to augment that number by a factor of three, come 2025.
20th century The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1906.
During World War I, Tarbes intensified its production of artillery by virtue of its geographical position in the back country. Marshal Foch, Commander-in-Chief of all allied armies, was born in Tarbes in 1851.
During World War II, the Resistance was also part of the everyday life of the town of Tarbes, which was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
After the return of peace, the industry diversified and there was an expansion of the population. Tarbes remained a city of strong military character.
21st century Today, Tarbes has also become a university city and the main activities are now within the tertiary sector (services). In addition to its privileged geographical situation, less than an hour from the Pyrenees mountains, two hours from the Atlantic Ocean and three hours from the Mediterranean via the La Pyrénéenne autoroute, the city offers a certain lifestyle and boasts a cultural life which is packed with clubs and sport.
Heraldry
Economy
Being farther away from Toulouse than other cities the former region of Midi-Pyrénées, Tarbes may appear to display greater economic independence. It also often occupies the second place in the regional urban hierarchy. It maintains close relations with Nouvelle-Aquitaine and, in particular, with Pau, a nearby town of the Pre-Pyrenees.
Industry
Tarbes is the second industrial city of the former region of Midi-Pyrénées. this is particularly illustrated in the field of railway construction and aeronautics with the presence of nearby companies such as Alstom and Daher. On this site, Alstom took part in the development of the iLint, the first hydrogen-powered passenger train in service.
Daher-Socata manufactures business and tourism aircraft there, including the TBM 850 and TB 20. Its headquarters and its main industrial site are located on the outskirts of the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport in the canton of Ossun, south of Grand Tarbes, where its facilities are spread over , of which are covered surfaces. At the end of 2006, its strength stood at more than 1,050 people.
Ossun, a neighbouring commune of the agglomeration, is also home to TARMAC, a company dedicated to the dismantling of aircraft for which it was necessary to construct an imposing building. The platform is, again, installed on the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées airport area, and revolves around the three activities of storage, maintenance and deconstruction. Boostec, based in Bazet, collaborated with EADS-Astrium to build the Herschel space telescope, launched on 14 May 2009.
Zones of activity In addition to the Aerospace Valley involving DeciElec, Socata/Daher, Pearl and Tarmac, Tarbes is developing several business parks.
The Park of the Pyrenees, located in Ibos, is equipped to host craft, industrial activities, services and offices. The Bastillac University Park is dedicated to technological research. The Park of the Adour, in Semeac, is for industrial, commercial and the tertiary sector. Cognac Park, on the road to Pau, is devoted to the craft and the tertiary sector. The Ecoparck of Bordères-sur-Echez is the subject of projects regarding energy production (biogas plant project, produced from biomass), the cold-intensive businesses (Pyrenean curing and the planned cooling platform of Dominque Sallaberry Logistics).
University centre Tarbes also houses the second University centre of the Midi-Pyrénées with a University Institute of technology (IUT) and National School of Engineers of Tarbes (ENIT) having more than 5,000 students.
Tourism