BARCELONNETTE

'Barcelonnette' (''Barciloneta'' / ''Barcilona'' in Occitan) is a small town and commune in the Southern French Alps, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ''département'', of which it is a ''sous-préfecture'', in the Ubaye Valley.

Contents

History

Situation

Geography and Industry

Gallery

History

The city's name comes from Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Barcelona and count of Provence, who founded the city in 1231.

Situation

The city and the region around has been the center of a French immigration 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''. 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.

Gallery