Pic du Midi de Bigorre (Bagnères-de-Bigorre)
An exceptional view on the roof of the Pyrenees!
The Pic du Midi is the emblem of Bigorre, forming a belvedere at 2,877 meters on the rest of the chain and on the plain. It is recognizable among a hundred by its observatory which crowns it, extended by the television transmitter.
Since the 18th century, the summit of the Pic has appeared as an ideal observation site, thanks to the exceptional transparency of the atmosphere.
The scientific site has been fitted out to offer, in addition to the exceptional view, a scientific presentation of the activities carried out there.
Construction of the Pic de Midi de Bigorre
1774: The scientific history of the Pic, before being astronomical, was meteorological.
MONGE and DARCET go up to the Pic to study atmospheric pressure
1873: General DE NANSOUTY installs a provisional meteorological station where he measures pressure, temperature, humidity and various other quantities of interest to meteorology
1874: Creation of the Bagnères / Barèges road via the Col du Tourmalet.
1878: Laying of the first stone of the Observatory. A wish of Nansouty and the engineer Vaussenat (members of the Ramond de Bagnères company)
1884: First astronomical activities
1908: Construction of the first dome (current Baillaud dome)
1927: Opening of the Tourmalet-Sencours road which allows men and equipment to be transported. The transport is done by a mule track.
1930: Bernard Lyot invents the coronograph and begins his observations.
1933: The road is extended to Laquets where a hotel is built.
1949: Commissioning of the inclined plane to transport personnel and equipment from Les Laquets to the summit.
1952: Creation of the cable car between La Mongie / Taoulet and the Pic.
1957: Installation of the radio / TV transmitter at the top.
1962: Construction of the TDF building.
1963: Commissioning of the TDF antenna. Installation of the 106 cm telescope in the Gentili dome. Collaboration with NASA in the preparation of the APOLLO moon mapping and planetology missions.
1980: Commissioning of the TBL (Bernard Lyot Telescope 2 m.).
1998: Inauguration of the scientific premises
2000: Opening to the public.
Coming to Pic du Midi de Bigorre
Hotels : book on Hotels.com Booking Expedia Abritel Stay22
Taxi : book on Taxi Booking
By plane :
- Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées airport at 18mi : book on Volotea
- Pau airport at 42mi : book on Trip.com
- Huesca/Pirineos airport at 64mi : book on Trip.com
near
- Hotels in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
- Pic du Midi de Bigorre (Bagnères-de-Bigorre) at 0m↑
- Station de montagne Le Tourmalet Barèges / La Mongie at 2mi↑
- Col du Tourmalet at 3mi↑
- Lac Bleu de Lesponne (Baucens) at 3mi↑
- Camping Caravaning (Campan) at 4mi↑
- Bar'Edge (Barèges) at 4mi↑
- Camping Caravaning du Layris (Campan) at 4mi↑
- Thermes de Barèges-Barzun (Barèges) at 5mi↑
- Pic du Montaigu at 5mi↑
- Camping La Ribère (Barèges) at 5mi↑
- Sainte-Marie-de-Campan at 5mi↑
- Camping les Frênes (Campan) at 5mi↑
- Camping caravaning les rives de l'ADOUR (Campan) at 5mi↑
- Pic de Bastan at 6mi↑
- Campan (Campan ) at 6mi↑
- Camping de L'Arriou (Baudéan) at 6mi↑
- for Plateau de Monhaillat airport at 2mi↑
- for Super Bareges - Plateau de Monhaillat airport at 2mi↑
- for Castillon De La Laquette airport at 4mi↑
info and shows of Pic du Midi de Bigorre
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
news
Quatre facettes des Hautes-Pyrénées
Il y a de multiples moyens de visiter les Hautes-Pyrénées. Des grands sites à la découverte du terroir, 4 angles de vue pour découvrir un département riche en propositions.
info and shows in Bagnères-de-Bigorre
Saturday, October 3, 2026
interviews
Lutxi Achiary: Polyphonic Singing in All Its Diversity
Albada, Aèdes, Estelum, Bergeræs, Briu: since arriving in the department, Lutxi Achiary has been involved in a multitude of projects and opportunities to sing polyphony, both in the…
Saturday, September 12, 2026
interviews
Traverse, a cultural agitator with neither a fixed location nor boundaries.
Their logo frequently appears at the bottom of performance posters, such as the one for *Dans la forêt*, which opens the Parvis season this weekend. A look at the association.
Saturday, May 24, 2025
interviews
Sandra Quintin, the painting that connects man to nature
We met an artist who arrived in the Hautes-Pyrénées barely 6 months ago, at a time when she was moving away from the Guyanese forest to embrace the Pyrenean nature.
Saturday, January 18, 2025
interviews
Catherine Roche-Brunschwig, the mosaic has finally prevailed
Meeting with Catherine Roche-Brunschwig at the time when L’endroit in Bagnères began a very gradual transformation from a decoration shop to a mosaic artist’s workshop.
Photos around Pic du Midi de Bigorre
