Tarbes is the capital of the Bigorre region and prefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It is built on the plain but close to the mountains.

Tarbes has been a garrison town for nearly 200 years, but it is also the town of horses.
During the summer, you can ride in a horse-drawn carriage or visit the national stud. Created by Napoleon, it is one of the biggest studs in France. Tarbes also opens its doors to numerous competitions: show jumping, dressage or showing...
Rugby is also revered in this sporting town, which also hosts the international "Les Petits As" tennis tournament.

Because of its location, Tarbes is counting on tourism to compensate for the industrial slump and consequent unemployment.

Tarbes is developing intercommune relationships with Lourdes and Pau, and is seeking to set up a university campus. It places its hopes in advanced technologies and the food industry, trying to capitalize on the famous "haricots Tarbais" (Tarbe beans).

Antiquity:
56 B.C.: Tarbes was a centre of power during Roman times, dominating the territory to be known as the Hautes-Pyrénées. It continued to develop through to the Barbaric invasions.
Middle Ages:
VI^th century: Tarbes became a bishopric and became more fortified over time.
Renaissance period:
1559: A Roman Catholic town, Tarbes was set on fire during the Wars of religion and part of its inhabitants massacred.
Modern times:
1808: Creation of the Imperial stud.
1814: Under the Restoration, Tarbes became a garrison town.