Argelès-Gazost

Argelès-Gazost () is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France in the Occitanie region. It is part of the historical region of Gascony and is the capital of the arrondissement of Argelès-Gazost.

History
Argelès-Gazost was made a commune in 1790 with the name of Argelès; it was merged in 1824 with the commune of Vieuzac. Vieuzac was also made a commune in 1790.

The name of the commune, Argelès, was changed to Argelès-Gazost in 1896.

Geography
Argelès-Gazost is a commune in the Lavedan (a natural region in the Pyrenees), at the confluence of the Gave de Pau and Gave d'Azun rivers, between Lourdes and Gavarnie.

It has an area of  and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

+ Argelès-Gazost and its neighboring communes 350px|Map of the commune de Argelès-Gazost

 Climate 
The climate of Argelès-Gazost, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.

Population
The inhabitants of Argelès-Gazost are known, in French, as Argelésiens (women: Argelésiennes).

Argelès-Gazost has a population, in 2014, of 3,020, and its population density is of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Argelès-Gazost

 Administration 
Argelès-Gazost is a subprefecture of the Hautes-Pyrénées department since 1790. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Argelès-Gazost and the administrative centre () of the canton La Vallée des Gaves with 50 communes and 15,743 inhabitants in 2014.

It is part of the intercommunality La Vallée d'Argelès-Gazost ().

Sites of interest
Some important buildings and places are:
 The Saint-Saturnin church, built in the second half of the nineteenth century.
 Château d'Ourout, built in the fifteenth - sixteenth century, rebuilt in the nineteenth century. With its park and chapel, it is registered as a historical monument since 1995.
 Vieuzac tower of the fourteenth century.
 Mendaigne tower of the eighteenth century.
 Pyrénées Animal Park ()

Gallery

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Argelès-Gazost
 Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department

References

Other websites

 City Council website 
 Office de Tourisme - Saint-Gaudens  

Category:Subprefectures in France
Category:Communes in Hautes-Pyrénées