Béarn

Béarn ( ; ; or Biarn; or Biarno; or Bearnia) is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre and Labourd, the Principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms the current Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. The capitals of Béarn were successively Beneharnum (until 841), Morlaàs (from 1100), Orthez (from the second half of the 13th century) and then Pau (beginning in the mid-15th century). Béarn is bordered by the Basque provinces of Soule and Lower Navarre to the west, Gascony (Landes and Armagnac) to the north, Bigorre to the east, in addition to Spain (Aragon) to the south. Today, the mainstays of the Béarn area are the petroleum industry, the aerospace industry through the helicopter turboshaft engine manufacturer Turbomeca, tourism and agriculture (much of which involves maize (corn) grown for seed). Pau was the birthplace of Elf Aquitaine, which has now become a part of the Total S.A. petroleum company. In the eastern part of the province are two small exclaves belonging to Bigorre.…

Béarn ( ; ; or Biarn; or Biarno; or Bearnia) is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre and Labourd, the Principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms the current Pyrénées-Atlantiques department. The capitals of Béarn were successively Beneharnum (until 841), Morlaàs (from 1100), Orthez (from the second half of the 13th century) and then Pau (beginning in the mid-15th century). Béarn is bordered by the Basque provinces of Soule and Lower Navarre to the west, Gascony (Landes and Armagnac) to the north, Bigorre to the east, in addition to Spain (Aragon) to the south. Today, the mainstays of the Béarn area are the petroleum industry, the aerospace industry through the helicopter turboshaft engine manufacturer Turbomeca, tourism and agriculture (much of which involves maize (corn) grown for seed). Pau was the birthplace of Elf Aquitaine, which has now become a part of the Total S.A. petroleum company. In the eastern part of the province are two small exclaves belonging to Bigorre. They are the result of how early Béarn grew to its traditional boundaries: some old lesser viscounties were added by marriage, and absorbed into Béarn: Oloron to the south/southwest , Montanérès in the east in 1085, and Dax in the west in 1194. When Montanérès was added, five communities or parishes (Villenave-près-Béarn, Escaunets, Séron, Gardères, and Luquet) did not form part of the dowry; they remained, or became, part of Bigorre. Their attachment to Bigorre continues to the present, as they followed it into Hautes-Pyrénées, rather than being incorporated into the surrounding Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Culture

The culture of Béarn is characterised by a strong regional identity shaped by history, the Pyrenean environment and Occitan heritage. Béarnais is the customary local name for the langue d’oc spoken across much of the region. It remains an important component of identity in the area, particularly among speakers and communities in the Haut-Béarn, the Ossau Valley and the Béarn des Gaves. Béarn architecture and history is dominant throughout the region, with monuments such as the Château de Pau highlighting the region’s medieval and royal history, including the period before Béarn and Navarre were formally united with the French Crown in 1620.

Food

Poule au pot is a celebrated specialty in Béarn where King Henry IV of France was born. Béarnaise sauce is a French sauce named after the region, that is made of clarified butter, egg yolk, white wine vinegar, and herbs. Bayonne ham is a cured ham from Bayonne in the region.

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1377132973 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.