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Tarbes (Municipality, Hautes-Pyrénées, France)

Flags of Tarbes - left, indoor ceremonial flag; right, outdoor common flag - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 28 June 2022

Presentation of Tarbes
Coat of arms of Tarbes
Flags of Tarbes
- Former flags of Tarbes
Sport clubs
- Tarbes Gespe Bigorre (Basketball)

See also:

Presentation of Tarbes

Tarbes (43,955 inhabitants in 2021; 1,533 ha) is a commune and the prefecture of the department of Hautes-Pyrénées.

Probably founded by an Aquitanic tribe, the Bigorrais or Bigerri, whom the salt trade pushed to use the route of the Pyrenean foothills, Tarbes developed in the context of Romanized Gaul. Named as "Civitas Tarba Ubi Castrum Bigorra" for the first time in the 5th century, Tarbes is an important city of Novempopulania, ancient Aquitaine of Julius Caesar.

Despite epidemics and major conflicts, its growth is reflected on the ground by the installation of new urban centers. In the 9th century, in the town of La Sède, the bishop raised the old cathedral, while at the end of the 12th century, the Count of Bigorre moved into his castle-fort of Tarbes, bringing with him the court. At the end of the Middle Ages, the city was made up of six fortified towns adjoining from east to west.

In the 16th century, the Wars of Religion were particularly cruel for the city and its inhabitants, but from the 17th century, Tarbes experienced a revival which resulted in the reconstruction of the bishopric (1652) and the foundation of a third hospital, in 1690. The irrigation of the land and the hydraulic power used by the craftsmen were ensured by the system of canals derived from the Adour. In the 18th century the demographic and economic boom finally took place. The consuls had the old ramparts demolished. During the Revolution, the meeting of the spiritual and temporal towns of the city brings the S of Tarbes: “Tarbe” becomes “Tarbes”. Thanks to the stubbornness of Bertrand Barère, local representative to the Constituent Assembly, the city became the capital of the department of Bigorre, enlarged in 1790.

Tarbes benefited durably from the great administrative reform of the 19th century which gave it a second boost. Napoleon I established a national stud in the city which, from the Tarbais horse, gave birth to the Anglo-Arab breed. The army thus provided an outlet for the traditional breeding of horses, strongly practiced in the surrounding countryside. Tarbes acquired its definitive vocation as a garrison town in 1825 with the installation of the cavalry barracks. The rail link (existing since 1859) linking Paris to Tarbes, comforted General Verchère de Reffye when he chose to install an arsenal in the city in 1871, far from the front lines. Thus, Tarbes became an industrial and working-class city but also affirmed its military vocation by the construction of the Larrey, Soult and Reffye districts. After the development of the east-west axis, a new north-south axis was developped, having at its heart the beautiful setting of the Massey garden.

Priding itself on being the native land of Marshal Foch, Tarbes, by its strategic position at the foot of the Pyrenees, held its position during the First World War. With the intensification of its artillery production during this period, the work of women (up to 16,000 workers at this time) was particularly striking in the essential support of the fronts further north, with artillery pieces. During the Second World War, the Resistance was also part of the daily life of the town of Tarbes, to which the Croix de Guerre was awarded. After the return of peace, the industry is diversified, and there was again an expansion of demography.

Olivier Touzeau, 28 June 2022

Coat of arms of Tarbes

The arms of Tarbes are blazoned: Quarterly Or and Gules.

These are the historical arms of the town.
In 1482, the shield was surmounted by a bishop's miter and crozier. In 1699, the religious symbols were no longer features; the shield was supported dexter by a branch of laurel with six berries and sinister by a palm. A flagstone showing this design is inscribed "May this house stand until the ant drinks all water and the turtle walk all around the world". The arms used in 1760 were surmounted by a baron's cap, recalling that Tarbes was the seat of a barony.
Around 1860, the cap was substituted by a four-towered mural crown. The shield was supported dexter by a branch of oak fructed, symbolizing civic value and sovereign clemency, and sinister by a branch of laurel fructed, symbolizing victory and peace. The scroll inscribed "République française" was added in 1879.
The War Cross 1939-1945 was granted on 11 November 1948: "The seat of very important organisms of anti-German resistance, the town has been since 1940 the place of a fierce resistance activity, which she managed all over the department".
[source: municipal website]

Ivan Sache , 30 June 2022

Flags of Tarbes

Tarbes has two flags:
- a ceremonial flag, observed indoor, is white with the coat of arms, the words Ville de TARBES below, and with a fringe. The arms include a mural crown, a liste with the words "République française", branches of oak and laurel, and the WWII Cross (photo, 2019; video, 2018; video, 2013).

- an outdoor flag, blue with the logo adopted in 2004 (photo, 2022).

Olivier Touzeau, 28 June 2022

Former flags of Tarbes

Former flags of Tarbes - left, before 2002; right, 2002-2004 - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 28 June 2022

I had spotted in 2003 in the catalogue of the flagmaker Pavoifêtes a white flag with the pre-2002 logo of Tarbes (sorry for the poor quality).
A white flag with the next logo (2002-2004) was reported by Arnaud Leroy (Cyber-flag.net).

Olivier Touzeau, 6 June 2022