Ubaye Valley

The Ubaye Valley is an area in the Alpes de Haute-Provence département, in the French Alps, having approximately 7,700 residents. Its residents are called Ubayens. Its principal town is the sous-préfecture of Barcelonnette.
[image:Vallée ubaye.JPG|350px|thumb|right|A view of the Ubaye valley]

Ubaye River - Hydrography

The Ubaye River gives its name to the valley. The Ubaye rises on the Franco-Italian border, in Longet Lake, in the massif of Monte Viso. It runs from east to west for, before it flows into Serre-Ponçon Lake. Its main tributary is the Ubayette River, which rise in the Lauzanier Lake.
Ubaye Valley has many lakes :
* Terre-Plaine lake
* Neuf-Couleur Lake
* Sagnes Lake
* Lauzanier lake
* Lake Allos
* Petite Cayolle lake
* Mans lakes
* Longet lake
* Oronaye lake, near Longet lake
* Marinet Lake

Peaks

Ubaye Valley's highest mountain is the Aiguille de Chambeyron. The second one is the Brec de Chambeyron.

Towns

Its two largest towns are Barcelonnette and Jausiers. From Low Valley to High Valley, near Ubaye the towns are: Le Lauzet-Ubaye, Les Thuiles, Méolans-Revel, Barcelonnette, Faucon-de-Barcelonnette, Jausiers, La Condamine-Châtelard, Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye and Tournoux.
There are several ski stations: Le Sauze, Pra-Loup and Sainte Anne.
Two small towns in the Ubayette valley: Meyronnes and Larche.

Access

There are only six passable vehicle roads during the summer:

From the Haute-Provence : "Pas-la-Tour" near Le Lauzet-Ubaye, open year-round
From the Verdon : Col de la Cayolle and Col d'Allos
From the Tinée : Col de la Bonette at 2,750 meters, the highest road of Alps and the highest road in Europe
From Stura Valley, : Pass of Col de Larche
From the Queyras : Col de Vars.

History

The Ubaye valley has been populated since prehistoric times.
The Esubii, a Gaulish tribe, historically lived in the valley.
It was incorporated into the Roman Empire by Augustus. A Roman road crossed the valley and the Romans occupied the Faucon-de-Barcelonnette's area.
Christianized since the end of Roman Empire, Ubaye Valley belonged to the diocese of Embrun.
The valley was in the county of Provence during the Middle Ages.
Barcelonnette was founded in 1231 by Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence.
François Ier crossed the pass of Larche to attack Italy in the 16th century.
Until the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht the valley was part of the Duchy of Savoy from its head to the confluence of the rivers Ubaye and Durance, and was the site of two Savoyard invasions of France in 1690 and 1692.
The French Army of the Alps was based in Ubaye during the French Revolution.
In the 1830s, the first real road to the valley was opened.
During the 19th century and the start of the 20th, many of Ubaye's people emigrated to Mexico.
Ubaye Valley was occupied by Italians in 1942, then by Germans in 1943 and 1944

Administration

The valley is in the arrondissement of Barcelonnette, and has two cantons.

Natural sites

Lakes
Mountains: L'Aiguille du Chambeyron, the Séolanes, Siguret, "la Tête de Louis XVI", Monte Sautron.
The Mercantour National Park

Monuments

Cardinalis Tower
Museum of Ubaye Valley
"Les Villas Mexicaines"
Church of Faucon-de-Barcelonnette.
Church Saint Nicolas de Myre
Magnans's Castle
Abriès Mill
Cuguret stronghold.
Fort de Tournoux

Notable residents

Paul Reynaud, born in Barcelonnette
The Brothers Arnaud, born in Jausiers
Jacques-Antoine Manuel, born in Barcelonnette