Monday, August 24, 2015

Bagnères-de-Luchon

Bagnères-de-Luchon (Occitan: Banhèras de Luishon), also referred to as Luchon, is a French commune and spa town in the Haute-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region of south-western France, located on the Spanish border.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Luchonnais or Luchonnaises.
 Aux Quinconces, Bourdette and Belloc, Luchon, 1897
The town has existed for more than 2,000 years. The presence of a population has been attested since Neolithic times in the Saint-Mamet Cave. The presence of Stone circles also attests to an ancient occupation.
Thermal baths, Luchon, 1908
In 76 BC Pompey, returning from a policing expedition in Spain (where he founded the city of Pamplona named after him), stopped in the area and founded the new city of Lugdunum Convenarum where he brought together the scattered Convènes tribe: this was the future Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges.
One of his soldiers who suffered from a skin disease immersed himself in the thermal waters of Luchon and its "Onésiens" baths where he discovered their thermal properties. After 21 days (the traditional and still current duration of a cure) he came out completely healed.
Aux Quinconces, 1897
After an initial decline during the last century, the mineral baths of Luchon are gaining in popularity again. Luchon mineral water has been marketed in recent years throughout France.
Arrival at the Luchon hospital, 1892

These vintage photographs are all from Luchon and come from the Library of Toulouse. 

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