Ubaye Valley

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The Ubaye Valley is in the Alpes de Haute-Provence département, in the French Alps and has approximately 7700 residents^[1]. Its residents are called "Ubayens". Its chief town is the sous-préfecture of Barcelonnette.

A little piece of the Ubaye valley

Marinet Lake

The Ubaye river gives his name to the valley. The Ubaye rises on the Franco-Italian border, in Longet Lake, in the massive of Mount Viso. It runs from east to west during 70 km, after she flows in the Serre-Ponçon lake. His main tributary is the Ubayette river, which rise in the Lauzanier Lake.

Ubaye Valley's highest mountain is the Aiguille de Chambeyron (3412m). The second one is the Brec de Chambeyron (3389m).

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

There are only six passable vehicles roads in summer :

From the Haute-Provence (west) : "Pas-la-Tour" near The Lauzet, open year-round
From the Verdon (south) : Pass of Cayolle and pass of Allos (closed in winter),
From the Tinée (south) : Pass of the Bonette at 2750 meters, the higher road of Alps (closed in winter)
Forum Stura Valley (Italy), (east): Pass of Larche (closed in winter),
From the Queyras (north) : Pass of Vars (closed in winter).

The Ubaye valley has been populated since the end of prehistory
A Gaulish tribe, named the Esubiens, lived in the vally during antiquity
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.
After, the valley belongs to the Duchy of Savoy, and it was incorporated into France in 1713 with the Treaty of Utrecht.
The French Army of the Alps was based in Ubaye during the French Revolution.
In the 1830s, the first reak road to the valley is open.
During the 19th century and the start of the 20th, a lot of Ubaye's people emigrated to Mexico.
Ubaye Valley was occupied by Italians in 1942, then by Germans in 1943 and 1944

Lakes
Montains massives : L'Aiguille du Chambeyron, the Séolanes, Siguret, "la Tête de Louis XVI".
The Mercantour

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