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Hautes Pyrenees is sparsely inhabited due to the mountains and valleys and lies along the border with Spain. Much of the spectacular Parc National des Pyrénées falls into this
departément. There is excellent skiing and walks in this region.
Major towns and cities include
Lourdes
Lourdes was originally a small market town lying in the foothills of the Pyrenees. At that time, the most prominent feature was the fortified castle that rises up from the center of the town on a rocky escarpment. Following the claims that there were apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, Lourdes has developed into a major place of Christian pilgrimage.
Today Lourdes has a population of around 15,000 inhabitants but is able to take in some 5,000,000 pilgrims and tourists every season. With about 270 hotels, Lourdes has the second greatest number of hotels in France after Paris.
Although the town is most famous for its shrines it is also notable for its Rugby union team, FC Lourdes which during the mid-twentieth century was one of the most successful teams in France, winning the national championship 8 times from 1948 to 1968. Their most famous player is Jean Prat who represented his country 51 times.
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