Collar of Somport

See also: Somport (homonymy)

The collar of Somport is a collar of mountain located on the Franco-Spanish Frontière at 1632 Mètre S of altitude.

The collar, whose name comes from the occitan som meaning top and pòrt meaning collar of mountain, coming to them-even from Latin summus and portus , was one of passages the most borrowed in the crossing of the the Pyrenees, by the soldiers, the merchants and the pilgrims on the Via Tolosane coming from Oloron-Holy-Marie (Yrénées-Atlantiques) and in direction of the Aragon (Camino aragonés).

One can make excursions there all the year. Snow is present of at the end of October at the end of May there.

History

Military history

During 4th and 5th centuries, the Vandals and the Visigoths coming from France, used this relatively easy way to penetrate in Spain. The Roman Way which carries out to it, known under the name of Via Tolosane, was also borrowed by the Musulmans from the 8th century in their missed attempt at conquest of France. The collar was strengthened at the 16th century by the Habsbourg to protect itself from an invasion of the French, which did not occur before the Guerre of Spanish independence and the arrival of the Napoleonean general Louis-Gabriel Suchet in 1808. It was followed later by the colonel Léonard Morin, who foot-note in the Memories of the 5th regiment (1812-1813) dangers of the collar and the horrible existence of the population of Canfranc. The French consequently left Spain road after the defeat against the general Francisco Espoz there Mina in 1814.

History of the pilgrimage

The collar was without question the most popular way for the pilgrims on the road of Saint-Jacob de Compostelle, until at the 12th century the pacification of the zones controlled by the Navarrese gangsters or Basque does way relatively easier passing by the collar of Roncevaux a protected way. The collar presents little interest apart from modern the Ermita del Pilar (1995) and the natural beauty of the mountains. Saint-Jacob de Compostelle is to 840 km.

Modern history

It is an important road axis of the Yrénées-Atlantiques and the Pyrenees, between the Vallée of Aragon and the Vallée of Winder. A way of railroad connecting Canfranc (Spain) to Pau was open in 1928, but was closed following the accident of goods train of the March 27th 1970.

More recently, the Tunnel of Somport passing under the the Pyrenees, length 8,6 km, was open the February 7th 2003. Its cost rose to nearly 160 million euros for the Spanish part and to 91,5 million for French installation. The construction of the tunnel was disputed, in particular in France, the opponents alleging that the tunnel would destroy the natural beauty of the Vallée of Winder. They claimed the reopening of the Pau-Canfranc line. The deputy Jean Lassalle made the titles of the newspapers the June 3rd 2003 when it stopped work of the National Assembly by entonnant the song inhabitant of Béarn Canto. Its step aimed at protesting against the advertisement by the Minister of Interior Department Nicolas Sarkozy of the displacement of 23 gendarmes assigned until there to the guard of the tunnel and based to Urdos, towards the city close to Oloron-Holy-Marie, under pretext which their wives were bored in Urdos. Lassalle regarded this position as an offense with the inhabitants of Urdos.

Sport

A track of Ski touring of 35 km was traced around the collar, was divided by Spain and France. Part of the route belongs to skiable the Spanish field of Candanchú.

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • the railway line Pau - Canfranc

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