The Hautes-Alpes - Frontier territory, crossroads of influences
A land of constructors
The department of Hautes-Alpes, together with Isère and Drôme, came from the division in 1790 of the former province of Dauphiné. This mountain territory is crossed by deep glacial valleys that separate large alpine massifs (Pelvoux, Ecrins, Thabor, Viso) and pre-alpine (Dévoluy, Baronnies). The harsh climate of the Great Alps is tempered to the south by the influence of the Mediterranean climate and, locally to the north, by the very favorable exposure of certain slopes that allowed to cultivate lands sometimes located at more than 2000 meters of altitude. These contrasts are expressed in the layout of the building and in architectural forms sometimes very different from one valley to another. The diversity of landscapes and mountain traditions is the first richness of the Hautes-Alpes, whose territory, monumental in itself, forms the receptacle of a specific cultural heritage.
Between Dauphiné and Provence
The valleys that cross this territory give access to the main passes of the Southern Alps (Lautaret, Montgenèvre, Traversette, Agnel, Vars) and make the Haut-Dauphiné an ancient place of passage. The via cottia per alpem which extends, from Gap, the via Domitia, crosses the whole department to the Montgenèvre pass, connecting Provence to the north of Italy. The main urban centers of the department, Tallard, Gap, Chorges, Embrun and Briançon, are located on its route.
The Hautes-Alpes, a territory of borders, is the articulation of Provence and Dauphiné. The valleys saw the troops pass through the wars of religions (16th century), conflicts with Savoy (late 17th century), then the wars of succession of Spain and Austria (18th century). In 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht stabilized the border on the natural peaks of the Alps (physical boundary between the Durance and Po basins). However, military defences were continuously reinforced from the end of the 17th to the middle of the 20th century.
The Hautes-Alpes region is rich in an important military, civil and religious heritage, as well as a rural and vernacular* heritage that reflects the dynamism of mountain communities and agro-pastoral traditions. This cultural heritage, as well as the landscapes that are the jewel in the crown, form the identity of the department.
* vernacular: refers to traditional regional architecture