- Pierrefitte-Nestalas
Pierrefitte-Nestalas is a
village and commune in theHautes-Pyrénées "département" of south-westernFrance .Geography
Pierrefitte-Nestalas is in the southern part of the
Lavedan valley in the central FrenchPyrenees mountains. It is at the point of confluence of the Gave de Gavarnie and the Gave the Cauterets torrents, which converge to become theGave de Pau . The town is surrounded by mountains such as theHautacam and theCabaliros . It is a necessary point of passage to gain access to eitherCauterets or to thePays Toy andGavarnie beyond.History
The hamlet of Nestalas, with its medieval church, was a point along the ancient road leading from the Abbey of
Saint-Savin up the Gave de Gavarnie to the thermal site ofLuz-Saint-Sauveur .The town later gained some measure of local prominence due to its position, and due to the abundance of water to power small mills. Thanks to hydro power, industrial activities such as chemical manufacturing, aluminum smelting and power generation were developed in Pierrefitte-Nestalas and the adjacent town of
Soulom during the course of the twentieth century. This was also responsible for bringing the railroad to town.Most of the large industrial facilities were closed or reconverted at the end of the twentieth century and the railroad line was closed. Today, many inhabitants work in
Lourdes or other nearby towns. Tourism is central to the town's economy. Pierefitte-Nestalas also houses a mountain rescue unit.ee also
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Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department
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