The mountains of the Pyrenees are striking in their diversity. Majestic peaks rise here, inside which deep caves hide, and in the valleys you can see grandiose waterfalls. And their best feature is that wildlife is almost untouched by civilization.
Description
Pyrenees are mountains of medium height that stretch 450 kilometers from the Bay of Biscay in the west and to the Mediterranean Sea in the east. Heights range between 1600 and 2500 meters. The Pyrenees Mountains are located on the border between Spain and France. And in the eastern part of them lurking the tiny state of Andorra.
The Pyrenees mountains are young, although they are still older than, for example, the Alps and Andes. Already 500 million years ago, peaks rose on the mainland. During their development, these mountains were highly prone to erosion. Therefore, in some places, the area is somewhat reminiscent of the Grand Canyon in America. And then the mountains completely swallowed the ocean, as evidenced by the presence of soft sedimentary rocks, such as limestones in the west, due to the erosion of which subsequently formed karst cavities - caves. Then a clash of lithospheric plates began, and the Pyrenees mountains again revived and ended up on land. All these processes determine such a variety of landforms.
Different sections of the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees mountains are territorially divided into three parts: Atlantic (western), Aragonese (central), Mediterranean (eastern).
The Atlantic Pyrenees belong to two states: France and Spain. From west to east, their height gradually increases.
The Aragonese peaks belong only to Spain, here is the highest mountain of the Pyrenees, peaks: Aneto (3404), Monte Perdido (3348) and Vinmal (3298). On the Spanish side, the Aragonese Pyrenees are more accessible, on French territory they are more abrupt and steep. Here you can go from one country to another through the Somport Pass. South of the place where the Pyrenees are located, another ridge called the Sierra de Guerra extends in parallel. All modern glaciation is also concentrated in the central part.
The Mediterranean Pyrenees relate mostly to Spain than France. Between them is a dwarf state, which is entirely located in the mountains. This is the principality of Andorra.
In the Pyrenees mountains you can look into the French departments: the Upper Pyrenees, Upper Garonne, Aude, Ariege and the Atlantic Pyrenees. To Spain include: Basque Country, Huesca, Lleida, Navarra, Catalonia, Girona.
History of the Pyrenees
The first mountains of the Pyrenees were inhabited by ancient people, they lived in local karst caves, as evidenced by cave paintings. Gradually, the main occupation of people, in addition to hunting, is farming, growing grapes.
Pyrenees are mountains that played a big role in the history of Europe. Here new states arose, battles took place. Hannibal’s only campaign entered the annals. The Carthaginians crossed the Pyrenees through Cerdan (province of Lleida and Girona), through the Persh Pass and the Teta Valley, then they moved to the Apennine Peninsula, planning to break up the Roman Empire in Italy.
Tourism
Fans of traveling in the mountains often choose not the well-traveled along and across the Alps, but the inaccessible Pyrenees. Despite their seemingly small height, the trails in these mountains are difficult and dangerous. The inaccessibility of the Pyrenees lies in the fact that between them there are no convenient transitions and few passes, this huge wall separated the peninsula from the rest of Europe. There are no roads, but there are many waterfalls, gorges, forests.
Wild wildlife here is much better preserved than in the same Alps. Here live: chamois, capricorn, wild boars, bears and even wolves, which almost no longer exist in wild Europe. The Pyrenees are somewhat similar to the mountains in Russia, such as, for example, the Caucasus. Of course, here 3404 is the maximum height of the mountains. The Pyrenees in this regard can not be compared with Elbrus - the highest point in our country, but in terms of beauty they, perhaps, are in no way inferior. Many extreme sports enthusiasts have mastered these mountains: cavers, climbers, skiers and just walking tourists.
Aneto Peak
The highest mountain of the Pyrenees, whose name is Aneto, is located in the Spanish province of Huesca. The French call it Pic de Neto. In all of Spain, it is in third place in height. Aneto is home to the largest glacier in the country, with an area of 79.6 ha (2005). Climbers climb this summit from the "Renklus shelter", located at an altitude of 2140 meters. Up the path leads along the longest part of the glacier.
Such an ascent is considered to be uncomplicated, every year many tourists climb the mountain, without any climbing experience at all. Thus, the highest mountain of the Pyrenees is quite accessible. Mostly the climbing season lasts from July to September. By the way, our compatriot, Russian officer Platon Aleksandrovich Chikhachev, was the first to conquer this mountain in the summer of 1842. Conductors were with him in the group: Pierre Sanio de Luz, Luchonne Bernard Arrazo, Pierre Redonne. There was also the botanist Albert de Frankville and conductor Jean Sor. Upstairs, they left a cairn and a bottle with their names. The winter ascent took place in 1878.
Gavarni Circus
The Gavarni circus of glacial origin is a hollow, on one side of which there is a rock wall. This is a famous attraction of the Pyrenees, which the writer Victor Hugo admired. It is also included in the UNESCO list. The diameter of the circus below is 3.5 kilometers, and to the top it expands to 14 kilometers.
The height of this basin above sea level is 1400 meters, next to it is the second peak in height in the Pyrenees - Monte Perdido. Streams of water flow down from the circus walls, forming waterfalls in some places. In winter, they freeze and turn into ice walls, along which extreme lovers climb. Gavarni Waterfall is especially distinguished among all water flows. Free fall stretched for 422 meters.
For a long time, the Gavarni waterfall was considered the highest in Europe, until a larger stream of water was found in Norway. To see this unique miracle of nature, a tourist should first get to the village of Gavarni, and from there make a transition along a good road that lasts about an hour. There is also a playground with benches, from where you can admire the waterfall and take a photo. At an altitude of 2-2.5, ice caves are located. The 1200-meter-high wall of Gavarni attracts climbers.
Pierre-Saint-Martin Cave
The famous karst cavity of Pierre-Saint-Martin has long been considered the deepest on our planet. This is the second cave in the world where you can go underground for more than a kilometer.
The French and Belgian cavers came down here for the first time in 1953. They overcame a huge steep well using a winch with a drum and a steel cable. Then there were no developed technologies for passing such caves. The expedition reached the level of 737 meters, while losing one participant. Such depth was considered at that time the largest in the world.
The first 700 meters of depth were very dangerous, so the cave was completely conquered later, mainly due to a tunnel broken into the rock. They were able to explore the karst cavity up to 1006 meters; a second entrance was also discovered. Due to the connection with the small cave Tet Sauvage, the total depth of Pierre-Saint-Martin reached 1171 meters.
Lourdes
This is a French city, which is also popular with tourists and pilgrims. It is located where the mountains of the Pyrenees are just beginning, that is, in the foothills. Here, according to legend, there was the appearance of the Virgin Mary to the 14-year-old girl Bernadette. It happened in the cave of Mesabiel. Our Lady appeared to the girl more than once, but 18. During this event, the child was cured of asthma after bathing in the healing spring, which Mary pointed to her.
Bernadette was later counted as a saint. A basilica dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary was built above the cave. Believers still come here to pray and drink water from a sacred spring.
There are museums in the city that you can visit: Bernadette Subirou, Grevin (religious painting) and the Pyrenees local history.
Andorra
A dwarf state, which in terms of area can correspond to a small city. The number is 84 thousand people, most of whom are Spaniards and only then Andorrans. The name of the country from the Basque language is translated as "wasteland." The capital is Andorra la Vella. People live here mainly through tourism, in addition, the population is involved in trade and the banking sector of the state of Andorra.
The mountains of the Pyrenees bring the main income to the country. Especially developed ski resorts, Pas de la Casa - the oldest of them. We can say that the mountains have a Mediterranean climate with a lot of rainfall in the off-season. The ski season is open from December to mid-spring.