The Pic du Midi and its Observatory, Candidate to the World Heritage enlisting
Since 2014, the French government, the University of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier and the syndicat mixte pour la valorisation touristique du Pic du Midi have been committed to the approach, which is based on a mutual desire to protect the Pic du Midi observatory for future generations and to counter any attack on the integrity of the site and its activity. On October 27, 2023, the first step was taken with the inclusion of the “Pic du Midi de Bigorre Observatory, a high mountain pioneer” on France’s Tentative List for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.The French World Heritage Committee (CFPM) has now entered the support and monitoring phase of the application. Last April, the CFPM recognized the outstanding universal value of the world’s first and oldest active high-mountain observatory. The Pic du Midi and its observatory have now entered a decisive phase in their bid for World Heritage listing. A press conference was held on September 4, 2024 to follow the progress of the application.
Launched in 2014, this candidacy is the fruit of a joint effort between the observatory, attached to Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier University, and the Pic du Midi joint tourism development association. In October 2022, the French government offered its first official recognition by including the Pic du Midi and its observatory on its indicative list, thus launching the active phase.
Press point – 4 sep 2024
© R. Cabanac – Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier
The Pic du Midi and its Observatory: the story of a relationship between a mountain and Mankind
Founded in 1878 by the Société Ramond (a learned Pyrenean society), the Pic du Midi observatory was transferred to the responsibility of the French government in 1880. The latter placed the scientific station under the authority of the Toulouse observatory in 1915. Observations have been carried out there without interruption for over 150 years. The station’s potential as a high-mountain observatory enabled it to host numerous scientists eager to make advances and discoveries thanks to its exceptional location: meteorology, astronomy, botany, atmosphere, etc. Today, this range of activities has been extended to include environmental monitoring, studying the impact of human activities on the biosphere.
The origins and pioneering nature of the observatory can be traced back to the convergence of science and tourism in the mid-19th century. At the time, some of Europe’s elite were vacationing at the foot of the Pic du Midi to take the waters. The observatory project was born of this proliferation of scholarly and cultural salons, and the Col de Sencours station in 1851 was its first act and synthesis: to create a hotel and welcome the public to finance the observatory.
Local populations were immediately involved in its construction, supply and activities. From the outset, the development and future of the observatory became an issue shared by the local and scientific communities.
Threatened on several occasions in its history, the observatory has always escaped closure thanks to the mobilization of these communities, even in the early 1990s. The French government, the University of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier and the local authorities then decided to position tourism at the heart of the site’s operations in order to maintain scientific activity. Thus, in 1995, the local authorities joined forces to form a syndicat mixte (joint association) to manage the Pic du Midi development project (the local authorities surrounding the Pic, the Hautes-Pyrénées department and the Occitanie region).
This strategy, shared by the French government and local authorities, feeds a broader vision: to make the Pic du Midi and its observatory the vectors of new territorial development.
Today, the summit installations are still the property of the French State, which allocates most of the summit area to the University of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier. Scientific activities and facilities are managed by the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, which is attached to Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier University. A 30-year concession agreement (2000-2029) allocates a large part of this surface area to the Pic du Midi mixed syndicate, which is responsible for tourism development and public service: maintenance of living and access infrastructures.
The administration, operation and activities of the observatory are carried out exclusively by public bodies. A third partner, Télédiffusion de France (TDF), manages the interministerial building. These facilities are mainly used to broadcast digital television and FM radio.
Why a World Heritage enlisting?
The Pic du Midi observatory will soon be celebrating 150 years of activity. The longevity of this site and the vitality it enjoys today should not blind us to the trials and threats it has faced.
The site’s vitality is a source of mobilization for an entire territory and a human community that identifies with this lighthouse, which has become much more than just a mountain. It is also the emblem of the International Dark Sky Reserve.
What’s more, the Pic du Midi and its observatory represent an idea: a universal work of art born of mankind’s reckless relationship with the mountain. Through this peaceful and scientific conquest of the mountains, mankind has sought to elevate itself, to build answers to the questions and challenges of its time. The local and scientific communities who have worked and continue to work for the Pic du Midi have experienced and continue to experience this commitment and the resulting surpassing of expectations. This relationship provides us with an exceptional landscape, an iconic mountain topped by its observatory city, whose image radiates from the local to the international level.
A World Heritage listing would guarantee the site’s activity and future, ensure that the threat of closure never returns, preserve and pass on its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) to as many people as possible, and pass the baton to the next generation.
This OUV defines the particularities and heritage qualities of the candidate property. These elements must be of universal significance, international in scope, and make an exceptional, if not unprecedented, contribution to the World Heritage List. The VUE, the very heart of the candidacy, guides and frames all the candidate’s actions, whether in terms of perimeters, protection or management of the property.
At the hearing in April 2024, the CFPM gave its favorable opinion of the VUE du Pic du Midi.
The Pic du Midi Observatory is the world’s first and oldest high-mountain observatory still in operation. As such, it has been a driving force behind, and a key witness to, the international movement to develop high-altitude science since the mid-19th century. The Pic du Midi and its observatory form a living and evolving heritage, an exceptional example of a harmonious relationship between man and nature, illustrating the peaceful and scientific conquest of the high mountains over time.
The Pic du Midi is an iconic mountain. It forms an emblematic landscape that illustrates a period in human history. It offers a unique cultural landscape: a high, prominent mountain, topped by a remarkably well-preserved living “observatory city”.
Even today, the Pic du Midi remains at the pinnacle of world research for observations of the stars and their planets, and for observations of mankind’s impact on the biosphere. Finally, it is a unique model of convergence between science and tourism, from the observatory’s genesis to the present day, including its rescue in the late 1990s. This original science-tourism symbiosis is one of the main vectors of the observatory’s exceptional longevity and dynamism. Indeed, almost 150 years after its foundation stone was laid, the Pic du Midi observatory benefits from major scientific investment programs, while at the same time offering a model for tourism development that guarantees the site’s longevity, the development of its territory and the transmission of its exceptional universal value.
Extract from the June 2023 press release (Tentative List inscription)
World Heritage enlisting process
Since its inclusion on the French government’s Tentative List in October 2022, the Pic du Midi and its observatory have entered the phase of monitoring and support by the French World Heritage Committee. The CFPM’s monitoring is divided into three hearings, each focusing on specific elements of the final dossier. The first hearing, dedicated to demonstrating the exceptional universal value of the candidate property, was held last April and concluded with a favorable opinion on the continuation of the candidacy. The quality of the elements presented and the momentum of the bid have led the CFPM to set the date of the next hearing for October 15, 2024.
This second hearing will focus on the property’s perimeters and protections.
The third and final hearing will assess the management plan, i.e. the organization, strategy and resources put together by the candidates to ensure the future of the future world heritage site. The momentum of the candidacy and the commitment of all those involved will enable us to rapidly set a timetable.
At the end of this process, the French government will decide on the timetable for presenting its candidate to UNESCO.
Once this has been done, the final stage is evaluation by UNESCO. The dossier is then submitted to the World Heritage Committee and examined by international experts from ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites). This international procedure lasts around 18 months and culminates in a decision, either favorable or unfavorable, to list the property as a World Heritage Site.
