Vernet-les-Bains

Vernet-les-Bains
The church and surrounding buildings in Vernet-les-Bains
Coat of arms
Vernet-les-Bains
Location within Occitanie region  Vernet-les-Bains
Coordinates: 42°33′00″N 2°23′19″E / 42.55°N 2.3886°E / 42.55; 2.3886Coordinates: 42°33′00″N 2°23′19″E / 42.55°N 2.3886°E / 42.55; 2.3886
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Department	Pyrénées-Orientales
Arrondissement	Prades
Canton	Le Canigou
Intercommunality	Canigou–Val Cady
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	Christian Payrou
Area1	16.76 km2 (6.47 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	1,570
• Density	94/km2 (240/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	66222 /66820
Elevation	559–2,760 m (1,834–9,055 ft) (avg. 850 m or 2,790 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Vernet-les-Bains (Catalan: Vernet) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

It is a centre for visitors and holidaymakers. The village enjoys a sunny climate (with, on average, 300 days of sunshine each year) and is set in a sheltered valley in the foothills of the Canigou mountain - which rises to a height of 2,785 metres (over 9,000 feet). Tranquil and restful, Vernet-les-Bains has long been known for its hot water spring. There is a professional spa/therapy centre in the village.

Vernet-les-Bains is located in the canton of Le Canigou and in the arrondissement of Prades.

Close by is the Yellow train which runs 63 kilometres (39 mi) from Villefranche-de-Conflent up to Mont-Louis and Latour-de-Carol. The line has the highest station in France at 1,593 metres (5,226 ft) and is both a vital lifeline during winter conditions and a favourite tourist attraction.

Villefranche-de-Conflent is also on a regional train line that connects to Perpignan.

Near the highest point in Vernet-les-Bains, next to the mairie (town hall), stands a monument to the Entente Cordiale of 1904. It is the only one of its kind in France.

The pedestal of the monument is made of Canigou granite. On it rest two white marble statues representing France and Britain. The pedestal itself is set upon a circular base. That in turn is located on a raised, level area of ground which covers 1,000 square metres and which is bounded by low stone walls.

The idea of erecting this monument was conceived around 1912 by the town council and its then mayor, Monsieur Joseph Mercader. The wealthy British visitors who regularly came to this health spa at that time actively supported the project. A committee of prominent French and British patrons was set up to promote the scheme. Its leading members were Lord Roberts and General Joffre. Monsieur Lambert-Violet, a leading Perpignan businessman, gave the land for the memorial to Vernet. The monument itself was the work of the Roussillon sculptor Gustave Violet, who displayed a model of his proposed work in 1913. However, progress came to a halt in 1914 with the outbreak of World War One. Little further happened until August 1920, when it was proclaimed by presidential decree that work on the monument would proceed but that it would be dedicated both to the Entente Cordiale and to the memory of those killed during the war. At the same time a new appeal was launched for funds to complete the project.