France - The Pic du Midi de Bigorre observatory, a pioneer in the high mountains

 The observatory is located at the top of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, at an altitude of 2876 m. It is a pioneering and still active high mountain scientific site. Initially dedicated to altitude meteorology, it quickly evolved into a world-class astronomical observatory, due to the exceptional qualities of its altitude sky, now carefully protected from light pollution. The peak and its surroundings constitute one of the oldest and most important dark sky reserves in Europe. The site has seen many extensions and renewals of scientific facilities throughout its history, from the start of its construction in 1878 until today. From the beginning, its permanent scientific vocation has been accompanied by a tourist vocation controlled by the difficulty of access, by the exceptional panorama that it reveals over almost the entire Pyrenean chain, between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.