BIARRITZ

'Biarritz' (French: ''Biarritz'', pronounced ; Gascon Occitan: ''Biàrritz''; Basque: ''Biarritz'' or Miarritze) is a town and commune which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in southwestern France.
It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers. Biarritz also boasts some of the best beaches in Europe and has won multiple awards for their top class standards.

Contents

Geography

History

Sights

Sports

Transportation

Miscellaneous

Births

Twin towns

External links

Geography

Biarritz is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département'', in the Aquitaine ''région''. It is adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 11 miles (18 kilometres) from the border with Spain. It is in the traditional province of the French Basque Country, Labourd.

History

Vikings who invaded Gascony in 840 settled in Biarritz, which was a good whaling location. Biarritz is a Basque name with locative suffix -itz (cp. Isturitz) attested Bearriz in 1170, Bearids in 1186, Bearritz in 1249. The Scandinavians settled in the area above the Gardague Beach. After the defeat of their chief in 982, the descendants remained here and continued hunting whales. They were called "Agots" and were not allowed to mix with the others. The segregation among these communities—there were many in Gascony and Navarra—finally disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century.
Biarritz has long made its fortune from the sea: originally a whaling village, in the 18th century doctors recommended that the ocean at Biarritz had therapeutic properties, inspiring patients to make pilgrimages to the beach for alleged cures for their ailments.
Biarritz's became more renowned in 1854 when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) built a palace on the beach (now the ''Hôtel du Palais''). The British royal family regularly took vacations in Biarritz: European royalty such as Queen Victoria, Edward VII, and Alfonso XIII of Spain were frequent visitors.

Sights

Biarritz is now home to:

★ the Asiatica Museum, which houses a significant collection of Asian art primarily from India, Nepal, Tibet, and China.

★ The Museum of the Sea, which boasts 24 aquariums containing sharks and seals

★ The annual Biarritz Surf Festival on the beach at the Côte des Basques (the premier surf event in Europe)

★ St-Martin's Church, constructed in the 12th century, and restored in the middle of the 16th century.

★ The Russian Orthodox Church in Biarritz, constructed in the 19th century for visiting Russian aristocrats, with its famous blue dome.

★ The Chapelle Imperiale built for Empress Eugenie, which has an intricately decorated roof interior, and elegant wall tiling.

★ A Museum of Chocolate, which explains its history and manufacture.
Spectacular cliffs and lookouts lie to the west of the main beach.

Sports

Surfing at Biarritz is of a world-class standard, and the town has a strong surfing culture.
The town is home to a prominent rugby union club, Biarritz Olympique.
Basque pelota is a very popular sport of the Basque country. Several local or international competitions take place in Biarritz.
The golf, near the lighthouse (Le Phare), was created in 1888 by British residents.

Transportation

Biarritz is easily accessible from Paris by France's high-speed train, the TGV.
Biarritz has an airport Aéroport de Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne its about 4 kilometers away from the city in the inland. Its very near at N10 road towards Anglet, it is joined airport with Anglet and Bayonne. It has flights to destinations across France as well as Europe.
"Biarritz blue," inspired by the color of the ocean off Biarritz, is a color available for some BMW motorcycles.

Miscellaneous

The town lies in Basque territory, and Basque flags and symbols are prevalent throughout Biarritz.
Biarritz's casino (opened August 10, 1901) and beaches make the town a notable tourist centre for Europeans.

Births

Biarritz was the birthplace of:

★ Ernest Fourneau (1872-1949), chemist

★ Maurice Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey (1877-1963), British civil servant

★ Arnaud Massy (1877-1950), golfer

★ Pauline Carton (1884-1974), theater and film actress

★ Jean Borotra (1898-1994), tennis player

★ André Dassary (1912-1987), operetta singer

★ Léopold Eyharts (Colonel, French Air Force) (born 1957), ESA astronaut (Mission Specialist)

★ Maurice Journeau (1898-1999), composer

★ Jacques Bergerac (1927- ), actor

Twin towns

★ Augusta, Georgia, United States, since 1992

★ Cascais, Portugal, since 1986

★ Ixelles, Belgium, since 1958

★ Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, since 1996

★ Zaragoza, Spain, since 1986
Source: Twin towns, Biarritz Official Site

External links

★ Official website

★ Information on the history of Casino Barrière de Biarritz (the casino at Biarritz)

★ Website of Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz (including photographs

★ more picture via Hotel du Palais

★ Personal blog about a budget, short-break vacation to Biarritz

★ Biarritz For Ever, useful resources