Biarritz

Biarritz is located on the Atlantic coast of south-west France in the depths of the Bay of Biscay , close to the Spanish-French border. Cape Saint-Martin, on which the Biarritz lighthouse is installed, is the border between the sandy beaches of the Silver Coast of France, starting far north in the Gironde , and the steep rocky coast, stretching from here south to the Basque lands . Biarritz is built on several hills along the coast. City blocks go directly to several bays and beaches of fine sand, including the central beach of Grand Plage , which is regularly mapped thanks to positioning systems and sea vessels equipped with echo sounders.

Biarritz is located on the lands of the historic province of Labourdan at the western border between the Basque lands and Gascony . The territory of the commune is located at the extreme southern point of the distribution area of ​​the Gascon language .

According to the Sandre database ^[1] , only the Atxinetxe canal flows through the territory of the commune, which, passing through Anglet , flows into the Adur River in the Bayonne territory.

Before the beginning of the development of the city and the change of the riverbed of streams, the settlement was distinguished by hilly territory, partly covered by a cliff , partly boggy, with streams and springs. These streams flowed into a pond, located between the beaches of Marbella and Milady, on the site of which there are now treatment facilities.

Climate

Biarritz is open to sea winds, as the city is an amphitheater on the ocean. Winters are mild, and the summer heat is quite bearable. Thanks to such a favorable climatic situation, Biarritz in 1912 was endowed with the official status of the climatic and balneological resort of France. Three factors influence the local wind regime: the Atlantic Ocean, the Iberian Ridge, and the local breeze system. Warm sea winds prevail, bringing moisture and freshness in summer, and mild weather in winter. Warm south winds are formed by the foehn effect. Indeed, the air masses coming from Spain lose their moisture when passing through the Pyrenees, and heat up, losing altitude. In winter, temperatures in Biarritz are often higher than temperatures in other parts of France. Average temperatures in Biarritz in winter are around 8 ° C, and in summer close to 20 ° C. Long rainfall on the Basque coast is a rarity, of course, with the exception of winter storms. More often they appear in the form of short-term thunderstorms.

• Average snow days per year: 3
• Average foggy days in a year: 30
• The average number of days with thunderstorms in a year: 34
• The average number of days with frosts in a year: 17

English Proficiency

In 1152, the Duchess of Aquitaine Alienora married Heinrich Plantagenet , who became overlord of the Duchy of Aquitaine. The eldest son of King Henry III of England, Prince Edward , inherited the duchy and was engaged to Eleanor of Castile , who brought him the right to Gascony.

On the lands of modern Biarritz at the top of an outstanding cape, which served as a place for observing whales, the British erected a fortified castle, using the foundation of an old Roman building. This castle, called Ferragus , had a double belt of fortifications, walls two meters thick, a drawbridge and four towers ^[3] . Mentions of this castle were in 1603 (royal letters of Henry IV). In the future, only one tower remained from the castle, where in 1739, by the decision of the French Minister of the Sea, a lighthouse was built, which served as a navigation landmark. The tower was destroyed in 1856 ^[3] .

Resort

The resort Biarritz, which was widely recognized in the 19th century, was built on the site of the small village of whalers (which existed from the 11th century), which in 1843 was noted by the writer Victor Hugo . He foresaw the possibility of turning Biarritz into a beach town .

Initially, the village had two residential areas: the quarter around the church of St. Martin and the quarter in the fishing port ( Port-Vieux ), under the protection of the castle of Belai or Ferragus. On the emblem of the settlement is represented a large whaling barge , which even now remains a symbol of the city.

The local population is of Vascon origin; however, it is difficult to establish the presence of Basque or Gascon roots. From an administrative point of view, until 1790 Biarritz was part of the Basque province of Labourdan .

The first lighthouse here was built in 1650.

At the end of the 18th century, sea bathing became fashionable in France, and in 1808 Napoleon I took sea baths in Biarritz. Empress Eugenie spent two months on vacation here in 1854, after which Emperor Napoleon III ordered the construction of a residence here originally named “ Villa Eugenie ” ( fr. Villa Eugénie ) ^[4] (now Hotel du Palais ). This fact attracted many European crowned people to Biarritz, and the resort became famous as “the king of beaches and the beach of kings ”. In October 1868, during the Biarritz regatta, the crews of the messenger ships of the flotilla of the west coast of France Chamois and Argus had the honor to host Empress Eugenie and her son the prince of the empire . It was Biarritz that became the meeting place in September 1865 for Bismarck’s “iron chancellor” with Emperor Napoleon III , at which the first chancellor sought to enlist the support of the French emperor in Prussian politics. In Biarritz, several buildings unusual for this place have been preserved, among which a two-domed Orthodox church testifying to the popularity of Biarritz among the Russian aristocracy before the October Revolution in Russia ( magnificent visits of the great princes have not been documented and remain an element of local folklore).

Belle Epoque Period

During the years of the Belle Epoque , salt hydropathic medicine was opened in Biarritz. The building was designed by architect Lagarde, the first stone was laid in December 1892 by the Queen of Serbia Natalia Obrenovich , and the grand opening took place in June 1893. To supply brine from Briskus , in which the salt content was 10 times higher than the salinity of sea water ^[5] , an underground pipeline was laid with a length of more than 20 kilometers. This hydropathic facility was closed in 1953, and in 1968 its building was demolished.

The French politician Count Gaetan de Larochefoucault settled in Biarritz in 1873 ^[6] . His estate was visited by many celebrities of that era, including Queen Victoria in 1889 and Princess Yuryevskaya in 1893. In 1947, the villa became a boarding school at the Lyceum. After the estate was bought by the municipality of Biarritz, the villa was demolished to build another building.

In 1894, the Biarritz Bonheur department store was opened in Biarritz, which has become a temple of fashion and luxury. It was expanded twice, in 1911 and in 1926; As of 2013, the building houses the Galeries Lafayette department store. At the beginning of the 20th century, most department store employees spoke English ^[7] . Biarritz is also closely associated with the history of French fashion, in particular with the house of Chanel . In 1915, Coco Chanel opened the third boutique of her house in Biarritz ^[8] on avenue Edouard VII ( avenue Edouard VII ).

German occupation

According to the Compiegne Armistice on June 22, 1940, according to the results of the French campaign successfully carried out by Germany , the city retreated to the zone of the German military administration - from June 25. The German navy arrived in the city in July of that year. At the end of 1942, the 3rd-rank captain Ludwig, who commanded the 286th division of coastal artillery , conceived and created, together with Todt's organization, an emergency command post based on the Regina hotel (code-named BA 39-40). This "cave" was dug day and night by prisoners of a concentration camp 222 .

During World War II, the Germans used the rocky cliffs of Biarritz to create the Atlantic Wall . A well-thought-out defense in Biarritz remained unclaimed, since the Allied landing did not land here.

March 17, 1944 the city was bombarded by Allied aircraft; the second wave of the raid was destroyed Parm airfield ^[5] . After liberation, the American University of Biarritz was located in the city for several months, where allied forces trained.

Surf Offensive

In 1957, the American screenwriter Peter Virtel, while traveling with his future wife Deborah Kerr in Biarritz on the occasion of filming a film adaptation of the novel “ And the Sun Rises, ” stood on the board sent by his friend from California ^[9] . This was the beginning of surfing in Biarritz. The first surfers competed with each other, and soon this hobby became widespread due to the quality of the waves on the Atlantic coast. Now the city is one of the European and world centers of this sport. It is planned to hold the G-7 summit in 2019.

In the late XIX - early XX centuries, Biarritz became popular among the Russian nobility. In 1892, the Orthodox Church of Alexander Nevsky was consecrated in the city.

In Biarritz, Fyodor Chaliapin lived in his villa. In September 1897, A.P. Chekhov spent two weeks here at the Victoria Hotel, according to which “The most interesting thing here is the ocean; it makes noise even in very quiet weather. ” ^[10]

The son of the Nabokov couple often brought her son Volodya here . Vladimir Nabokov, who became a world famous writer, recalled being in Biarritz as living in paradise . In Biarritz, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich married American Audrey Emery .

Alexander Blok, who came here in the summer of 1913 on the advice of doctors, left extremely unpleasant memories for the resort:

Biarritz is inundated with the petty French bourgeoisie, so even my eyes are tired of looking at ugly men and women ... Anyway, I must say that I’m very tired of France and want to return to a cultural country - Russia, where there are fewer fleas, almost no French women, there are dishes (bread and beef), drinking (tea and water); beds (not 15 arshins wide), washbasins (there are basins, from which you can never pour all the water, all the dirt remains at the bottom) ... ^[11]

After the Russian revolution and emigration, Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg lived in the city.

During the Second World War , Georgy Ivanov and Irina Odoevtseva lived in Biarritz.

Russian writer Vasily Aksyonov lived in Biarritz, as well as TV presenter Alexei Lushnikov , who shot the documentary film “The Ambassadorial Church” about Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and his rector, Father George.

Biarritz has always lived by the ocean. At first it was fishing for fish and whales, but later, at the end of the XVIII century, thanks to the healing properties of local air and water, on the recommendation of doctors, the first vacationers and spa residents appeared here.

Biarritz is part of a single agglomeration together with the neighboring communes of Anglet , Bayonne , Bidar and Buco, which jointly manage the airport of Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne .

Local economic activity in Biarritz focuses mainly on tourism, sports ( golf , surfing and rugby ), thalassotherapy and industrial production.

A large French aerospace company, Dassault Aviation , operates in Biarritz, producing composite elements and assembling Falcon fuselages.

Thanks to the sources of salt water (supplied to the city via the pipeline from Briskus ), Biarritz is also a balneological resort specializing in the treatment of lymphism .

The territory of the commune is included in the area of permitted production of Osso-Irati cheeses .

Road Transport

Biarritz is served by the A63 toll motorway ( Landes - Biryatu section ).

Biarritz passes through the former Highway 10, which connects Paris with Hendaye , but now this route has been transferred to the department road category (810).

Rail Transport

Biarritz Train Station is located in the La Negresse quarter , in the southwestern part of the city. High speed TGV trains arrive in Biarritz.

From 1888 to 1948, Biarritz was connected with Bayonne by three tram routes for which a meter track was built.

Air Transport

Biarritz is served by the Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne Airport , which is located in the communes of Anglet and Biarritz.

Municipal transport

Biarritz is served by 10 routes (some work only at night, some only in the summer months) of the Chronoplus bus network, which connects the city with other communes of the metropolitan area: Anglet , Bayonne , Bidar , Buco , Saint-Pierre-d'Irubes and Tarnos ^[12] .

In 2013, three free shuttle services served the central part of the city, the Saint Charles quarter and the beaches of Côte de Basque.

The city is located on the shore of a small cozy bay of the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean . This bay has a special bottom shape, which contributes to the formation of continuous waves, which made Biarritz especially attractive for people surfing . It is no accident that an annual surfing festival is held here on the Basque Coast. In the summer of 2007, a great anniversary celebration took place here: the first European daredevils took a ride on the boards in Biarritz in the summer of 1957 .

The climate of Biarritz is determined by the ocean and the proximity of the Pyrenees ( French Pyrénées ). The warm current of the Gulf Stream makes Biarritz attractive for those who love just a beach holiday. And if the water temperature along the entire Atlantic coast of France (even in hot summers) does not exceed + 17 °, then in Biarritz it reaches + 25 °.

В Биаррице работают несколько роскошных спа-центров при гостиницах. Климат в Биаррице тёплый, умеренно влажный. Среднегодовая температура +13,5°, относительная влажность — 68—75 %.

Основные средства лечения — океанские купания, аэротерапия, песочные и солнечные ванны.

Музеи

Здание Музея моря , выполненное в стиле ар-деко , построено в 1933 году вплотную к скале на плато Аталайе у самой кромки воды. В коллекции музея представлены морские животные и птицы. Символом музея моря является белый осьминог . Исторический музей Биаррица находится в стенах старой англиканской церкви Сен-Андре (святого Андрея), выкупленной муниципалитетом в начале 1980-х годов.

В Биаррице также можно посетить музей шоколада и музей Азиатика , где на площади 800 квадратных метров представлены произведения искусства из Индии, Тибета, Непала и Китая.

Архитектурное наследие

Гражданская архитектура

• Утёс Святой Девы , традиционный символ Биаррица. Скала на этом месте была пробита по распоряжению Наполеона III, чтобы устроить порт-убежище . В 1865 году здесь установили статую Святой Девы, приобретённую на франко-испанской выставке в соседней Байонне . Старый деревянный переходный мостик, ведущий к утёсу, разрушили в 1887 году, и на его месте появился мостик работы ателье Эйфеля , который позволял пройти на утёс даже в непогоду. Находясь на этом утёсе можно наблюдать всё побережье Биаррица.

• Вилла Евгении . В 1854 году император Наполеон III заказал сооружение Отеля-дю-Пале ^[13] , который предназначался в подарок для его супруги Эжени де Монтихо . Изначально бывший местом отдыха императрицы, этот дворец впоследствии принимал множество аристократических особ и знаменитостей той эпохи. В 1905 году дворец был преобразован в гостиницу, где останавливались Уинстон Черчилль , Владимир Путин , Коко Шанель и Фрэнк Синатра .

• Кондитерская Miremont , расположенная на площади place Clémenceau , была открыта в 1872 году. Магазин и его интерьер классифицированы как исторический памятник Франции ^[14] . Сюда любил наведываться король Испании Альфонсо XIII и королева Португалии Амелия Орлеанская . По выражению французского драматурга Мориса Ростяна, «к пяти часам (здесь оставалось) меньше пирожных, чем королев, и меньше ром-баб, чем великих герцогов» ^[15] .

• Отель Англетер . В величественном здании на улице rue Mazagran прежде находился отель Англетер, открытый в 1870 году. Его решётка ворот классифицирована как исторический памятник.

• Отель Плаза ( фр. hôtel Plazza ) — здание в стиле ар-деко на проспекте Avenue Édouard VII (дом 7, сейчас отделение банка Barclays ), классифицированный исторический памятник. Его опорные колонны украшены мозаикой Огюста Лабуре ^[15] .

• Городское казино , построенное в стиле ар-деко, расположено в самом центре города у кромки центрального пляжа Гран-Плаж . Его реконструировали в 1990-х годах ^[16] .

• Маяк в Биаррице был построен в 1834 году на мысе Сен-Мартен, который с моря просматривается лучше всего в этой части Бискайского залива .

• Вилла Белза была построена между 1880 и 1895 годами по проекту архитектора Альфонса Бертрана на утёсе Кашу для Мари-Белза Дюбрёй. В эпоху « Золотых двадцатых » здесь находились апартаменты, кабаре и русский ресторан, открытый зятем Игоря Стравинского ^[15] . В то время вилла имела славу «последнего прибежища неисправимых кутил».

• Усадьба Франсон ( фр. domaine de Françon ) строилась начиная с 1880 года по заказу Джона Пеннингтона Меллора, зажиточного судовладельца. Сейчас этот комплекс является классифицированным историческим памятником и местом непритязательного отпускного отдыха.

Религиозная архитектура

• Императорская часовня была построена в Биаррице в 1863 году в честь побед французских войск в Мексике.

• Церковь Сен-Мартен — церковь святого Мартина — имеет примечательный фронтон с колокольней , которую белили ежегодно, чтобы она служила навигационным ориентиром рыбакам ^[15] . Церковь была перестроена примерно в 1450 году, а затем реконструирована в готическом стиле в 1541 году ^[3] . В эпоху дореволюционной Франции в стенах церкви проводились общинные собрания, где участвовали мэр-аббат и члены городского правления.

• Церковь Святой Евгении строилась с 1898 по 1903 год на месте старой часовни Notre-Dame-de-Pitié (в честь Пресвятой Богородицы Скорбящей или Милующей ). В интерьере церкви использованы красивые витражи работы Люка-Оливье Мерсона .

• Русская церковь Александра Невского ( Архиепископия русских православных церквей Западной Европы ) на проспекте Императрицы ( avenue de l'Impératrice ) возведена в византийском стиле на средства российских жертвователей и муниципалитата в конце XIX века ^[17] .

Природное наследие

• Обрывистый скалистый берег Биаррица ^[18] с начала XX века испытывает постоянную эрозию, уменьшаясь на 70 см каждый год. Остановить эту тенденцию пока не удаётся, несмотря на активные работы муниципалитета.

• Пляжи . На территории Биаррица имеется ряд прекрасных пляжей ^[19] : пляж Мирамар, Гран-Плаж, Пор-Вьё, Кот-де-Баск, пляж Марбелла и пляж Миледи.

• Природные зоны . Муниципалитет ухаживает за лесными участками площадью 120 га, а также за двумя озёрами — lac Marion и lac Mouriscot . Городской парк был открыт в 1903 году в центре города напротив Южного вокзала, который сейчас превращён в городской Культурный центр . На территории коммуны также находится парк parc Mazon и сад jardin Lahouze .

•   Огаста , США (с 1992 года)
•   Кашкайш , Португалия (с 1986 года)
•   Иксель , Бельгия (с 1958 года)
•   Херес-де-ла-Фронтера , Испания (с 1996 года)
•   Сарагоса , Испания (с 1986 года)
•   Мар-дель-Плата , Аргентина (с 1996 года)

• Биарриц // Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона : в 86 т. (82 т. и 4 доп.). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Большая энциклопедия (в 62 тт.) — Т. 6. — М. : «Терра», 2006. — ISBN 5-273-00432-2
• Русские захоронения в Биаррице / С. Н. ф. Кубе. — М. : Старая Басманная, 2012. — 52 с. — (Российский некрополь. Выпуск 19). — ISBN 978-5-904043-70-4 .

На иностранных языках

• Marie d'Albarade. La belle Histoire des Palaces de Biarritz, Époque 1. — Биарриц: Éditions Atlantica, 2007.
• Marie d'Albarade. La belle Histoire des Palaces de Biarritz, Époque 2. — Биарриц: Éditions Atlantica, 2010.
• Hervé Bernard. Splendeur de Biarritz. — Биарриц: Éditions Atlantica, 2010. — ISBN 978-2-7588-0310-2 .
• Alexandre de la Cerda. Couleurs de Biarritz. — éditions Sud Ouest, 2006. — ISBN 2-87901-739-4 .
• Marie-France Chauvirey. La vie d'autrefois en Pays basque. — Люсон: Éditions Sud Ouest, 1994. — ISBN 2-8790-1219-8 .
• P. Laborde. Biarritz, huit siècles d'histoire, 200 ans de vie balnéaire. — Биарриц: Imprimerie Ferrus, 1984.
• Dominique Delaunay. Biarritz: villas et jardins, 1900-1930 . — Éditions Norma, 1992. — 159 p. — ISBN 2909283062 .
• Philippe Salquain. Autrefois Biarritz. — Биарриц: Éditions Atlantica, 2000. — ISBN 2-8439-4265-9 .

biarritz.fr (фр.) — официальный сайт города Биарриц

• Офис по туризму в Биаррице (фр.) (англ.) (исп.)
• Медиатека Биаррица (фр.)