Biarritz

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Administration
Commune of Biarritz
Location
Longitude	1,57° West
Latitude	43,48° Nord
Country	France
Region	Aquitaine
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Bayonne
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération de Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz
Mayor	Didier Borotra (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	0 m–85 m (avg. m)
Land area¹	11.66 km²
Population² (1999)	30,055
- Density (1999)	2577/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	64 122/ 64200
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Biarritz (French: Biarritz, pronounced /bjaʀits/; Gascon Occitan: Biàrritz; Basque: Miarritze) is a town and commune which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in southwestern France.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Sights
4 Sports
5 Transportation
6 Miscellaneous
- 6.1 Births
- 6.2 Twin towns
7 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

Tourist Office

Hotel du Palais or Eugenie Palace

La Grande Plage, the town's largest beach

Sunset in Biarritz

Sea Museum

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

A large and modern backpackers' hostel is near the rail line, about 30 minutes walk from the beach.

The bouncers at the popular night club, 'Playboy', are famous for ther brutality and stupidity, and are regularly accused of attacking customers. This club is therefore best avoided