Hendaye

Encyclopedia : H : HE : HEN : Hendaye

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Hendaye (Basque Hendaia) is the most southwesterly town in France. It is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département, on the Atlantic coast, the "Côte Basque", on the right bank of the Bidassoa that marks the border with Irún, Spain.

A long sand spit at the river's mouth has made the town a popular seaside tourist resort in the traditional province, Lapurdi (Labourd), of the French Basque Country.

History

On the fortified Île aux Faisans ("Pheasant Isle") in the river, the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659, ending decades of intermittent war between France and Spain. Authority over the Île changes between France and Spain every six months.

In 1940, Ramón Serrano Súñer, Francisco Franco and Adolf Hitler met in the Hendaye railway (then in German-occupied France) to discuss having Spain participate in World War II as part of the Axis. This short trip across the border was the only time Franco left Spain during his long dictatorhip.

However the compensations forwarded by Franco were not acceptable for Hitler and Spain remained neutral though sympathetic.

Sights

The town square, where there is a weekly open-air market on Wednesdays, is the location of the famous 17th century "Great Cross of Hendaye", a stone cross carved with alchemical symbols that occultists find to contain encrypted information on a future global catastrophe. The church of Saint-Vincent was built in 1598, and largely reconstructed over the centuries following fires and bombardments. Its most recent transformation was finished in 1968. The 13th-century crucifix is the principal treasure.

The seafront Château of Antoine d'Abbadie, built by the architect and theorist Eugène Viollet-le-Duc is a monument of the Gothic Revival.

Transportation

The town is an important railway junction, as Spain's mainline trains use a broader gauge than continental Europe.

Miscellaneous

The beautiful town is twinned with Peebles, a small town in the Scottish Borders.

The French author and member of the Académie française Pierre Loti resided in Hendaye.

This town is the western end of the GR 10 long distance footpath.

See also

• Pheasant Island

External links

• [Official website] (in French)
• [HENDAIA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)] (in Spanish)

Municipalities in Labourd

Ahetze | Ahurti | Ainhoa | Anglet | Arbonne | Arcangues | Ascain | Bayonne | Bardos | Basusarri | Beskoitze | Biarritz | Bidart | Biriatu | Bokale | Cambo-les-Bains | Saint-Jean-de-Luz | Espelette | Guéthary | Gixune | Haltsu | Hazparne | Hendaye | Hiriburu | Itsasu | Jatsu | Larresoro | Lehuntze | Lekorne | Lekuine | Luhuso | Makea | Milafranga | Mugerre | Saint-Jean-de-Luz | Sare | Senpere | Urketa | Urruña | Uztaritze | Ziburu | Zuraide

 

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