Labourd

Labourd (Lapurdi in Basque; from Latin Lapurdum, Labort in Gascon) is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. It was historically one of the seven provinces of the traditional Basque Country.

Labourd extends from the Pyrenees to the river Adour, along the Atlantic Ocean. To the south is Gipuzkoa and Navarre in modern Spain, to the east is Basse-Navarre, to the north are the Landes. It has an area of almost 900 km² and a population of over 200,000, the most populous of the three French Basque provinces. Over 25% of the inhabitants speak Basque. Labourd has also long had a Gascon-speaking tradition, noticeably next to the banks of the river Adour but also more diffusedly throughout the whole viscounty.

The main town of Labourd is Bayonne, although the capital, where local Basque leaders assembled, is Ustaritz, 13 km away. Other important towns are Biarritz, Hendaye, Hasparren, Ciboure and Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The area is famous for the five-day Fêtes de Bayonne and the red peppers of Espelette. Many tourists come to the coast, especially at Biarritz, and the hills and mountains of the interior for walking and agri-tourism. La Rhune (Larrun in Basque), a 900m high hill, lies south of Saint-Jean-de-Luz on the border with Spain. The hill is a Basque symbol, with spectacular views from its peak.

Ainhoa village houses showing some aspects of traditional Basque architecture

The traditional buildings of Labourd have a low roof, half-timbered features, stone lintels and painted in red, white and green. The house of Edmond Rostand, Villa Arnaga at Cambo-les-Bains, is such a house and is now a museum dedicated to the author of Cyrano de Bergerac and to Basque traditions.

Lapurdian is a dialect of the Basque language spoken in the region.

Municipalities in Labourd

Traditional provinces of Euskal Herria / Basque Country
Hegoalde: Guipuscoa \| Álava \| Biscay \| Navarre Iparralde: Labourd \| Basse-Navarre \| Soule

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