Art Deco in the Landes
From Soorts-Hossegor to Mont-de-Marsan, take time out to admire the sublime Art Deco buildings. This artistic movement, which flourished in the 1920s - the Roaring Twenties - is defined by sober, geometric lines and a clean, orderly yet colorful style. But Art Deco takes many forms, and in the Landes region it is particularly influenced by local artistic movements, notably Basque-Landes architecture. Yes, the Splendid Hôtel in Dax, which is the first thing that springs to mind, is not the only Art Deco building worth a visit!
This architectural style can first be discovered around the many buildings on the Landes coast, particularly in Soorts-Hossegor. The famous Place des Landais, now protected for its architectural and landscaping heritage, is a wonderful example: originally, this square, a favorite of bourgeois society, was the setting for many a ballet of luxury automobiles and the parade of elegant women. Brothers Louis and Benjamin Gomez were responsible for the Art Deco buildings surrounding the square. A few minutes away, the Sporting Casino is a listed building. A symbol of the development of the seaside resort, but also of the architecture of the Roaring Twenties, its sublime blend of Art Deco (clean lines, white walls) and Basque-Landes touches (red woodwork, fern motifs, etc.) invites all design enthusiasts to discover it. Mainly located on the seafront, along the golf course and by the lake, nearly 400 villas were also built in the 20s and 30s, under this architectural influence.
In Dax, facing the banks of the Adour river, it is of course the grand 30s hotel "Le Splendid Hôtel" that reigns as the town's architectural emblem. Built in 1928 and designed by André Granet, this masterpiece leaves no visitor indifferent. A jewel of Art Deco, it is a symbol of the city's cultural and artistic ebullience. It has played host to many famous personalities, including Ernest Hemingway and Joseph Kessel. The building's liner-like architecture, immaculate white facade and green alleyway are the perfect setting for photos. As soon as you step into the lobby, you'll discover high ceilings, marble floors and geometric tiling, a wide, luminous staircase, oriels and a magnificent wall of coloured smoked glass light, decorated with geometric shapes.
The Atrium-Casino, with its Art Deco touches scattered throughout the building, from its façade to its interior staircase, once housed a casino, an auditorium, a dance hall and an open-air theater. Today, it's a concert hall and brasserie. Dax's arena, designed by Landes architect Albert Pomade, features a few Art Deco touches on the parts renovated and raised in 1932.
Many villas were also influenced by the Art Deco wave in Dax, designed by the same architects. To discover them on a guided tour of the town, contact the Dax Tourist Office.
In Mont-de-Marsan, architect Franck Bonnefous and his mentor Léonce Léglise brought the Art Deco style to life throughout the town.This is the case for the building housing the "Caractères" bookshop, the building at the junction of rue Cazaillas and rue Augustin Lesbazeilles, and the Saint-Jean-d'Août school complex, influenced by neo-Basque and Landes styles. The Mont-de-Marsan bullring was built in the late 19th century, but remodeled by Franck Bonnefous in 1933, blending clean Art Deco touches with traditional Hispanic tones.
Other buildings with 1930s aesthetics and Basque-Landes influences can also be found in the Landes region: the foyer populaire in Roquefort (renovated in 2008), the salle des fêtes in Linxe (named "the most unusual building in the Landes" by "Le Festin" magazine), La Villa Saint-Jean in Saint-Martin-De-Seignanx (on the banks of the Adour river), the sports park and the Rémy-Goalard stadium in Soustons (built to "compete" with the seaside resort of Hossegor), the reinforced concrete arenas in Saint-Sever, Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse and Pomarez (also designed by Albert Pomade, architect of the Dax arena reconstruction), the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in Brocas (built in reinforced concrete and covered with white plaster), the Morcenx village hall (by Albert Pomade) and the Place Léo-Bouyssou..
Towns with Basque-Landesque architecture
It's hard not to be seduced by the charm of Basque-Landesque architecture as you stroll through the streets of Landes towns and villages The Basco-Landaise style is part of the identity of these villages and is characterized by various elements: a villa in the shape of a parallelepiped (typical of Basque-Labourdine houses), the villa's stone masonry base topped by a white rendered wall, colored beams decorating the under-roof, decorative "fern leaf" bricks (Landaise influence), large openings, terraces and loggias...
Numerous architects have remarkably illustrated the Basco-Landesque style: Louis and Benjamin Gomez, Albert Pomade, Henri Godbarge, Henri Tison, Louis Lagrange, Léon Cuzol, Jean-Baptiste Prunetti... At the time, Basque-Landesque architecture was developing strongly throughout the region, but it was in Hossegor that it was most widely found, making the seaside resort famous.
The traditional Landes house
There's more to the region than architect-designed villas. Traditional Landes houses are part of the department's landscape diversity. Who hasn't dreamed of one of these houses, as in The Three Little Pigs? The "maison de la lande" (or "airial") is the most popular: a low, half-timbered building on a large lawn planted with oaks or umbrella pines, with an attic, generally facing east to keep cool, with exposed wooden beams and cob infill.
In Bas-Armagnac, Gascon housing is characterized by massive, multi-storey houses with earth-toned facades, while in Terres de Chalosse, you'll find a kind of manor house, called a "capcazalière".
The bastides of the Landes
Founded in the 13th and 14th centuries, the bastides of the Landes region were a way of bringing rural populations together and facilitating trade: there were more than 30 bastides in the Landes region. Today, around ten stand out, including Labastide-d'Armagnac, Mauvezin d'Armagnac, Hastingues and Saint-Justin. Most of these "bastides" (fortified towns) are home to arenas for the Landes races, part of the Landes' cultural identity, but some also boast unique châteaux and unusual sites (Château de Ravignan, Château de Gaujacq and even Château de Fondat). Some are also located on the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela (on the Tours, Vézelay and Le Puy routes). Romanesque architecture is also predominant in these banco-Landes towns and villages. Mont-de-Marsan stands out for its medieval Romanesque fortified houses, such as the Lacataye keep.) In Saint-Sever, Chalosse, the Church of the Benedictine Abbey is listed by UNESCO as part of the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela. History and architecture lovers will appreciate this exceptional building with over 150 capitals, including some 50 dating from the Middle Ages.
