History History

Once upon a time... the origins of the Basque Country probably go back to prehistoric times, as shown by the objects found in the caves of Isturitz and Oxocelhaya and the very ancient burial sites, dolmens... scattered throughout the territory.

From the Roman conquests (200 BC), where fortified camps were built in Bayonne and Hasparren, and a Roman road linking Bordeaux to Astorga, crossing the Basque Country from north to south, to the barbarian invasions of the^5th to 7th centuries, it was the Basque alliance (between the Vascons and the Aquitans) that marked the sovereignty of a Basque state. The Roman occupation lasted for six centuries and left numerous remains throughout the Basque Country. Villas, thermal baths and roads were found.

From the creation of the kingdom of Navarre to its break-up and the suzerainty of the provinces to the kingdom of England in the 12th century, it is the Hundred Years' War that will make the Basque provinces fall under the kingdom of France. The country will be put to fire and blood by the successive incursions of the Spaniards, the Visigoths, the Franks and the Muslims. This was one of the darkest periods for the Basque Country. The Basque populations took refuge in the mountains. It is undoubtedly at this time that the great patronal festivals were born and where Christianity penetrates little by little the territory.

Although they were Christians, the Basques and Vascons resisted the Muslim advance alongside the Aquitanians. All the peoples near the Pyrenees received help from Charlemagne to control and repel the invader.

This was another tormented period, as it was not well received by the Basque population, which was attached to Christianity and to its priests, many of whom had become refractory. It was during the Revolution that the department of the Basses-Pyrénées, our current Pyrénées-Atlantiques, was born, bringing together Basques and Béarnais.

Napoleonic troops met little resistance in the Basque provinces. There were, however, guerrillas who resisted with numerous battles during the Wellington campaign, the battles of Nivelle and Bayonne.

German troops entered Bayonne in June 1940. The Basque Country was divided by the demarcation line between the occupied zone (Labourd and western Lower Navarre) and the free zone (eastern Lower Navarre and Soule). Hitler himself went to Hendaye to meet Franco on 23 October 1940. The Basques distinguished themselves as couriers for the Comet resistance network. In 1944, the American air force bombed Biarritz and Anglet, targeting the Parma airport and the railway station. On 24 August 1944, the last German troops evacuated Bayonne and withdrew to Bordeaux.

In 1895, the Basque nationalist movement emerged and demanded the autonomy of the Basque and Spanish provinces. Two independence movements were formed in the north and south, quickly influenced by Marxist revolutionary ideas. The movements become more radical and call for violence and terrorism. In 2011, ETA announces the definitive end of its military activities. The toll of these years of terrorism is nearly 850 deaths. This new context of peace allows the Spanish nationalist parties to regain control of the institutions.

A more peaceful period, the Basque Country is part of one of the 13 French regions, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which since 2016, unites Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes. This is the largest of the national territory's communities with a GDP placing it in^3rd position of the most wealth-creating French regions. The Basque Country is undoubtedly one of its most attractive territories between its heritage, its culture, its gastronomy and its geography with varied reliefs. Since 2017, the Basque Country has an official territorial administrative structure with the creation of a real constitutional framework: the Basque Country Agglomeration Community. Reduced for a long time to a seaside postcard, it is a real economic and tourist dynamism that overturns these clichés! The art of living here is often compared to that of the Californian coast, at least for the coastline, with its long beaches and colorful cities and its surfing spirit. This is the art of living that attracts so many holidaymakers all year round and especially during the summer.