Bidache

Bidache is a common French, located in the department of the Yrénées-Atlantiques and the area Aquitaine.

The Basque name is Bidaxune , the Gascon name is Bidaishe .

Its inhabitants is called Bidachots and Bidachotes.

Geography

Hydrography

The grounds of the commune are sprinkled by the Bidouze, affluent of the Adour, and by the tributaries of this one, the Lihoury (and its affluents, the brooks the Pataréna, Gelous, Oyhanchoury and the arriou of Ménine) and the brook of Lagrabe.

Localities and hamlets

Communes bordering

Bardos in the west
Orègue and Arraute-Charritte in the south
Cam in the east
Hastingues (Moors) in north.

Toponymy

The toponym Bidache appears in the forms Vidaxen and Vidayxon (respectively 1312 and 1329, titles of Camara de Comptos) and Bidaxen (1489, notaries of Pau).

History

The “sovereignty” of Bidache

End of the 16th century to the French revolution, Bidache constitutes a small principality which is proclaimed “sovereign”, under the sovereignty of the family of Gramont, claim generally considered with serious by the more recent historians.

That means concretely that justice is returned there in last spring, without one not being able to call some at the Parliaments of France or Navarre, but also that the small town is a harbor for those which want to find asylum in a foreign ground, and in particular on the one hand the Jews and on the other hand the criminals.

Bidache since 1790

In 1790, the canton of Bidache counted only the town of Bidache, and depended on the district of Saint-Palate.

Administration

Intercommunality

The commune belongs to eight inter-commune structures:

the Community of communes of the Country of Bidache
SIVU Erreka Berriak
Intercommunity association of protection of the banks of maritime Adour and of its affluents
Trade union for the support for the Basque culture
Adour Trade union - Ursuia of noncollective cleansing
Trade union AEP of Arancou - Bergouey-Viellenave - Bidache - Labastide-Villefranche
Trade union AEP of the area of Bidache
departmental Trade union of electrification.

Demography

2005: provisional population of INSEE.

Economy

The activity is mainly agricole.
The commune has a career which provided, in others, of the stones for the vault of the convent of Notre-Dame of the Refuge to Anglet.

Culture and inheritance

Language

The city is of Gascon history and language, language always taught in the public education of the city.

Music

Bidache metal is a festival of metal and Hard rock organized since 2003 in Bidache.

Civil inheritance

the Castle of Bidache, built at the 12th century, by the dukes of Gramont, knows consolidation work today. One can already see the results on the main entrance of the castle. Famous flying is not then any more on the spot.
the bridge of Gramont on Lihoury dates from the XVIIe century.
the Romain bridge or of the Mill dates from the XVIIe century.
Ruins of the castle of the XVIIe century.
the house Champina, old commercial warehouse, dates from the XVIIIe century.
Houses of XVIe, XVIIe and XVIIIe centuries.
the Tanneur house dates from the XVIIe century.
Houses of Master of XVIIe and XIXe centuries.
the house known as Basque hotel restoring date of 1586
the Congrès house dates from the XVIIIe century.
the mill of Gramont or Heugas dates from the XVIIe century.

Religious heritage

the neo-gothic church Saint-Jacques-the-Major shelters the crypt of the dukes of Gramont and offers a way of cross realized by Rene-Marie Castaing (Prix of Rome) and Jacques Castaing. It conceals in addition a whole of thirty and one canopies and various furniture inventoried by the ministry for the Culture.
a cemetery Jew testifies to the last influential presence of the Jewish community.
the old synagog, currently Capdevielle house, date of the XVIIe century.

Equipment

The commune has of a public college and an elementary school.

Personalities related to the commune

Jean-Jacques Lasserre, is a politician French, president of the General advice of the Yrénées-Atlantiques (UDF), former mayor of Bidache.

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