Prehistory Analysis of stones from the
Middle Paleolithic shows that the Biarritz area was inhabited at that time.
Middle Ages The oldest mention of the city appears in a
cartulary, ''Bayonne's Golden book'', from 1186, where it is named Bearids; some years later the name used was Beiarrids. The first urban development was to the south, at the top, and at the interior. Today this is near the location of the église Saint-Martin, the oldest church in Biarritz. In 1152,
Eleanor of Aquitaine married
Henry II of England, who became
suzerain of the
Duchy of Aquitaine. Prince Edward, the oldest son of Henry III of England, was invested with the duchy and betrothed to
Eleanor of Castile, who brought him rights over
Gascony. Two population centers are attested in the Middle Ages. On the one hand, the église Saint-Martin was active in the neighborhoods in the territory's interior, which were: On the other hand, the château of Belay (first mentioned in 1342), also called château de Ferragus, protected the coast and the current Port-Vieux (old port), while religious life and community assemblies took place at Notre-Dame-de-Pitié (a chapel mentioned in 1498), dominating the Port-des-Pêcheurs, or fishing port. A document dated May 26, 1342, attested to this fishing activity, authorising les Biarrots to "(…) remit to
Bayonne all the fresh fish that we and succeeding inhabitants of Biarritz can fish from the salt sea". Construction of the château de Ferragus was initiated by the English, on the foundations of a Roman work, at the summit of the promontory overlooking the sea, named Atalaye, used as a whale-observation post. This château had a double crenulated wall two meters thick, a drawbridge and four towers. Mentions of this château occur as late as 1603, in the letters patent of
Henry IV. One tower remained as of 1739 when a
daymark was established there, called
de la Haille, then
de la Humade. The tower disappeared in 1856.
Whaling Most of the documents, records and official agreements gathered in the archives from Biarritz mention
whaling. This was the principal local industry. Consequently, the town's coat of arms features the image of a whale below a rowing boat manned by five sailors wearing
berets, one of whom is preparing to throw a harpoon. It bears the inscription:
Aura, sidus, mare, adjuvant me (The air, the stars and the seas are helping me). Biarritz has long made its living from the sea. After the 7th century, Biarritz had many confrontations with Bayonne, with the
Kingdom of England – Lapurdi was under English control – and with the Bishop of Bayonne. Almost all of the disputes were about whale hunting. In 1284, the town's right to hunt whales was reinstated by the authorities of Lapurdi and the
Duchy of Aquitaine. During the
Middle Ages and
early modern period, a watchtower looked down over the sea at Biarritz, from "La Humade", waiting for the sight of a whale. Whenever those keeping watch saw a whale, they would burn wet straw to create a large amount of smoke and thus communicate the news to their fellow countrymen. Eventually, however, the tower disappeared. In the 16th century, as a consequence of hunting in the area, or for other reasons, the whales migrated elsewhere. Whale hunters from Lapurdi, therefore, crossed the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of them and spent over a century in the
Labrador Peninsula and on
Newfoundland. Later, instead of hunting whales, they started to fish for cod in Newfoundland. A century later, due to the ban on fishing off the coasts of North America and the steely competence of English and Dutch fishermen, the number of fishing boats from Biarritz diminished, and nowadays the Biarritz fishing industry in these areas has come to an end. The first lighthouse in the village was built in 1650.
18th century Biarritz was an independent municipality until 1784 with a clergyman and four aldermen, and the city was governed by twelve deputies. Deputies were democratically chosen: there were four districts (Portua, Bustingorri, Hurlaga and Alto), and three deputies had to be chosen from each of them. However, deputies were chosen by the abbot and aldermen. Since there was no Town Hall, they gathered in a ward near the church. As there was not enough space for all in attendance, they held their meetings in the cemetery. Biarritz had around 1,700 citizens at this time. In the 18th century, doctors claimed that the ocean at Biarritz had therapeutic properties, inspiring patients to make pilgrimages to the beach for alleged cures for their ailments. The city began to transition into a world-famous
spa town in the mid-1700s.
19th century From 1784 onwards, after the
French Revolution, bathing in the sea was no longer reserved for the mentally ill; sea-baths became fashionable. In 1808,
Napoleon himself broke with prejudices and bathed in the Basque Country's coastal waters. In 1840, the Municipality of Biarritz started an initiative to attract tourists to the seaside.
Victor Hugo, who visited in 1843, wrote glowingly of Biarritz in his book
Alpes et Pyrénées: For good or for ill, Hugo's prophecy was fulfilled. Biarritz planted
poplars,
tamarinds,
hydrangeas,
roses and
pittosporums on the slopes and the hills, set railings on the dunes, covered moats with elegant stairs and polluted with land speculation and hunger for money. Tourists have long been drawn to Biarritz's coast, from the beach at the limit of Bidarte (Plage des Basques), to the cape of Saint Martin. There a tall white lighthouse can be found, constructed in 1834 to replace the one
Louis XIV had ordered built. Various hotels appeared, as did a municipal casino, the Belleuve club, the casino, the
thalassotherapy house, and wonderful luxury houses. Luxurious branches of shops from London and Paris were also set up, and 36 small newspapers were published. , Biarritz, France (2)|alt=Hôtel du Palais, Biarritz, France(2).JPG Biarritz gained renown in 1854 when
Empress Eugenie (the wife of
Napoleon III) built a palace on the beach (now the
Hôtel du Palais). European royalty, including British monarchs
Queen Victoria and
King Edward VII (who caused a minor scandal when he called
H. H. Asquith to
kiss hands at Biarritz in 1908 rather than return to London for the ceremony), and the Spanish king
Alfonso XIII, were frequent visitors. Biarritz's casino (opened 10 August 1901) and beaches make the town a notable tourist centre for Europeans and East Coast North Americans. Opened in June 1893, Biarritz's
salt baths were designed and built by the architect Lagarde. Sourced from the gatzagas of Beskoitz and passing through a pipe, water ten times saltier than the sea was used. The baths were closed in 1953 and demolished in 1968. The presence of the
French Republic's authorities and the launch of the Paris–
Hendaye train led Biarritz to become one of the most outstanding tourist areas in Europe. The queen of the beaches became the beach of the kings and queens:
Oscar II of Sweden,
Leopold of Belgium,
empress of Russia Maria Feodorovna, mother of
Nicholas II of Russia,
Empress Elisabeth of Austria,
Natalie of Serbia and her son
Alexander I of Serbia,
George V from Britain,
Edward VII and Britain's
Queen Victoria,
Alfonso XIII of Spain, as well aristocrats, rich people and actors from Europe and South America. In the summer, people of high status gathered in Biarritz. The population thereby increased considerably, from 5,000 to 18,000. At the end of the 19th century, 50,000 vacationers were gathering in Biarritz.
Belle Époque During the
Belle Époque of European peace and prosperity, in 1894, a department store called
Biarritz Bonheur was created. It was enlarged twice (in 1911 and 1926). It became the temple of luxury and fashion. By the start of the 20th century, most of its workers spoke English. The
Hôtel de Ville, which was commissioned as a department store, was completed in 1929.
After World War II At the end of World War II in Europe, the U.S. Army's Information and Educational Branch was ordered to establish an overseas university campus for demobilized American servicemen and women in the French resort town of Biarritz. Under General Samuel L. McCroskey, the hotels and casinos of Biarritz were converted into quarters, labs, and class spaces for U.S. service personnel. The university opened on 10 August 1945 and about 10,000 students attended an eight-week term. This campus was set up to provide a transition between army life and subsequent attendance at a university in the US, so students attended for just one term. After three successful terms, the G.I. University closed in March 1946 (see
G. I. American Universities).
The arrival of surfing in Europe In 1957, American film director
Peter Viertel was in Biarritz with his British wife, actress
Deborah Kerr, working on the film
The Sun Also Rises. One of his Californian friends came for a visit and his use of a
surfboard off Biarritz is recognized as the first time
surfing was practised in Europe. Biarritz eventually became one of the most popular European spots for surfers from around the world, developing a nightlife and surfing-based culture. ==Geography==