 Exposed
to the sea breeze, nestling in the Bay of Biscay, Biarritz
is an ocean town… The ocean has always demonstrated
its force with its omnipresent western swell. With its
huge beaches, powerful waves and mild climate all year
round, Biarritz was the natural choice in 1957 to welcome
the first surfers on the European continent and to become
Europe's historical surfing capital. It is also thanks
to the legendary mildness of the local climate that thalassotherapy
and year-round golf have developed so well.
In
the Middle Ages, Biarritz was little
more than a small fishing port, with crashing ocean waves
on which rode the brave whalers.
Everything
changed in 1854, when the Empress Eugénie and Napoleon
III set up there with their retinue. All the royalty of
Europe joined them soon afterwards, and Biarritz became
" the queen of beaches and the beach of kings ".
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At
the end of the century, the Belle Epoque succeeded the Second
Empire and the royalty of the Republic adopted this holiday
place. By this time the town had taken on residences of
varied, flamboyant styles. Sadi Carnot, Poincaré,
Clemenceau, Jules Ferry, Alexandre Dumas, Zola met each
other along the beaches.
The
English aristocrats whose ancestors had discovered the place
at the beginning of the century during the Napoleonic wars,
came here in the wake of the Prince of Wales, future Edward
VII, who spent five seasons in the former imperial residence,
transformed into a hotel in 1893, the Hoteldu Palais.
It was the English who gave Biarritz its
first golf course, the Golf du Phare, and its first horseriding
competitions. As
for the beautiful Elisabeth of Austria, known as "Sissi",
she found consolation here in her suffering. At the turn
of the century, the brand new Casino Municipal and the Casino
Bellevue attracted stars from the entertainments world,
as well as big-time gamblers.
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Sarah Bernhardt and Lucien Guitry, father of Sacha, entertained
there. Once the show was over they danced all night. The
distinguished society entertainment of the previous century
was replaced by the wild nights of the new Parisian night
owls. Here, people danced the brand new charleston in the
1920s, and the owners of the big villas held dances for
their friends in their parks. Including the palace of Queen
Nathalie of Serbia, which became "le Pavillon Royal".
The parties continued in full swing in the 1960s, perhaps
more discreetly but no less brilliantly. In the 70s and
80s, Biarritz added new activities to the
nightlife - diurnal ones this time, designed to appeal to
the busiest people.
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