Arcachon
Encyclopedia
Arcachon is a commune
in the Gironde
department in southwestern France
.
It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic
coast 55 kilometres (34 mi) southwest of Bordeaux
in the Landes forest
. It has a fine beach
and a mild climate said to be favourable for invalids suffering from pulmonary complaints.
Arcachon is known for the "Arcachonnaise", the local name for an Arcachon villa
, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there. It is a type of Victorian architecture, and was criticized for generations, but is now considered to be charming and deeply human.
The town of Arcachon is only 150 years old. Not long before 2 May 1857, when Emperor Napoleon III signed its official "birth certificate", it was just a forest of pine trees, oaks and strawberry trees (arbutus), with no road links, and home - mostly when the weather was expected to be warm, and more in wood huts than in real houses - to fewer than 400 people, mostly fishermen and peasants. In earlier years, when some hygienists began to recommend sea bathing, three sea establishments were laid out by some entrepreneurs especially for the Bordeaux
bourgeoisie and other wealthy people. This was the beginning of a new lifestyle, and some of the locals got the opportunity to claim their independence from La Teste-de-Buch
, which owned their properties, in order to found a "free" new town, Arcachon.
At its southern entrance from the Atlantic ocean, Arcachon Bay
is crowned by Europe's largest sand dune, the Dune de Pyla (or du Pilat), nearly 3 kilometres long, 500 metres wide, reaching 107 metres in height, and moving inland at rate of 5 metres a year.
The area is served by Bordeaux Merignac Airport and the TGV Atlantique.
politician Ramón Emeterio Betances
spent close to six months at Arcachon shortly before his death in 1898. The poet Carmen Bernos de Gasztold
was born in Arcachon in 1919. Film producer Humbert Balsan
was born in Arcachon on August 21, 1954.
On the other side of the Bassin d'Arcachon is Cap Ferret
, a popular resort for celebrities including Zinedine Zidane
and Jean Pierre Pernot, who have holiday homes in the chic resort.
Dawn Kirikou-Milosévitch (socialite) was born in Arcachon.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
department in southwestern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is a popular bathing location on the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast 55 kilometres (34 mi) southwest of Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
in the Landes forest
Landes forest
The Landes forest or the Landes of Gascony , in the historic Gascony region of southwestern France now known as Aquitaine, is the largest maritime-pine forest in Europe...
. It has a fine beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
and a mild climate said to be favourable for invalids suffering from pulmonary complaints.
Arcachon is known for the "Arcachonnaise", the local name for an Arcachon villa
Arcachon villa
Arcachon is known for the Arcachonnaise, the local name for an Arcachon villa, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there. It is a type of Victorian architecture....
, which is the architectural style of many of the older houses built there. It is a type of Victorian architecture, and was criticized for generations, but is now considered to be charming and deeply human.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
bourgeoisie and other wealthy people. This was the beginning of a new lifestyle, and some of the locals got the opportunity to claim their independence from La Teste-de-Buch
La Teste-de-Buch
La Teste-de-Buch is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.It is located on the south shore of Arcachon Bay, lying in the southwestern part of Gironde....
, which owned their properties, in order to found a "free" new town, Arcachon.
At its southern entrance from the Atlantic ocean, Arcachon Bay
Arcachon Bay
Arcachon Bay is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest coast of France, situated between the Côte d'Argent and the Côte des Landes, in the region of Aquitaine. The bay covers an area of 150 km² at high tide and 40 km² at low tide...
is crowned by Europe's largest sand dune, the Dune de Pyla (or du Pilat), nearly 3 kilometres long, 500 metres wide, reaching 107 metres in height, and moving inland at rate of 5 metres a year.
The area is served by Bordeaux Merignac Airport and the TGV Atlantique.
Population
Personalities
While Arcachon itself is not home to many well-known figures, the writer Alexandre Dumas once lived in Arcachon's Ville d'Hiver. Puerto RicanPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
politician Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution, and as such, is considered to be the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement...
spent close to six months at Arcachon shortly before his death in 1898. The poet Carmen Bernos de Gasztold
Carmen Bernos de Gasztold
Carmen Bernos de Gasztold is a French poet.She spent her childhood in the province of Bordeaux, France. She had 5 sisters and brothers...
was born in Arcachon in 1919. Film producer Humbert Balsan
Humbert Balsan
Humbert Balsan, born Humbert Jean René Balsan was a French film producer and chairman of the European Film Academy. He was renowned for securing financing and distribution for diverse and often challenging films.In February 2005, Balsan was found dead in the offices of his production company,...
was born in Arcachon on August 21, 1954.
On the other side of the Bassin d'Arcachon is Cap Ferret
Cap Ferret
Cap Ferret is a headland, situated at the south end of the commune of Lège-Cap-Ferret in the French department of Gironde. The headland takes the form of a spit, which separates the Atlantic Ocean from Arcachon Bay...
, a popular resort for celebrities including Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
and Jean Pierre Pernot, who have holiday homes in the chic resort.
Dawn Kirikou-Milosévitch (socialite) was born in Arcachon.