Mimizan
Encyclopedia
Mimizan is a commune
in the Landes department in Aquitaine
in south-western France
. There are two separate districts of the town: Mimizan-Bourg (town center) and Mimizan-Plage (resort).
base in the cartulary of Lescar
, Mimizan was part of the former royal province of Gascony
. In the Middle Ages
, the town was a stop on a secondary pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela
. The size and beauty of the old church highlights the importance of the place at this time. The town turned into a seaside resort during the Belle Epoque
thanks to the railway connection (which no longer exists), and to the growing trend of sea bathing, beneficial to the health of those suffering from tuberculosis.
, Maine
, United States
.
. The hunting lodge Château de Woolsack was built in 1911 for the British Duke of Westminster
(the architect was Detmar Blow
).
Couturier Coco Chanel
was a frequent holidaymaker at the Château de Woolsack.
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 Landes department in Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
in south-western 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...
. There are two separate districts of the town: Mimizan-Bourg (town center) and Mimizan-Plage (resort).
History
Mentioned as a VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
base in the cartulary of Lescar
Lescar
Lescar is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.Lescar is the site of the Roman city known variously as Benearnum, Beneharnum or Civitas Benarnensium. This was the original capital, and origin of the name, of the ancient province of Béarn.In 841, Benearnum was...
, Mimizan was part of the former royal province of Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the town was a stop on a secondary pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
. The size and beauty of the old church highlights the importance of the place at this time. The town turned into a seaside resort during the Belle Epoque
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, it was a period characterised by optimism and new technological and medical...
thanks to the railway connection (which no longer exists), and to the growing trend of sea bathing, beneficial to the health of those suffering from tuberculosis.
Twin town
Mimizan is twinned with Old Orchard BeachOld Orchard Beach, Maine
Old Orchard Beach is a town and census-designated place in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,856 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Places and monuments
The bell tower of the old church is on UNESCO's World Heritage List as part of the Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in FranceWorld Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
In 1998, several sites in France were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the description: Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France....
. The hunting lodge Château de Woolsack was built in 1911 for the British Duke of Westminster
Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster
Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster GCVO DSO was the son of Victor Alexander Grosvenor, Earl Grosvenor and Lady Sibell Mary Lumley, the daughter of the 9th Earl of Scarborough...
(the architect was Detmar Blow
Detmar Blow
Detmar Jellings Blow was a British architect of the early 20th century, who designed principally in the arts and crafts style. His clients belonged chiefly to the British aristocracy, and later he became estates manager to the Duke of Westminster...
).
Notable people
Pioneer aviators Assolant, Lefèvre and Lotti linked Old Orchard Beach (USA) to Mimizan (landing on June 16, 1929) on board the Oiseau Canari.Couturier Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel
Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel was a pioneering French fashion designer whose modernist thought, menswear-inspired fashions, and pursuit of expensive simplicity made her an important figure in 20th-century fashion. She was the founder of one of the most famous fashion brands, Chanel...
was a frequent holidaymaker at the Château de Woolsack.