Biscarrosse (; oc, Biscarròssa) is a commune in the

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word '' ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is located southwest of Bordeaux, and inland from the seaside resort of Biscarrosse-Plage on the Atlantic coast. Near Biscarrosse is the CEL (national test centre) from which numerous

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

military rockets have been launched for test purposes. Likewise, the CEL has facilities for launching civilian rockets to study the upper

atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A s ...

. Near the town centre, outside the ''Café de l'orme'', there was what is believed to have been the oldest elm tree in Europe. Planted in 1350, this Field Elm '' Ulmus minor'' died in 2010 after finally succumbing to Dutch elm disease. Legend has it that girls deemed promiscuous were forced to stand naked upon a barrel beneath the tree for a day. One unfortunate, unjustly accused, died of shame, the tree annually producing a corona of blanched leaves in her memory. The commune has an airport, called Biscarrosse - Parentis Airport.

Etymology

The toponym ''Biscarrosse'' derives from the

Aquitanian language The Aquitanian language was the language of the ancient Aquitani, spoken on both sides of the western Pyrenees in ancient Aquitaine (approximately between the Pyrenees and the Garonne, in the region later known as Gascony) and in the areas south ...

or directly from the Basque word ''bizkar'', meaning 'low ridge' or 'prominence' followed by the Aquitanian suffix ''-ossum/-os'', that was used to mark presence. Related toponyms are Biscay and Biscarrués.

Climate

Population

Seaplane activity

Nearby Hourtiquet once hosted an important seaplane base, serving the builder Latécoère and airlines Aéropostale and its successor Air France. A seaplane museum exists at the shores of the Lac de Biscarrosse et de Parentis. During World War II the base served German military seaplanes; two Dornier 24 flying boats were recovered from the lake in 1980 and 1981. Since 1991, the lake has seen bi-annual seaplane fly-ins. Lake Biscarosse

Oil exploration

After the demise of seaplanes after World War II, the lake gained new interest at the discovery of petroleum. It has the greatest reserve in France. Petroleum exploitation is situated on the shores of the lake, in the commune of Parentis.

Etymology

Climate

Population

Seaplane activity

Oil exploration

Education

References

External links