Dax (; oc, Dacs; eu, Akize) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

, southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, sub-prefecture of 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, ...

. It is known as a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

destination, specialising in mud treatment for

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...

and similar ailments. Dax is also known for its

tauromachy Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

culture, especially during the August

ferias In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday. In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''. If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...

, one of the most crowded festival events in France with 800,000 people attending over five days. It is also a market town, former bishopric and busy local centre, especially for the

Chalosse Chalosse (; oc-gsc, Shalòssa or ) is a wine-growing area in Gascony, in south-west France. It lies in the ''departement'' of Landes and is centred on the town of Dax. Chalosse also gives its name to ''coteaux de Chalosse'', the wine of the are ...

area.

Geography

Dax lies on the river

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...

, 30 km from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and 42 km northwest of

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

Dax station Dax station is a railway station serving the town Dax, Landes department, southwestern France. It is situated on the Bordeaux–Irun railway The railway from Bordeaux to Irun is an important French 235-kilometre long railway line, that connects t ...

has rail connections to Paris, Hendaye, Tarbes, Bordeaux, Bayonne and Pau.

History

It was first established by the Romans, and its reputation is supposed to date from a visit by Julia, the daughter of the first Emperor Octavian

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

. Its Roman name was ''Civitas Aquensium''. In the Middle Ages, it was administered by viscounts until 1177. With the acquisition of

Aquitaine Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 January ...

by Henry II Plantagenet, later King of England, Dax remained under English rule until 1451, when it was conquered by French troops before the end of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. It successfully withstood a Spanish siege in 1521-1522. Splendid Hôtel, façade Est

Population

Climate

Sights

*Roman archaeological crypt, including the foundations of a Roman temple from the second century AD *Remains of the Gallic-Roman walls (4th century) *Cathedral of '' Notre-Dame Ste-Marie'' *Church of ''Saint-Vincent-de-Xaintes'' *''Fontaine Chaude'' ("Hot Fountain") *

Château de Dax Château de Dax was a castle in Dax, Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. History The castle was once the home of Viscounts of Dax. The castle was captured by the French in 1442 and also in 1451 during the Gascon campaign of 1450-1453 to ...

, former castle where is now

Sports

The

US Dax Union sportive dacquoise, also known as US Dax, is a French rugby union club currently playing in Nationale, the third level of the French league system. They were founded in 1904. They play at Stade Maurice Boyau (capacity 16,170). They wear ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

club founded in 1904 is an important historical team, as many other town in south west of France. Many famous French rugby players comes from Dax and its suburbs such as

Pierre Albaladejo Pierre Albaladejo (born 14 December 1933 in Dax) is a former French rugby union player. His usual position was at fly-half or at fullback. He played all his career for Dax, from 1952/53 to 1965/66. He had 30 caps for France, from 1954 to 19 ...

Raphaël Ibanez Raphael was an Italian Renaissance painter. Raphael or Raphaël may also refer to: Music * Raphael (band), a Japanese rock band active 1997–2001 * ''Raphael'' (opera), an 1894 opera by Anton Arensky * Raphael (musician), American musician and ...

, or Richard Dourthe for example.

Twin towns

Logroño Logroño () is the capital of the province of La Rioja, situated in northern Spain. Traversed in its northern part by the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of passage, such as the Camino de Santiago. Its borders were disputed b ...

, Spain

Personalities

References

External links

Official website

Dax CathedralDax Cathedral
{{authority control Communes of Landes (department) Subprefectures in France Spa towns in France Tarbelli Gallia Aquitania