Sare (; eu, Sara)
[Sara]
Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia
Pic d'Anie (Basque Auñamendi) is a mountain of the Pyrenees in France, located close to the Spanish border. It is high.
The mountain boasts an almost perfect pyramidal shape and is surrounded by the spectacular karst landscape of. ''Larra'', i ...
is a village and 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 ...
in the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlanti ...
department in south-western
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 ...
on the border with Spain. It is part of the traditional
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
province of
Labourd, on the border with Spain.
[
]
Geography
The commune is backed by the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
mountain range, which forms a basin around the village open to the east and the north. Its geological history explains the formation of caves that were occupied by the Aurignacian
The Aurignacian () is an archaeological industry of the Upper Paleolithic
associated with European early modern humans (EEMH) lasting from 43,000 to 26,000 years ago. The Upper Paleolithic developed in Europe some time after the Levant, where t ...
. The Bronze Age left a number of funerary monuments on the slopes and mountain plateaus of the region.
It is located some to the east of Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; eu, Donibane Lohitzune,[Donibane Lohitzune]
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
, in the western foothills of the Pyrenees
The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...
.
The summit of La Rhune
Larrun (modern French: ''La Rhune'', IPA: a'run - 'good pasture', possibly a folk etymology, in French until the 20th century: ''Larhune'' ) is a mountain (905 m) at the western end of the Pyrenees. It is located on the border of France and Spain ...
, a mountain iconic of the Basque country, is situated approximately to the west of the village. The summit can be reached by the Petit train de la Rhune
The Petit train de la Rhune or (in Basque language, Basque) Larrungo tren ttipia is a metre gauge rack railway in France at the western end of the Pyrenees, in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country. It links the Col de Saint-Ignace, ...
, which commences from the Col de Saint-Ignace, to the west of the village on the D4 road to Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
History
Today, its territory forms an enclave in the Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
, a region of Spain, with which it shares a border. This in particular has had significant consequences on the history of the village, with centuries of pastoral agreements with neighbouring Spanish villages. During the Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...
the Anglo-Portuguese Army
The Anglo-Portuguese Army was the combined United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and Portugal, Portuguese army that participated in the Peninsular War, under the command of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesl ...
led by the future Duke of Wellington breached the frontier and repelled the French troops who had stationed themselves in forts on La Rhune
Larrun (modern French: ''La Rhune'', IPA: a'run - 'good pasture', possibly a folk etymology, in French until the 20th century: ''Larhune'' ) is a mountain (905 m) at the western end of the Pyrenees. It is located on the border of France and Spain ...
.
The village contains many old buildings with around 283 houses identified by as dating partially as far back as the 15th century. The traditional architecture of these buildings, their exterior decorations and the orientation defines the archetype of the rural house that exists in the popular image of the "Basque House".
Demography
The population of Sare has remained stable for 200 years. Since 1793 the only real development that has occurred began in 1990, and the population reached more than 2500 people in the 2010s.
Economy
Agricultural activity remains a constant element of the town's economy, even though the location has hosted mining industries since the Middle Ages, and more recently a wool treatment mill. The proximity of the border with Spain, and the configuration of the terrain and the roadways, as well as the shared Basque languages, have given birth to a local economy shared between Spain and France, characterised by smuggling.
Tourist attractions
Following are the famous places to see in Sare, Basque:
# Le Train de la Rhune
# Les Grottes de Sare
# Le Musee du Gateau Basque
# Parc Animalier Etxola
# Ortillopitz
# Eglise Saint-Martin de Sare
# Office de Tourisme de Sare
# Basq'quad
# Bask Peche Nature
# Suhalmendi, Decouverte du Porc Basque
People
* Alberto Palacio, Spanish engineer
*Wentworth Webster
Wentworth Webster (16 June 1828 – 2 April 1907) was an Anglican clergyman, scholar, and collector of folk tales of the Basque Country.
Biography
After studying in a private school in Brighton, he entered Lincoln College, Oxford at the ag ...
, English collector of Basque folk tales
*Victor Iturria
Victor Iturria (22 October 1914 – 25 August 1944) was a French paratrooper during World War II. He served as an anti-tank gunner during the Battle of France and was evacuated to England during the Battle of Dunkirk, where he joined the Free Frenc ...
, WWII decorated hero
See also
*Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
The following is a list of the 546 Communes of France, communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 202 ...
* Devoucoux
* End of Basque home rule in France
*The works of Maxime Real del Sarte
This article is a list of public sculptures designed by Maxime Real del Sarte.
War Memorials using the composition entitled "Je t'ai cherché"
The plaster model entitled "Je t'ai cherché" was first exhibited in 1920 at the Salon des Artistes F ...
References
{{Authority control
Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Plus Beaux Villages de France
Pyrénées-Atlantiques communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia