Dax (; ; ) is a commune in

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...

, southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

sub-prefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...

of the Landes department. It is known as a

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

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 a ...

and similar ailments. Dax is also known for its

bullfighting 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 Catholic liturgy, 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 Calendar of saints, feast da ...

, 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 (; 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 area, and is used to d ...

area.

Geography

Dax lies on the river

Adour The Adour (; ; ) 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. is known as the ' ...

, from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and northwest of

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

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

History

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

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

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

Aquitaine Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...

in 1152 by

Henry II Plantagenet Henry II () was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. During his reign he controlled England, substantial parts of Wales and Ireland, and much of France (including Normandy, Anjou, and Aquitaine), an area that altogether was la ...

, 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 conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. It successfully withstood a Spanish siege in 1521-1522.

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 A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking reg ...

, former castle where now is

Sports

The

US Dax Union Sportive Dax Rugby Landes, also known as US Dax, is a French rugby union club currently playing in Pro D2, the second level of the French league system. They were founded in 1904. They play at Stade Maurice Boyau (capacity 16,170). They w ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

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) is a French former 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 1964, scor ...

, Raphaël Ibanez, or Richard Dourthe.

Twin towns

Logroño Logroño ( , , ) is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja (Spain), La Rioja, Spain. Located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in the right (South) bank of the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of pa ...

, Spain

Personalities

References

External links

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