Urt : gateway to the Basque Country
Ahurti
Everything in the beautiful village of Urt evokes water ... the Eiffel-style iron bridge that crosses over the River Adour running between the Landes region and the Basque Country; the small terraced port in a style that can also be found in Guiche and Bidache; the Barthes wetlands. The Basque name for Urt is Ahurti, "that which comes from the water".
The village
On the site where Urt was built, traces of a fishing community from around the year 1000 have been found. Its location at a crossroads between land and sea (towards the Atlantic Ocean via the River Adour) subsequently enabled Urt to develop in all areas: agriculture, trade and fishing. The railway arrived in 1862 with the railroad departing from Bayonne ; the Adour bridge was built in 1886.
Long before 4G and Wi-Fi, the telegraph was installed in 1889, electricity between 1904 and 1910. The tranquil life in Urt attracted philosopher Roland Barthes who had a house built there, in which he spent the last part of his life.
The port and fishing
The Auberge de la Galupe is located at the port in the oldest house in Urt. The fishermen who lived in their boats while waiting for the tide used to eat there; sloping terraces in the port made it possible to manage the rise and fall of the Adour waters due to the tides.
In the 18th Century, the river was so full of fish that domestic workers and servants in bourgeois houses requested that salmon be limited to 3 meals per week! To save money, their masters used to give them salmon to eat every day ...
