Espelette

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 43°20′29″N 1°26′47″W / 43.34139, -1.44639

Administration
Commune of Espelette Church of Espelette
Location

Country	France
Region	Aquitaine
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Bayonne
Canton	Espelette (chief town)
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes Errobi
Mayor	Florence Gracie (2006–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	33 m–749 m (avg. 77 m)
Land area^¹	26.85 km²
Population^² (1999)	1,879
- Density	69.98/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	64213/ 64250
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Espelette (Basque: Ezpeleta) is a commune and village in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département (64), Aquitaine, in south west France, formerly in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.

1 Sights
2 Red peppers
3 Gallery
4 External links

[edit] Sights

The town is attractive with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected 16th century church, Saint-Etienne, has a Baroque altarpiece and its graveyard has many traditional Basque discoidal tombstones. There is also the grave of local woman Agnés Souret, the first woman chosen as 'the most beautiful woman in France'.

[edit] Red peppers

Espelette is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The peppers are sold in the town's Wednesday covered market and are honoured in a festival on the last Sunday in October.

[edit] Gallery

Traditional Espelette house with peppers drying on the walls

Piments d'Espelette, Espelette peppers

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Espelette

(Spanish) Ezpeleta in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa — Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
(French) Piment d'Espelette, site dedicated to the pepper

v • d • e Municipalities in Labourd (Lapurdi)

Ahetze · Ainhoa · Anglet (Anglet) · Arbonne (Arbona) · Arcangues (Arrangoitze) · Ascain (Azkaine) · Bardos (Bardoze) · Bassussarry (Basusarri) · Bayonne (Baiona) · Biarritz (Biàrritz) · Bidart (Bidarte) · Biriatou (Biriatu) · Bonloc (Lekuine) · Boucau (Bocau) · Briscous (Beskoitze) · Cambo-les-Bains (Kanbo) · Ciboure (Ziburu) · Espelette (Ezpeleta) · Guéthary (Getaria) · Guiche (Guishe) · Halsou (Haltsu) · Hasparren (Hazparne) · Hendaye (Hendaia) · Itxassou (Itsasu) · Jatxou (Jatsu) · Lahonce (Lehuntze) · Larressore (Larresoro) · Louhossoa (Luhuso) · Macaye (Makea) · Mendionde (Lekorne) · Mouguerre (Mugerre) · Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Donibane Lohizune) · Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle (Senpere) · Saint-Pierre-d'Irube (Hiriburu) · Sare (Sara) · Souraïde (Zuraide) · Urcuit (Urketa) · Urrugne (Urruña) · Urt (Urt) · Ustaritz (Uztaritze) · Villefranque (Milafranga) Official name in French (native name in Basque or in Occitan, if different, in parentheses)