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English
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If Saint Jean de Luz has long drawn its wealth from maritime trade and fishing, today it derives most of its income from the attraction for its beaches and for the Basque Country, which has been popular since the end of the 19th century.
Fishing and exotic trade have long been the richness of this port built in the 12th century, shipowners and privateers then built sumptuous residences there which still make up the architectural richness of the city today.
The city also suffered from the quarrels with the Spanish neighbor which did not really cease until after the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.
Saint Jean de Luz also knew the splendor of the marriage of Louis 14 with the Infanta of Spain in 1660, and the houses of the Infanta and Louis 14 still contribute to the reputation of the Basque city today.
Visit the magnificent bay and its famous beaches, the seafront promenade that winds its way through the fortifications built from 1785 to protect the bay and the city from the enormous storms which partly destroy it year after year. It should in fact be known that Saint Jean de Luz, "Donibane Lohitzun" in Basque means "Saint Jean des Marais" because the city is built on marshy areas therefore low and subject to the vagaries of the sea.
Today, after having been in the fifties the first tuna port in France, Saint Jean de Luz suffered the full brunt of competition from Spanish fishing ports and now "surf" on the fantastic tourist popularity of the Basque Country to increase its notoriety.
Visit the Maison de l'Infante, the Place Louis 14 and the Maison Louis 14, the very beautiful rue Mazarin, the Maison Esqurrena, the typical rue Gambetta with the old houses of Corsairs, and finally the Church of Saint Jean Baptiste from the 12th arrondissement.
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If Saint Jean de Luz has long drawn its wealth from maritime trade and fishing, today it derives most of its income from the attraction for its beaches and for the Basque Country, which has been popular since the end of the 19th century.
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