Escape Game d'Abbadia, le Château-Observatoire What if you became the heir of Antoine d’Abbadie in Hendaye?

Traveller Reviews Google Escape Game d'Abbadia, le Château-Observatoire

4.4 sur 5 6634 reviews

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  5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Hassna on 17/03/2026

  Un grand merci à Eugénie guide fabuleuse qui nous a plongé et captivé par son savoir élogieux. Ayant des problèmes de santé Eugénie avec beaucoup d'humanité m'a proposé un tabouret pliant pour pouvoir me reposer durant la visite. Tituan le stagiaire était également très sympathique. Je recommande la visite guidée avec Eugénie. Merci beaucoup pour ce moment de plaisir.

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  5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Yashiro Gomes on 17/03/2026

  Top ame so oque tenho pra falar, o resto e vc visitar.

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  5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Jean-François Roux on 14/03/2026

  The Abbadia Observatory-Castle is a Neo-Gothic structure located in the commune of Hendaye (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the province of Labourd (6 km from Saint-Jean-de-Luz and 1 km from Hendaye). Built by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Edmond Duthoit on the orders of Antoine d'Abbadie, it is listed as a historical monument and a "Maison des Illustres" (House of the Illustrious). Its rich scientific, archival, and furniture collections are original and represent a considerable cultural heritage representative of the 19th century. Origins and Sources of Inspiration: The d'Abbadia (d'Abbadie) family has been established in Arrast in the province of Soule since at least the 14th century [citation needed]. A house opposite the church there bears the name Abbadia. In the 18th century, Jean Menvielle, a notary, was known as Abbadie d'Arrast, through his paternal grandmother. He was the grandfather of Antoine d’Abbadie, born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1810 to a Basque father and an Irish mother. The d’Abbadie family, who settled in Toulouse between 1820 and 1827, regularly visited the Basque coast. They then moved to Paris, where they remained until 1837. Antoine and his brother Arnauld then joined a twelve-year expedition to Abyssinia (Ethiopia); the future château would be influenced by this region. Common at the time, the two d’Abbadie brothers hoped to pave the way for Catholic missionaries, without success, but this network undoubtedly proved useful to them. They left East Africa at the end of 1848 and maintained contact with Ethiopian noblemen. After a brief initial stay in the remote Béarn region, Antoine d’Abbadie settled in Urrugne in 1849 and continued to travel for his research in Norway, Spain, Algeria, and elsewhere. In 1852, he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences in Paris as a corresponding member in the Geography and Navigation section. The arrival of the train in Bayonne in 1855 and in Hendaye in 1864 facilitated connections between the Basque coast and Paris. Despite his frequent travels to the Academy of Sciences and abroad, Antoine d’Abbadie, deeply attached to Basque culture as evidenced by the inscriptions and archives of the castle, continued his work on the Basque language. He also established Basque festivals in Urrugne and launched competitions (poetry, pelota, irrintzina, livestock, etc.) starting in 1851. Upon his death, he was nicknamed Euskaldunen Aita (Basque Man) because of his dedication to Basque culture. In 1859, Antoine d’Abbadie married Virginie de Saint-Bonnet (1828-1901), originally from the Dauphiné region, and from 1864 to 1870, he had the château built on the Basque coast. The d’Abbadie couple were heavily involved in the building's construction. A broad artistic network The landscape architect Eugène Bühler worked on the Abbadia park, created the Aragorri farm—the château's outbuildings—and carried out a territorial reorganization of the Subernoa district where the château was located and of which Antoine d’Abbadie was the principal landowner. A close friend of Antoine d’Abbadie, Bühler served as a true advisor on matters of architecture and decoration.