Presentation Semaine fédéralee

At the confluent of the rivers, the valleys of the Aspe and the Ossau, Oloron-Sainte-Marie presents itself with a proud elegance; it breathes in the wind from the mountaintops and the light from the countryside.

At the gateway to the Pyrenees and the Basque country, Oloron-Sainte-Marie is the capital of Haut-Bearn, close to the Pyreneans valleys of Baretous, Aspe and Ossau, to Pau, the Atlantic Ocean, and Lourdes and of course Spain.

An ideal climate throughout the year, mild winters, bright springtimes, comfortably warm summers and particularly sunny autumns make the region an ideal place to live.

Oloron-Sainte-Marie is a sub-prefecture of the department Pyrenees-Atlantiques, along with Bayonne, Pau being the Prefecture. A sportive town with rugby, football, handball, pelote basque, cyclotouring, cycling, athletics, it won the challenge “L’Equipe” in 2003.

Its celebrated ‘International Festival of the Pyrenees’, alternating yearly with Jaca in Spain, is an immense festival of friendship that has been organised for forty years. It presents the best folklore groups and national ballets from all over the world, and unites over 1200 dancers and musicians. During the Semaine Federale you will be able to see groups that are taking part this year in Jaca.

THE DEPARTMENT

Being part of the region of Aquitaine, the Pyrenees-Atlantiques is envied for the mildness of its climate and the quality of life. Frontier with Spain, the department consequently has numerous connections both economic and cultural due to the multiple passages situated within the region.

Created in 1790 under the name Basses Pyrenees, it unites the Béarn and the three provinces Basques: the Labourd, the Basse-Navarre and the Soule. It is also the converging point for the various routes to Saint Jacques de Compostelle. The Piemont Pyreneen is an area of hillsides and valleys where the rivers widen on the plains, and vines, maize, cattle farming, and forests alternate in a mosaic of smallholdings.

ITS GASTROTOMY

The numerous restaurants enable you to taste the products basque and béarnais: ‘jambon de Bayonne’ (Bayonne ham), ‘garbure béarnaise’ (vegetable broth), ‘axoa basque’ (veal in sauce and Espelette peppers), ‘confit de canards ou oies’ (preserved duck and goose) and ‘foie gras’ (liver), ‘palombes’ (wood pigeon) and ‘civets de sanglier (stewed wild boar), ‘fromage de brebis’– l’Ossaulraty (ewe’s milk cheese - Ossaulraty), Russe d’Oloron (local cake), and wines that include the Jurancon from Béarn, the rosé du Béarn from Bellocq, the Madiran from Vic-Bilh and the Irouleguy from the Basque country.