Soorts-Hossegor (; oc, Sòrts e Òssagòr) is a commune in the Landes department in

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

in southwestern France,INSEE commune file
/ref> 20 km (12 miles) north of Biarritz. It is a well known

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germ ...

that is renowned for its surfing. The city's economy is centered around surfing. Its inhabitants are called Hossegoriens.

Name

In 1913, the town associated the toponym of Hossegor, from the name of its marine lake, with its original name of Soorts. The root of Soorts is probably close to that of ''Sorde'', the verb or , , meaning "where there are sources". Related names are Sor (Ariège, Sort) and Sort-en-Chalosse (Landes) from the same Gascon etymon. The origin of ''Hossegor'' is more obscure: it may be an Aquitain or Basque name to be attached to the hydronyms ''osse'' and the adjective ''gorri'', meaning "dry water".

History

Hossegor became a seaside resort in the early twentieth century. It is located between the cities of Biarritz and Arcachon. Initially, it attracted wealthy visitors from large cities like Paris. Some noteworthy visitors to Soorts-Hossegor have included J.H. Rosny in 1903 and Paul Margueritte in 1909. Other personalities later joined them, like

Charles Derennes Charles Derennes (4 August 1882 – 27 April 1930) was a French novelist, essayist and poet, the winner of the Prix Femina in 1924. Biography Derennes was born in Charente, the son of Gustave, a professor of history, and Marthe Cassan, the dau ...

in 1913, then Maxime Leroy, Gaston Chérau, Pierre Benoit, Tristan Dereme and Leon Blum in 1920. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the town attracted a wider selection of visitors, including industrialists, academics and doctors. From the 1920s, real estate programs increased the arrival of tourists in the resort. Some architects of the time became famous and embarked on many architectural projects. For example, in the early 1930s, the Gomez brothers built the ''Place des Landais:'' it was the first development of the waterfront in the town. This seafront was unique at the time. Indeed, the two architects built villas "en bande" (in a row) in the néo-Basque architectural style. Many hotels were built at that time, such as ''Les Hortensias du Lac'', a four-star luxury hotel with an extraordinary view of the marine lake, and the Mercedes, a three-star hotel near the city center overlooking the canal. The Sporting Casino was built in those years; it attracted an elegant and wealthy clientele. Today, it hosts various exhibitions and events. It has also become an influential sports complex with its swimming pool, tennis courts and a miniature golf course. Since the late 1990s, ultra-modern villas have been built in the resort. Privileged individuals build huge villas near the lake and golf course in the same architectural style.

Climate

Sports and events

Municipal Stadium Soorts-Hossegor. Every year, at the end of September, the greatest surfers of the world meet on the beaches of Hossegor to compete in a race counting for the pro world championships: the Quiksilver Pro France. The French Surf Federation has its headquarters in Hossegor. Surfing is a big attraction for visitors and a very important tourist activity for Hossegor. It has long been one of the premier surfing locations in Europe, with a series of world-class beach breaks such as Gravière and La Nord, and with nearby beach breaks in Capbreton and Seignosse such as La Piste and Bourdaines. In Hossegor there is also a large lake where many water activities can be enjoyed. The Landes forest is popular with nature lovers and cyclists. Each summer the Grand Prix des Landes takes place on the Hossegor golf course. The Hossegor Golf Club is in the national league for both men's and women's golfers. Golf is a popular activity in the Soorts-Hossegor region (and elsewhere on the Atlantic coast around Biarritz). Other sports available in the town are diving, tennis, horse riding and Basque

pelote Basque pelota (Basque language, Basque: '':eu:pilota, pilota'', Spanish Language, Spanish: '':es:pelota vasca, pelota vasca'', French Language, French: '':fr:pelote basque, pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ...

. Another event takes place during Easter weekend: the sale of "spirit surf" clothes. More than 100,000 people flock to the craft zone where the European headquarters of brands such as

Rip Curl Rip Curl is a designer, manufacturer, and retailer of Surfing#Equipment, surfing sportswear (also known as ''boardwear'') and accompanying products, and a major athletic sponsor. Rip Curl has become one of the largest surfing companies in Aust ...

and

Billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

are located, looking to purchase sport clothes.

Population

In 2015, the town had 3823 inhabitants, an increase of 2.69% compared to 2010. Image:hossegor2.jpg, Plage Centrale.

References

* Sébastien Barrère, Petite histoire d'Hossegor, Éditions Cairn, 2015, 156 p. ()

External links

Official website

Practical information about surf conditions and surfing in Hossegor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soortshossegor Communes of Landes (department) Landes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia