Soorts-Hossegor

Soorts-Hossegor
Commune
Coat of arms
Location of Soorts-Hossegor
Soorts-Hossegor Show map of France Soorts-Hossegor Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 43°39′34″N 1°25′36″W / 43.6594°N 1.4267°W / 43.6594; -1.4267
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Landes
Arrondissement	Dax
Canton	Marensin Sud
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Christophe Vignaud[1]
Area 1	14.51 km2 (5.60 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	3,520
• Density	240/km2 (630/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	40304 /40150
Elevation	0–55 m (0–180 ft) (avg. 10 m or 33 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Soorts-Hossegor (French pronunciation: [sɔʁts ɔsgɔʁ];^[3] Occitan: Sòrts e Òssagòr) is a commune in the French department of Landes, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France,^[4] 20 km (12 miles) north of Biarritz.

The area of the town is over 3,700-acre (1,500 ha) hectares, with 3.5 km of Atlantic shoreline with 4 beaches on the ocean, and 4 on the man made lake. It is also a well-known seaside resort that is renowned for its surfing. The city's economy is centered around surfing. Its inhabitants are called Hossegoriens.

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 the name Soorts is probably close to that of Sorde, the verb gascon sórder or sordar, sourdre, 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".^{[citation needed]}

The history of the town and inhabited area originated in the 11th century with the town of Soorts. The local church was built in the 14th century as a costal path to Santiago de Compostela, in Spain. And, Bielle farm, the town's oldest building was constructed at that time.^[5]

In the 19th century, the town of Soorts began its transformation into a local hub. Starting in 1869, with the digging of the Hossegor pond canal towards the sea, which is 99 hectares in size today. Then in 1913, then a stone bridge was constructed, connecting the pons and lake. On April 1 of that year, thanks to an increase in tourism, the local government decided to add the name of Hossegor to the town of Soorts, thus creating Soorts-Hossegor, as it's known today. And in 1923, the seaside town was connected via railway for the first time, and the town became known as a seaside resort. Then between 1929-1939, the area was transformed into the town and seaside resort it is today. Under the leadership of 5 French architects,^[a] there was the construction of around 400 villas (183 today), hotels, a golf course,^[5] and also the Place des Landis, built in 1928, by the Gomez brothers, the 1km beachfront pedestrian was esplanade built in the art deco style. The construction of homes and businesses were in a Basque-Landes style unique to the area. The era Soorts-Hossegor was developed was during the interwar period and considered a part of the neo-Basque regionalist movement.^[6] Also, the sports casino was built in the years of 1927-1931, in the same architectural style.^[7] 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. Some noteworthy visitors early to Soorts-Hossegor have included J.H. Rosny in 1903 and Paul Margueritte in 1909. Other personalities later joined them, like Charles Derennes in 1913, then Maxime Leroy, Gaston Chérau, Pierre Benoit, Tristan Dereme and Leon Blum in 1920.^{[citation needed]}

Development continued in Hoessgor after the art-deco era. A small industrial park was built, with the relocation of the headquarters of the European branch of the surf brand Rip Curl to the area in 1980, today followed by the HQ's for the surf companies Quiksilver, Billabong and Rusty.^[5][8]

In the 1950s, surfing became popular in the town.^[5] Every year, at the end of September,^[9] 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.^[10] Also, since 1984, the French Surf Federation has its headquarters in Hossegor.^[5][11]

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, Les Estagnots.^[12] Also, there's nearby beach breaks in Capbreton and Seignosse such as La Piste and Bourdaines.

It was in 1927 that the local golf course was built.^[5] Each summer the Grand Prix des Landes takes place on the Hossegor golf course.^[13] 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.

Another event takes place during Easter weekend: the sale of "spirit surf" clothes. More than 100,000 people flock to the craft zone, looking to purchase sports wear, or equipment.^{[citation needed]}

In 2020, the town had 3,497 inhabitants, a decrease of 7.8% compared to 2012.

• Taiʻarapu-Ouest, Tahiti, twinned in 2022.^[5]

• 
  Plage Centrale
• 
  Basque-Landis architecture
• 
  The Notre Dame Beach in Soorts-Hossegor
• 
  Note Dame beach
• 
  Lucien Danglade statue, Notre Dame beach
• 
  Entrance for boats to marina

• Communes of the Landes department

• Sébastien Barrère, Petite histoire d'Hossegor, Éditions Cairn, 2015, 156 p. (ISBN 978-2-35068-284-6)

• Official Toursim website
• City Hall (French)
• Website about Hossegor
• Practical information
• Practical information about surf conditions and surfing in Hossegor

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soorts-Hossegor.