Espelette

Espelette
Ezpeleta
The church of Saint-Étienne
The church of Saint-Étienne
Coat of arms of Espelette
Location of Espelette
Espelette is located in France
Espelette
Espelette
Location within France
Espelette is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Espelette
Espelette
Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 43°20′29″N 1°26′47″W / 43.3414°N 1.4464°W / 43.3414; -1.4464
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementBayonne
CantonBaïgura et Mondarrain
IntercommunalityCA Pays Basque
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Marie Iputcha
Area
1
26.85 km2 (10.37 sq mi)
Elevation
77 m (253 ft)
Highest elevation
749 m (2,457 ft)
Lowest elevation
33 m (108 ft)
Population
 (2023)
2,155
 • Density80.26/km2 (207.9/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64213 /64250
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Espelette (French pronunciation: [ɛspəlɛt]; Basque: Ezpeleta; Occitan: Espeleta) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It lies in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.

Sights

The town is attractive, with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected sixteenth-century church, Saint-Etienne, has a Baroque altarpiece, and its graveyard has many traditional Basque discoidal tombstones.

Espelette is a town located in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. It stands near the Spanish border in the Navarre region of Spain. It sits approximately 122.4 kilometers from the capital of Pau, and is around 22 kilometers from Bayonne, a significant subprefecture in the region. Notably, Espelette is part of the Basque region on the French-Spanish border.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,258—    
1975 1,188−0.81%
1982 1,411+2.49%
1990 1,661+2.06%
1999 1,879+1.38%
2007 1,945+0.43%
2012 2,038+0.94%
2017 2,024−0.14%
2023 2,155+1.05%
Source: INSEE

Notable people

Red peppers

Espelette is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The peppers are sold in the town's Wednesday covered market and are honoured in a festival on the last Sunday in October.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
  3. ↑ INSEE commune file
  4. ↑ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE