The island that switches countries every six months

Subsequent week, france will quit three,000 sq.M (nine,942 sq.Feet) of its territory to spain with out a unmarried shot being fired. But in six months' time spain will voluntarily hand back the land to france. As chris bockman reviews, it's been that manner for greater than 350 years.

The french basque beach lodge of hendaye is the remaining metropolis before the border with spain. Out of season, its lovely curved sandy bay appears to be occupied by loads of seals. However look extra carefully and they're, in truth, defiant iciness surfers in wetsuits.

Simply beyond a protracted breakwater is the ancient spanish city of hondarribia and its sprawling, built-up neighbour irun. The herbal border is the river bidassoa, which flows into an estuary dividing the two countries.

As you go upstream from the river mouth, the view changes. Implementing and colourful basque homes deliver manner to industrial warehouses on the french side, and unappealing residential tower blocks at the spanish.However what i have come to look is the island of faisans. It's now not clean to locate. After I ask for instructions, no person is familiar with why i need to head there. They tell me there is nothing to see and warn me you can't visit it - no-one lives there, it's not a visitor destination like mont st michel.

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However there it is - a peaceful, inaccessible island in the center of the river, with tree cowl and smartly trimmed grass, and an antique monument which pays tribute to a superb ancient occasion that passed off right here in 1659.

For 3 months, the spanish and french negotiated the stop to their long struggle at the island, as it changed into considered impartial territory. Wood bridges were extended from both sides. The armies stood prepared as the negotiations commenced.

A peace agreement changed into signed - the treaty of the pyrenees. Territory was swapped and the border demarcated. And the deal become sealed with a royal wedding, as the french king louis xiv married the daughter of the spanish king philippe iv.Discover extra
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A different detail was that the island itself became to be shared among the 2 international locations, with manage rotating from one to the other. For 6 months of the year, from february 1 to 31 july, it is beneath spanish rule - and for the subsequent six months it is french. This sort of joint sovereignty is known as a rental, and faisans island is one of the oldest in lifestyles.

The naval commander within the spanish metropolis of san sebastian and his french counterpart in bayonne act as governors or viceroys of the island. In truth they've larger fish to cope with, so it's as much as the mayors of irun and hendaye to take turns looking after the island.

Benoit ugartemendia runs the parks division for the local council in hendaye. He advised me he sends a small group as soon as a year by boat to the island to reduce the grass, trim the tree branches and that's about it. The river is tidal - you can occasionally reach the island by means of foot from spain - so in addition to slicing the grass, the spanish police chase off illegal campers.

The island is tiny - simply over 200m long and 40m extensive. Very once in a while, the general public is invited to visit on background open days, however benoit says it handiest interests older human beings and younger people realize nothing of its historic importance.

In recent times, crossing from france to spain through land is a continuing experience except for the gridlocked traffic - however below the franco dictatorship, the border changed into heavily policed. The mayor of hendaye, kotte ecenarro, informed me there was sentry factors every 100m along the river dealing with the island to save you combatants stepping into or out.

Nowadays, the mayors of irun and hendaye meet approximately a dozen instances a yr to speak about issues like water nice and fishing rights. In the past, spanish fishermen have complained about the shape of french boats and these days had been upset with french holiday makers in canoes disrupting their commercial enterprise.

The island itself is a low priority. It is being eroded - it has misplaced almost half of its size over the centuries, as snow melt rushes down from the pyrenees and into the river. However neither u . S . Wants to spend money building up the island's defences.

This yr, there could be no rite marking the handover. There has been an concept to fly the flag of whichever u . S . Was currently in - however mr ecenarro the mayor advised me that till recently, that could only have recommended the basque separatists to take it down or replace it with their own. So in a few days' time - perhaps the arena's most undisputed border island will alternate ownership once more. And in august spain will hand it returned another time - except it suddenly makes a decision to renege on that 350-yr-old treaty.