MIMIZAN (in Gascon Mamisan)

Integrated into the community of 5 municipalities : Aureilhan, Bias, Mimizan, Pontenx-les-Forges, Saint Paul in Born, the city is divided between Mimizan-Bourg and Mimizan-Plage.

Mimizan is a called sea resort the "Pearl of the Coast (Rib) of Silver". The current of Mimizan is the overflow of the lake of Aureilhan and casts itself into the Atlantic Ocean. The ponds of Malloueyre are on its territory.

As other coastal villages of the country from the Landes, Mimizan is divided between on one hand a historic center (said Mimizan-bourg) set back from the ocean, and which constitutes the administrative and commercial heart of the city, and on the other hand a sea resort (said Mimizan-plage) which developed with the development of the tourism.

The space between both, covered by the forest, did not stop being reduced over the years. The sector of the old church was one of the most active seaports of the Atlantic Coast before VIIth century. It was then filled by the headway of sands.

 A LITTLE OF HISTORY :

In the Middle Ages, Mimizan was set up "sauveté" there (sacred asylum created by the Church for the protection of the weak). Its demarcation had been realized by nine monumental borders (borders of sauveté), in the form of pyramids. Today, only five remain and are classified as "Historic Monuments". The city was also a stage on the littoral way of Saint Jacques's road. The size and the magnificence of the former church (partially disappeared) show the importance of the place in this period. The bell tower hall of Mimizan, shoots down by a hurricane in 1770, was gigantic so much that we saw him(it) since the sea. We can think that it was about a bitter, a coastal mark to facilitate the offshore navigation. The Beautiful Time (Period) saw the birth of the sea resort Mimizan-Plage (who was called at first Mimizan-les-Bains) thanks to the arrival of the railroad (disappeared today), in the fashion of the sea swimming and the benefactions of the air(sight) iodized on the health of tuberculeux.  

On March 20th, 1905, the journalist and the poet Maurice Martin inaugurates the expression of Coast(Rib) of Silver in front of a journalistic flowerbed and local notables. June 16^th, 1929, airmen Assolant, Lefèvre and Lotti, left Old Orchard Beach to the United States aboard the "Bird Canary", make an emergency landing on the beach the North. They so become the first French people to connect by air America in Europe.  

Places and monuments to be visited or to be seen: the bell tower-hall of the old church of Mimizan, classified in the world heritage of the humanity by UNESCO ; the Castle of Woolsack, hunting lodge built in 1911; five pyramids of sauveté remaining, constructed it garluche and dating 1009, classified historic monumentsTo note the post office Art deco of Mimizan-Bourg, and the ancient wooden chapel of Mimizan-Plage.

Casino : the border in concrete and steel situated near the abbey of Mimizan indicates the distance of 1000 km which separates it from Santiago de Compostela on the way of Soulac on the Coast Aquitain. It was created by the plastic artist Evilo.

Events : competitions of surfing, bodyboard and triathlon : every year, at the end of August, take place the holidays  of the city. It is the opportunity for all the inhabitants to meet itself during four in five days. Numerous demonstrations take place in this occasion : bodega, election of the queen of the holidays and her jester, the fireworks, the animation for the children.

Mimizan possesses an arena which welcomes the famous races from the Landes where retractors play with young cows without putting to death them.

Personalities bound to the municipality : the fashion designer Coco Chanel came to stay at Woolsack de Mimizan's castle, on the edges of the lake of Aureilhan. Nicolas Capdeville, triple world champion of bodyboard, is installed (settled) to Mimizan. The group Beirut wrote a homonymous song in homage to the city. It appears on the compilation "Dark was the night".