BIARRITZ

town, Pyrnes-Atlantiques dpartement, Aquitaine rgion, southwestern France. It lies along the Bay of Biscay, adjacent to Bayonne and Anglet and 11 miles (18 km) from the Spanish border. Once a small fishing village, Biarritz was made fashionable after 1854 by Napoleon III and his Spanish empress, Eugnie. The British are largely responsible for its growth as a winter residence. Visited by Queen Victoria, Edward VII, and Alfonso XIII of Spain, Biarritz began to call itself the queen of resorts and the resort of kings. The region's mild climate, the variety of beaches and scenery, and the town's luxurious tourist installations continue to draw an international clientele that sustains Biarritz' prosperity. A promenade runs between the sandy beaches of the Grand Plage, facing northwest, and the Cte des Basques. The beaches are split by a rocky promontory. The folklore and traditions of the Basques of the district are an added attraction. Pop. (1990) 28,887 (quadrupled in the summer season).