Dominating this small Basque village are the ruins of the castle of the Ducs de Gramont, once one of the finest residences in the region (seen on the right of the picture).
It was burnt down in 1793, an event that was commemorated in the early 1990s by a wonderful son et lumière, now sadly discontinued.
The castle dates from medieval times, when Bidache was a small port and it controlled traffic on the river Bidouze, although most of the structure which remains dates from the 16th century. After the French Revolution it became a hospital.
Unusually for this area its ruined state is not the result of any magnificent battle, but was the result of a fire set by the director of the hospital in a vain attempt to cover fraudulent dealings.
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