Soorts- Hossegor

Before the development of the seaside resort, Soorts-Hossegor finds its roots in the town of Soorts, village landais typical, whose organization reflects the rural life of the past.

At the beginning of the XXᵉ century, Soorts counts about 400 inhabitants, mainly farmers, résiniers, mule-drivers and loggers. Located away from the major axis Bordeaux–Bayonne, the village is considered a “village” in the end “. To the west stretches the forest, and to get to the lake, the shore or to Capbreton, only a few proselkov exist, continuing a way of life isolated but deeply rooted in the territory.

A vital source to the origin of the village

is The presence of a source of fresh water has resulted in an installation sustainable human. Even the name of Soorts would derive the word source, underscoring the vital importance of water for agriculture and livestock. For centuries, the inhabitants live between sand, land and ocean, developing an economy based on livestock, crops and forestry.

Grazing, forest and communal land

Until the beginning of the XXᵉ century, the collective uses structure the local life. The inhabitants enjoy the right of grazing, leaving the animals wander freely in the town, as well as the rights of soutrage (cut gorse and ferns for the litter box) and affouage (pick up dead wood for heating) in the communal forest.
It is not uncommon to see cows, even in areas that would later become urbanized, including on some of the beaches. These practices will gradually disappear with the development of housing estates and the station.

The shepherds in the landes, the iconic figures

sheep farming plays a central role. The shepherds in the landes, perched on their stilts, watching the flocks in the high moor and the water meadows. Characters solitary and mysterious, they lead a modest life, and frugal, punctuated by the guard of the sheep, the spinning of the wool or the music played on traditional instruments such as the tchalemine or the pifre.
Much more than an image of folk, the shepherd is a vital part of the local agriculture : the herds provide meat, wool, and especially the essential fertilizer to fertilize the sandy soils of the Moors.

The transfer of the town hall, the symbol of a failover

from the 1920s, the rapid development of Hossegor upset the balance of the commune. The resort exceeds Soorts in terms of number of inhabitants. In 1931, after heated debates and a strong local opposition, the city council decided to transfer the town hall in Hossegor, in a villa on the new urban centre.
This episode marks a turning point symbolic : Soorts retains its role of memory and roots, while Hossegor is asserting itself as an engine for the development of tourism.

Soorts today

today, Soorts embodies the soul of the original of the joint. Its village, its history and rural traditions in agriculture and forestry tell the story of a territory shaped by the nature, the work of men and a way of life deeply landais. An identity discreet but essential for understanding the history and the balance of Soorts-Hossegor.