Izpegi Pass
Encyclopedia
The Izpegi Pass is a 672 m high Pyrenean
mountain pass
located right on the border between Spain
and France
, linking the Baztan
and Baigorri valleys in the Basque Country
. The river Bidasoa
, called Baztan on its upper stage, rises close-by on the western side of the Iparla mountain range stretching out north to south. The name Izpegi applies also to a stream running on its eastern slopes.
The population nuclei closest to the saddle are the village of Erratzu (west) and Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry
(east, Baigorri in Basque
). A sinuous narrow road that bears witness to a couple of Tour de France stages descends east to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry
, cutting its way through a spectacular grassy and giddy landscape.
The pass is frequented by hikers in order to gain access to the neighbouring mountain Hautza
(1,306 m / 4,285 ft, waymarking all along) and other mounts of the ridgeline (Mount Iparla). Since the mid-2000s, a modest txalaparta
festival is held at the spot on the first Sunday of September, which has become a meeting point for the instrument's players, especially locals. Money raised at the food stall arranged was destined in 2009 to helping the Basque language school
of the neighbouring small town of Baigorri.
on 3 June 1794. A 2,300-strong republican French brigade led by General of Brigade Lavictoire attacked the 1,000 Spanish and French royalist troops and drove them from the pass. The defenders, one battalion of the Spanish Zamora Infantry Regiment, three companies of the Aldudes Rifles, and the Légion Royal French Émigré
battalion, lost 94 killed and wounded, plus 307 captured. The French brigade, part of Jean Mauco's division of the Army of the western Pyrenees, suffered an unknown number of casualties.
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
mountain pass
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
located right on the border between Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, linking the Baztan
Baztan
Baztan is a municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. It is located from Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. It is the largest municipality in Navarre, with some 376.8 km2 and just over 8,000 inhabitants....
and Baigorri valleys in the Basque Country
Basque Country (historical territory)
The Basque Country is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast....
. The river Bidasoa
Bidasoa
The Bidasoa is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the small town of Oronoz-Mugairi in the province of Navarre, the river actually results from the merge of several streams near the village Erratzu, with...
, called Baztan on its upper stage, rises close-by on the western side of the Iparla mountain range stretching out north to south. The name Izpegi applies also to a stream running on its eastern slopes.
The population nuclei closest to the saddle are the village of Erratzu (west) and Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry
Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry
Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France, located at the same time in the former province of Lower Navarre...
(east, Baigorri in Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
). A sinuous narrow road that bears witness to a couple of Tour de France stages descends east to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry
Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry
Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France, located at the same time in the former province of Lower Navarre...
, cutting its way through a spectacular grassy and giddy landscape.
The pass is frequented by hikers in order to gain access to the neighbouring mountain Hautza
Hautza
The Hautza or Autza, is a mountain on the Spanish side of the border in the Basque Country. It is located between Elizondo in Baztan and Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry .-Geography:...
(1,306 m / 4,285 ft, waymarking all along) and other mounts of the ridgeline (Mount Iparla). Since the mid-2000s, a modest txalaparta
Txalaparta
The txalaparta is a specialized Basque music device of wood or stone, similar to Romanian toacă. In Basque, zalaparta means "racket", while in the nearby areas of Navarre "txalaparta" has been attested as meaning the trot of the horse, a sense closely related to the sound of the...
festival is held at the spot on the first Sunday of September, which has become a meeting point for the instrument's players, especially locals. Money raised at the food stall arranged was destined in 2009 to helping the Basque language school
Ikastola
An Ikastola is a type of primary and secondary school in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and the French Basque Country in which pupils are taught either entirely or predominantly in the Basque language...
of the neighbouring small town of Baigorri.
History
A battle was fought at this location during the War of the PyreneesWar of the Pyrenees
War of the Pyrenees refers to the Pyrenees front of the First Coalition's war against the First French Republic. Also known as Great War, War of Roussillon, or War of the Convention, it pitted Revolutionary France against the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal from March 1793 to July 1795 during the...
on 3 June 1794. A 2,300-strong republican French brigade led by General of Brigade Lavictoire attacked the 1,000 Spanish and French royalist troops and drove them from the pass. The defenders, one battalion of the Spanish Zamora Infantry Regiment, three companies of the Aldudes Rifles, and the Légion Royal French Émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
battalion, lost 94 killed and wounded, plus 307 captured. The French brigade, part of Jean Mauco's division of the Army of the western Pyrenees, suffered an unknown number of casualties.
Sources
- Smith, DigbyDigby SmithDigby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9