- Benquet
French commune|nomcommune=Benquet
région=Aquitaine
département=Landes
arrondissement=Mont-de-Marsan
canton=Mont-de-Marsan-Sud
insee=40037
cp=40280
maire=Pierre Mallet
mandat=
intercomm=CAM
longitude=-0.500555555556
latitude=43.8308333333
alt moy=60 m
alt mini=46 m
alt maxi=91 m
hectares=2,933
km²=29.33
sans=1,345
date-sans=1999
dens=46
date-dens=1999Benquet is a commune of France, located in the "département" of Landes (40), in the "région" of
Aquitaine , inFrance . Its inhabitants are called "Benquetois".Geography
Benquet is situated 5 miles South of the "
préfecture " city ofMont-de-Marsan , at the confines of theLandes forest and of the agricultural region ofChalosse . It is 55 miles from theAtlantic Ocean .Neighboring cities are: Saint-Pierre-du-Mont,
Bretagne-de-Marsan ,Saint-Maurice-sur-Adour ,Saint-Sever ,Bas-Mauco ,Haut-Mauco .History
Benquet, belonging to the former royal province of
Gascony , was under the rule of the abbey of Saint Sever. Jehan Bernard de Benquet, vassal of the prince ofNavarre , had the title of Sénéchal of Marsan and of Gabardan. Fights with FrenchHuguenots are reported here.Economy
Mostly corn-growing, breeding (ducks, geese), foie-gras making. Agri-foodstuff research center.
Twin cities
Benquet is the twin village of
Muespach-le-Haut , on the German border. As a matter of fact, population fromAlsace flew their region and found shelter in South-Western France when the Nazi troops came in in the early stages ofWorld War II .Places and monuments
Churches
St John the Baptist (19th century) and Saint Christau (11th century). Benquet is a stopover on the midieval pilgrimage route to Santiago Compostela (route ofVézelay ). Benquet boasts a beautiful privately-owned château and a "miraculous" spring, close to the church of St Christau.Personalities linked with the village
King Henri IV had an elegant home in Benquet: the Château-Vieux lodge (no longer exists).
Religion & Language
People are mostly Catholic. The official language is French. The
Gascon language is still spoken by some elderly people on some occasions.Recreational activities
Hunting (woodcocks, pheasants...) and fishing are very popular + walking (pilgrims to Santiago are still to be met), cycling, basketball playing.
Events
* Music Festival Atout Choeurs : early May
* Fair of Benquet : early JulyMiscellaneous
*
Communes of the Landes département External links
* [http://www.communedebenquet.com Site the village of Benquet (in French)]
* [http://roitelets.benquet.free.fr Site of the Roitelets basketballclub (in French)]
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