Biarritz 1856

Biarritz 1867

Biarritz was a small fishing village at the beginning of the 19th century.
Biarritz and the Basque Coast have been appreciated for a long time. Napoleon I bathed there in 1808.
Eugenie de Guzmán, young countess of Teba and future empress of the French, was in love with the open sea and sea bathing; she visited the site in the 1830s with her mother.

It was in 1854 that Napoleon III decided to build a villa there for his young wife Eugenie. Villa Eugenie, was located on a promontory about thirty meters set back from the sea.

Villa Eugenie

In 1858, Napoleon III built the "Bains Napoleon", baths of sea water or fresh water, hot or cold.( in this place would be built later the Casino Municipal)

Bains Napoleon

Many crowned heads take advantage of the seaside resort.
The imperial stay attracted many tourists, especially a crowd of foreigners, Russians, English, Americans, Poles and especially Spaniards, but also many crowned heads. After Dieppe, Trouville and the Normandy coast, Biarritz, in turn, experienced the "pleasure trains" which enabled Parisian high society to reach the resorts.
The rail link from Paris to Bordeaux was inaugurated in 1854, and the following year that from Bordeaux to Bayonne; nine years later, Biarritz-La Négresse station welcomed visitors. The Empress felt remarkably well on the Basque Coast. Eugenie and Napoleon III had planned to retire permanently to the Basque Country
The last imperial stay took place in 1868 and, after the fall of the regime, the ex-empress sold the villa in 1880, which burned down in 1903, before being rebuilt seven years later and transformed into a grand hotel. (After the death of Napoleon III and her son Louis-Napoléon, Empress Eugénie sold the estate on November 6, 1881 to the Société du Crédit Mobilier Espagnol, administered by five businessmen. These associates decided to transform the villa into a hotel under the name of Palais Biarritz.
On the night of February 1, 1903, the Villa Eugenie was destroyed. Fire broke out in the attic, fanned by a strong wind, the fire ravaged the building in three hours.In September 1903, a company formed by Alfred Boulant, owner of the two casinos (CASINO BELLEVUE and CASINO MUNICIPAL), bought the ruins of the villa and had the hotel rebuilt on its old bases. )

Hotel du Palais

Eugenie and Napoleon III loved Biarritz so much that it was said that the emperor had planned to abdicate in 1874 in favor of his son and to retire to the Basque Country, spending the winter in Pau and the summer in Biarritz. Fate decided otherwise.
Biarritz was the preferred holiday resort of the British royal family
The love of the crowned heads for the seaside city did not stop with the Second Empire. And we soon saw many of them flocking. Thus Princess Frederika of Hanover settled in the city and Queen Nathalie of Serbia stayed there.
As for the British royal family, it made it their preferred holiday resort.
On March 7, 1889, Queen Victoria arrived there by special train. The sovereign spent almost two months there.

Ville Rochefoucauld housed Queen Victoria of England

His son, King Edward VII, already present in 1879, when he was only Prince of Wales, also stayed in Biarritz ...
A few years will pass, the Prince of Wales his son was again the guest of the Grand Hotel and during a glorious period the sovereigns succeeded the sovereigns on the beach which then became the most aristocratic in Europe. It was King Oscar of Sweden who came to spend between 1894 and 1898 a few seasons. Twice only the painful figure of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria appeared among us while a figure also haloed by misfortune came and settled there for some time in his wandering life.
The Belgian king Leopold II spent a few seasons at Villa Clémence.
As a distraction for vacationers, the casinos appeared, as well as several Cercles, one of which was the British Club, from the very numerous English colony residing there.
Today we will deal with only the first and the most aristocratic of casinos – THE CASINO BELLEVUE

KINGS in BIARRITZ
1- Edouard VII England



2- KING OF SPAIN

CASINO BELLEVUE

In Biarritz, the inauguration of the first Bellevue Casino in 1858 marked the launch of the young seaside resort, encouraged by the imperial couple. Overlooking the bay of Grande Plage, the aptly named "Bellevue" has an architectural rigor that was quite surprising for the time.
The Bellevue Casino is the oldest gaming establishment in Biarritz. Built in less than three years by Raimundo-Benito de Montfort, it opened its doors in 1858 directly above the Grande Plage. The casino was inaugurated in 1858; hardly finished, "good society" invades the place.
The elegant ones frequented the terrace under which shops had been set up.
On the death of Monsieur de Montfort in 1871 Cyrille Gardères bought it. He installed gas lighting there, the casino reopened in 1872.
No sooner had Emile Catelain purchased the Bellevue than a fire ravaged the building on October 16, 1886.
It was necessary to rebuild, which was done as soon as possible by the architect Bertrand. On July 20, 1887, the establishment reopened.
The casino was enlarged in 1902 and was taken over by Émile Catelain's nephew, Alfred Boulant ( WAS OWNER OF THE TWO CASINOS – CASINO BELLEVUE AND CASINO MUNICIPAL. In some period of time both casino used similar jetons)
Exceptionally comfortable with the installation of electricity, the casino has been a huge success.
During the First World War, it was like the Municipal casino transformed into a military hospital.
It was restored again in 1926. Its reputation did not weaken in the 1950s and the establishment welcomed the ballets of Roland Petit and Joséphine Baker.
Acquired by the city of Biarritz in 1982, it underwent several transformations.
The Casino Bellevue ended being the wheel turned for one last time on June 16, 1994.
From 1996 to 1999 the casino was completely refurbished and became Espace Bellevue.

1925

1926
1- CASINO BELLEVUE

2- CASINOS DE BIARRITZ




CASINOS DE BIARRITZ -during the period between the first and second world war the management of both casinos, Casino Bellevue and Casino Municipal was common and were used the same chips in both casinos.

ENIGMA-We don't know any older jetons. Were they destroyed in the fire? or….

JETONS and PLAQUES photos from CHIPGUIDE