Ilbarritz Castle overlooks the town of Bidart, at the top of Handia Hill.
It was built between 1895 and 1897 by Gustave Huguenin, an architect from Biarritz, for Baron Albert de l'Espée, heir to the Wendel foundries, to house the largest Cavallié-Coll organ ever designed for a private individual.
The organ is now in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre.
The director of the Opéra Comique in Paris at the time bought the castle and organized numerous concerts there.
It was subsequently used as a hospital during the First World War, a camp for Spanish refugees in 1936, and German headquarters during the Second World War.
Left abandoned, the château fell prey to looters until 1958, when it was bought and converted into a hotel.
It was finally listed, in part, as a Historic Monument in 1990.
Resold in 1986 and closed for several years, the château, although listed (roof, facades, organ hall, grand staircase, interior decoration), suffered from a lack of maintenance. A major restoration project is currently under consideration.
The château was sold in July 2014 to the atypical French businessman and entrepreneur Bruno Ledoux, a major shareholder in the newspaper Libération, with the aim of creating a stunning hotel with the help of the famous designer Ora Ito.
The project will finally be able to take shape after obtaining a building permit in May 2025.
The project involves the identical restoration of the most remarkable architectural features: stone facades, balconies, railings, dormer windows, and badly damaged woodwork. The original materials—Bidache stone, cast iron, carved wood—will be carefully reproduced.
The work will be completed in 2030.
Ilbarritz Castle
64210 Bidart
