A castle facing the ocean, Pays Basque

The Ilbarritz castle is an exceptional site. Soon after the 1890 World Fair, iconoclast Baron Albert de l’Espée brought together the best engineers to design a monument majestic enough to house a cathedral organ, the greatest privately-owned organ ever built. From 1894 to 1898, in Bidart, architect Gustave Huguenin directed the construction of what would become an atypical, 3,000-sq m mansion. The T-shaped main building, facing the ocean, is framed by two towers. To the north, a 40-m turret crowned by a belvedere is “probably the highest location on the whole Basque coast, surveying a stunning panorama extending from Bilbao to the Pyla sand dune”, says Emile Garcin Biarritz. This listed building is set in an amazing environment: close to 1 ha of land with an open outlook, surrounded by the 9- hole Ilbarritz golf course. Just a 10-min drive from Biarritz international airport and Saint Jean de Luz, the property, with its vintage features (main staircase, organ hall), is in good overall condition, though it would need some renovation work. With its incredible potential, it could easily be turned into a luxury hotel, an attractive second home, or the headquarters of a firm’s cultural foundation. Projects linked to golf or surfing should also be considered.

Proposed price: 12,000,000 euros

© Eric Despin

Estate agent : Emile Garcin Biarritz – Biarritz, Tél. : 05 59 01 59 59. https://www.emilegarcin.fr