Benquet | |
|---|---|
 Town hall | |
Location of Benquet  | |
  Benquet  Benquet | |
| Coordinates:43°49′51″N0°30′02″W / 43.8308°N 0.5006°W /43.8308; -0.5006 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Landes |
| Arrondissement | Mont-de-Marsan |
| Canton | Mont-de-Marsan-2 |
| Intercommunality | Mont-de-Marsan Agglomération |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Pierre Mallet[1] |
Area 1 | 29.33 km2 (11.32 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 1,913 |
| • Density | 65/km2 (170/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 40037 /40280 |
| Elevation | 46–91 m (151–299 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Benquet (French pronunciation:[bɛ̃kɛ]) is acommune in theLandesdepartment inNouvelle-Aquitaine in southwesternFrance.[3]
Benquet is situated 5 miles (8 km) south ofMont-de-Marsan, at the confines of theLandes forest and of the agricultural region ofChalosse. It is 55 miles (89 km) from theAtlantic Ocean.
Neighboring cities are:Saint-Pierre-du-Mont,Bretagne-de-Marsan,Saint-Maurice-sur-Adour,Saint-Sever,Bas-Mauco,Haut-Mauco.
Benquet, belonging to the former royal province ofGascony, 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.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 828 | — |
| 1975 | 1,039 | +3.30% |
| 1982 | 1,154 | +1.51% |
| 1990 | 1,240 | +0.90% |
| 1999 | 1,291 | +0.45% |
| 2009 | 1,471 | +1.31% |
| 2014 | 1,618 | +1.92% |
| 2020 | 1,878 | +2.51% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
Its inhabitants are calledBenquetois in French.
Mostly corn-growing, breeding (ducks, geese), foie-gras making. Agri-foodstuff research center.
Benquet is the twin village ofMuespach-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 arrived in the early stages ofWorld War II.
ChurchesSt John the Baptist (19th century) and Saint Christau (eleventh century). Benquet is a stopover on the medieval pilgrimage route toSantiago Compostela (route ofVézelay). Benquet boasts a the privately ownedchâteau de Laurens Castelet and a "miraculous" spring, close to the church of St Christau.
King Henri IV had an elegant home in Benquet: the Château-Vieux lodge (no longer exists).
People are mostly Catholic. The official language is French. TheGascon language is still spoken by some elderly people on some occasions.
Hunting (woodcocks, pheasants...) and fishing are very popular + walking (pilgrims to Santiago are still to be met), cycling, basketball playing.
| Previous stop Saint Pierre-du-Mont | Santiago Compostela pilgrimage Via Lemovicensis | Next stop Saint-Sever |
 | This Landes geographical article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
