Subject: Ile de la Conférence<br/>
Date: Feb 22, 2001 @ 13:10<br/>
Author: Peter Smaardijk (Peter Smaardijk &lt;peter.smaardijk@and.com&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-1901494489">At <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.multimania.com/nivelle/ile.html">http://www.multimania.com/nivelle/ile.html</a> , as you already know, there is a picture of the<br/>
Franco-Spanish condominium Ile de la Conférence. This tiny island in the boundary river Bidassoa is<br/>
part of the two countries at the same time. This situation dates back a very long time, at least to<br/>
1659, when the Pyrenees treaty was signed here. In 1661 king Louis XIV picked up his bride, the<br/>
infante Maria-Teresia, on the island, and went to St. Jean-de-Luz (Donibane Lohizune), where they<br/>
were married.<br/>
<br/>
There is some confusion about the name and/or location of the island. Very often, the name you find<br/>
in the literature is Ile des Faisans/Isla de los Faisanes (Pheasant Island). According to a detailed<br/>
study by Jacques Descheemaeker on the island, the condominium is the small Ile de la Conférence, and<br/>
not the much larger Ile des Faisans, which nowadays doesn&#39;t exist anymore. It is now an industrial<br/>
estate in the municipality of Hendaye (Hendaia), and the small stream dividing it from the French<br/>
mainland no longer exists. The confusion remains in the treaty of Bayonne (demarcation of the<br/>
Franco-Spanish boundary, 1856), art. 27:<br/>
<br/>
&quot;The Ile des Faisans, also known by the name Ile de la Conférence, with which are connected so many<br/>
common historical memories for the two Nations, will belong, undivided, to France and Spain.<br/>
The respective border authorities will come to agreement for the repression of all crime committed<br/>
on the soil of this island.<br/>
The two Governments will take all measures, in agreement, deemed necessary in order to preserve this<br/>
island from destruction, which threatens it, and to undertake, jointly funded, works that they will<br/>
judge to be useful for its conservation and embellishment.&quot;<br/>
<br/>
Source: Traité pour déterminer la frontière depuis l&#39;embouchure de la Bidassoa jusqu&#39;au point où<br/>
confinent le Département des Basses-Pyrénées, l&#39;Aragon et la Navarre, signé à Bayonne (2 décembre<br/>
1856) (I have a copy of this treaty)<br/>
Jacques Descheemaeker, &quot;La Bidassoa et l&#39;Ile de la Conférence&quot;, in Eusko-Jakintza, no. 2, 1947<br/>
<br/>
I&#39;m including a scan of the 1:25K Topo map (IGN) and a drawing made by Descheemaeker.<br/>
<br/>
Peter</div>