La Teste-de-Buch
La Teste- de-Buch is a French town with 24 505 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011) in the Gironde department in the region of Aquitaine. The city is since January 1, 2007, the arrondissement of Arcachon and is the capital (French: chef- lieu) of the Canton of La Teste- de-Buch.
Geography
The city lies on the southern banks of the Bassin d' Arcachon. It is divided in Cazaux, Pyla- sur -Mer and La Teste Centre.
Flora and Fauna
Located on the Ile aux Oiseaux, an island in the center of the Bassin d' Arcachon, meet annually a heron, curlew and beach runners.
The largest sand dune in Europe, the Dune du Pilat, around 110 m high, is located in the city belonging to the area and is now to be seen on the arms of the city, which was decorated with a seahorse before. It was in 1978 declared a nature reserve. Since then, approximately 135 acres of dune and the surrounding forest (about 4000 hectares ) are protected.
La Teste- de-Buch is a center of oysters.
Traffic
From the train station in La Teste- de-Buch hourly trains to Bordeaux. The journey time is approximately 50 min; Arcachon is one in about 10 min. In Cazaux is a major military airfield in the Air Force.
Twinning
- Schwaigern, Germany (since 2004)
- Binghamton, United States