Soule

Soule ( " Soule on standard Basque, Xiberoa or Xiberua in the local dialect [ ʃiberua ] ) is the smallest of the seven historical provinces of the Basque Country or the three former provinces in the French part. She has in the present no official status as a political or administrative unit; their territory is part of the department of Pyrénées- Atlantiques.

Population

The field of Soule has 13,471 (1999) inhabitants in an area of ​​approximately 785 km ², its historic capital is Mauléon- Licharre (Basque: Maule Maule or Lextarre ). The inhabitants are called Souletins in French and Zuberotarrak in Basque.

Economy

The economic activities are concentrated in agriculture ( pasture farming and cheese production). Among the crafts you will find mainly the production of espadrilles.

History

The former province of Soule is only once, stepped out at the so-called Matala Uprising ( 1661), from the shadows of history.

Attractions

For the territory of the many souls typical aisled church buildings of the 16th and 17th centuries are Trinitaire with a Clocher. In many cemeteries still bear the typical disk-shaped grave stones of the Basque Country ( hilarri ).