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Espelette |
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Espelette
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Aquitaine |
| Department | Pyrénées-Atlantiques |
| Arrondissement | Bayonne |
| Canton | Espelette |
| Intercommunality | Errobi |
| Mayor | Florence Gracie (2006–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 33–749 m (108–2,457 ft) (avg. 77 m/253 ft) |
| Land area1 | 26.85 km2 (10.37 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 1,987 (2006) |
| - Density | 74 /km2 (190 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 64213/ 64250 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Espelette (Basque: Ezpeleta, Occitan: Espeleta) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.
It lies in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.
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The town is attractive with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected sixteenth century church, Saint-Etienne, has a Baroque altarpiece and its graveyard has many traditional Basque discoidal tombstones. There is also the grave of local woman Agnés Souret, the first woman chosen as 'the most beautiful woman in France'.
Espelette is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The peppers are sold in the town's Wednesday covered market and are honoured in a festival on the last Sunday in October.
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