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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Marracq was built at the beginning of the eighteenth century by Marie-Anne de Neubourg, queen of Spain in exile, who never lived there, preferring his residence of Saint Michael. Acquired in 1808 by Napoleon I, it became an imperial palace where the Abdication of Bayonne des Bourbons of Spain was signed in April 1808, allowing Joseph Bonaparte to be enthroned on the Spanish throne. Napoleon stayed there, refusing the Château-Vieux for this more comfortable place.

At the Restoration, the castle remained unoccupied until 1823, when the army settled. A fire in 1825 ravaged it, leaving only two walls. Today, the ruins, owned by the city of Bayonne, are being renovated since 2012 to avoid their collapse and accelerated erosion due to the absence of a roof.

Ranked a historic monument in 1907, the castle is an emblematic vestige of Bayonnaise history, linked to major events of the First Empire. The current work aims to secure and rehabilitate the site, located near Marracq College, while preserving its architectural heritage.

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