the rebirth of the Hergarai Valley, in the Basque Country

It is the story of a rebirth, that of the Hergarai valley (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), nestled in the heart of the Basque Country and surrounded by mountains, where five villages are now one. Saturday, in a farm-inn of Lecumberry, we push the song in Basque. “We have a lot of fun, because everyone knows each other, it’s great”, said a young woman. These meetings are more than a tradition, but also a means of creating social ties in this small piece of territory.

Local businesses are also reborn

Here, there is a good atmosphere and solidarity, partly launched by an association, Hergarai Bizi, founded in 2009. One of the volunteers, Petton Daguerre, had a crazy idea, to revive a sawmill that had been closed for 70 years. “There is wood, there are forestry trucks passing by from time to time, but we don’t know where the wood is going. Couldn’t we capture some of it to be able to warm up and create jobs?, he said. At the beginning of the last century, the sawmill employed up to 400 people, today there are two full-time. The order book is complete and two other employees will soon be recruited. The goal is to keep young people in the valley, and in all sectors, and to make their heritage survive.