Monument to Eugenie de Montijo on the summit of Larrun
Monument to Eugenie de Montijo on the summit of Larrun (La Rhune), a mountain at the western end of the Pyrenees. It is located on the border of France and Spain, where the traditional Basque provinces of Labourd and Navarra meet. The mountain started to become a popular destination for tourists following Eugenie de Montijo's holidays in Biarritz since 1864, and her outings to its summit. Eugenie was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until the Emperor was overthrown on 4 September 1870. Empress Eugenie climbed the Rhune in 1859. The party travelled to and from Biarritz by horse carriage and then on the back of mules up the mountain, stopping for a large lunch half-way up. This was followed by dancing and an exhibition match of pelota and the party arrived on the summit at dusk. The monument to this event originally had a bronze eagle on the top (as shown here) but this was removed in 1940, to be used for German munitions
