The auction house (La criée)

In the 1960s, when the economy was revitalized through tuna fishing seasons in the Senegal waters and sardine fishing seasons in the sea near Mauritania, the port had more than 100 boats, 1200 fishermen and about 15 canning factories. As there was no storing infrastructure, the Syndicate for the fishermen and the canning factories (Syndicat des pêcheurs et conserveries) called upon the local Chamber of commerce to create a refrigerated warehouse capable of handling 1200 tonnes of fish. In 1964, Pierre Prunet, architect-in-chief working for the historical monuments services, suggested the construction of an innovative building, in a complete departure from the local architectural style. The building was modern and functional, and took into account the constraints of the design requirements since part of its roof was angled in such a way that a goods lift could take the fish to six freezing rooms. In 1979, the building was refurbished to host the auction house of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure.