Pheasant Island: The Land with Two Owners
The lure of a Mediterranean holiday home is powerful, but financial due diligence should come before beachfront daydreams. As a foreign national looking to invest in Spanish property, you need to navigate a specific set of taxDid you know there’s a small island that changes its nationality twice a year? Meet Pheasant Island, a tiny river patch sitting right on the border between France and Spain. It holds the title of the world’s smallest “condominium,” meaning both nations share sovereignty. From February to July, it belongs to Spain, and from August to January, it flips back to France. This seamless hand-over has been happening for over 160 years!
The island’s significance dates back to 1659, when it hosted the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees. This historic agreement ended a long-standing conflict between the two superpowers. The neutral ground was chosen so that neither King Louis XIV nor King Philip IV had to step onto their rival’s soil. It was also the site of a royal wedding arrangement between the “Sun King” and Maria Theresa of Spain, cementing a new era of European diplomacy.
Despite its name, you won’t find any pheasants here today. When the famous writer Victor Hugo visited in 1843, he reportedly only found a single lonely cow grazing on the grass. Interestingly, the island has actually shrunk over the centuries due to river erosion, but the two countries have worked together to reinforce its banks, ensuring this symbolic piece of land doesn’t disappear into the Bidasoa river.
If you were planning to visit, keep in mind that Pheasant Island is strictly off-limits to tourists. Only military personnel and officials are allowed on the island for maintenance and the official transfer ceremonies. However, you can easily catch a glimpse of it from the riverbanks of Irun in Spain or Hendaye in France. It remains a fascinating living monument to peace and shared history!
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