Banca, Pyrénées-Atlantiques

The Nive des Aldudes flows from Aldudes in the south-west, gathering tributaries such as the Antchignoko Erreka, the Ruisseau d'Hayra, the Latcharrako Erreka, and the Belechiko Erreka on the northern border, and continues north-east to join the Nive south of Saint-Martin-d'Arrossa. The Ruisseau d'Hayra rises in the south of the commune and flows north gathering tributaries such as the Lehaltzarteko Erreka, the Caminarteko Erreka, and the Legarzuko Erreka to join the Nive des Aldudes near the village.[6]

[12]

Traditional house in the Aldudes Valley.

The commune is part of four inter-communal structures:

• the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque;
• the inter-communal association for the development and management of the slaughterhouse in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port;
• the association to support Basque culture.
• the joint association for the drainage basin of the Nive;

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Banca Mine on D948 (19th century).[19] These remains are at the northern entrance of the village including a blast furnace. The supply canal is fed by the waters of the Nive captured upstream and turn a wheel of a blower machine which injected air at the base of the blast furnace through two nozzles. The adjacent building, still dominated by the canal, housed the forge fires and hammers to make cast iron and a splitting mill for splitting iron bars.
• Houses and Farms (19th century)[20]
• The Redoubt of Lindus (1813).[11] This redoubt was used during the Franco-Spanish War 1813–1814.
• The Gorria Farmhouse (now a Stable) (18th century)[9]
• The Gixonaenea Farmhouse (1808)[10]
• The Xangala Farmhouse (19th century)[7]

The Parish Church of Saint Peter.

• The Parish Church of Saint Peter (19th century) is registered as an historical monument.[21]

• The Petechanea Gallery (0.1 hectares) is one of the locations of the regional conservatory of natural areas of the Pyrenees.
• Mountain Peaks[12]
  • Mount Harrigorry 806 m
  • Munhogain 853 m
  • Otsamunho 901 m
  • Errola 908 m
  • Abraku 1003 m
  • Ichtauz 1024 m
  • Antchola 1119 m
  • Mehatzé 1209 m
  • Lindus 1220 m
  • Mendimotcha 1224 m
  • Aurigna 1278 m

The Fronton.

The commune has a primary school.

There is a Fronton traversed by a road.

• Mines and Metallurgical Establishments of Banca, dir. P. Machot, J&D, Biarritz, Izpegi, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry, 1995, 306 p. (in French)
• Pierre Machot and Gilles Parent, "Mines and Metallurgy in the Valley of Baïgorry", in The Valley of Baïgorry, Éditions Izpegi, reprinted in 2002 (in French)
• Gilles Parent, "The handiwork of the Copper Foundry of Banca in the 18th century" in Revue d'Histoire Industrielle des Pyrénées Occidentales, No. 2, 2007, p. 143–222, Éditions Izpegi (in French)

• BANKA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa) (in Spanish)