The small village of Solferino is a real curiosity. Napoleon III, who ordered the afforestation of the Landes and created the Eugénie-les-Bains spa resort acquired 8,000 hectares of moorland in 1857 to create a model imperial agricultural estate. 38 farmhouses were built according to a strictly symmetrical plan to house the workers. In addition, ten craftsmen’s houses were built opposite each other along the main street leading to the Church of Sainte Eugenie, surrounded by the town hall, the school and the presbytery, all of which were crossed by the new railway line that linked France and Spain. It was an agricultural utopia worthy of the conquest of the American West! This continued until the beginning of the 20th century, before the village returned to a normal agricultural vocation. But its buildings and symmetrical layout still bear witness to this curious adventure.