- Bordeaux architecture
- City gate
- Bordeaux landmarks
- Bordeaux museums
- Bordeaux and wine
Bordeaux is a port city in southwestern France, on the banks of the Garonne. A city with an amazing thousand-year history. The ancient capital of Gaul, the center of historical Aquitaine, the capital of the modern Gironde. Without visiting Bordeaux, one can hardly get a complete picture of the culture, architecture and history of France. It is the center of artisans and winemakers, a city of aristocrats and clergy.
If you are lucky enough to get to Bordeaux, do not rack your brains about where to go and what to see - the city, with its arrow bell towers, with its grandiose squares and old streets, will itself tell the route to its attentive and inquisitive guests.
Bordeaux architecture
Cathedral of Saint Andrew
The first impression of Bordeaux can be obtained by looking at it from the height of the Tour Pey-Berland. 230 steps lead to the observation deck of the tower. The construction of the Pe-Berlan bell tower began in the 15th century. It belongs to the ensemble of the Saint-André Cathedral, although it is located at some distance. The building of the tower is made in the style of flaming Gothic and is lavishly decorated with carvings.
Opposite the bell tower is the Cathedral of St. Andrew. It was founded in the 11th century on the site of an early Christian temple of the 3rd century, and already in 1137 the future King Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine were married here. But for another five long centuries, the cathedral was completed and rebuilt. Wars and revolutions did not cause significant damage to the cathedral, and today we can admire this amazing masterpiece of Gothic architecture, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Episcopal Palace of Rogan, which is located near the Pe-Berlan square, was built in the second half of the 18th century with money from the church, the city treasury and the personal funds of Archbishop Ferdinan de Rogan. From 1835 to the present day, this luxurious neoclassical building houses the city hall.
Rue Sainte-Catherine in Bordeaux is the longest pedestrianized street in Europe and the oldest street in the city. Back in the Middle Ages, there was a lively trade in products. In particular, butchers at that time had the right to trade only on St. Catherine Street and nowhere else. Today, in addition to a huge variety of shops, including the most fashionable, Saint-Catherine has many historical buildings and architectural monuments. The street stretches conveniently for tourist walks, it leads from the Comedy Square, where the Grand Theater is located, to Victory Square with the Aquitaine Gate and the University.
Another attraction with the word "most" is the Exchange Square, the symbol of Bordeaux. This is the largest "mirror" in Europe. With the help of special sprays, water is pumped in a thin layer on the marble slabs, which lined the area, during the day. The “mirror” reflects the architectural ensemble of the square: two most beautiful baroque palaces and the fountain of the Three Graces.
The Parliament Square in Bordeaux has been officially a historical monument since 1952. It received its modern name at the end of the 18th century, and before that it was Liberty Square (in honor of the Great French Revolution), and even earlier - the Royal Market Square. The square is decorated with a fountain in the style of "new renaissance" with sculptures of nymphs, and richly decorated buildings and mansions of the early 18th century stand around the perimeter.
City gate
Cayo gate
The urban architectural ensemble of Bordeaux is included by UNESCO in the list of world heritage of mankind. And among the many historical monuments of Bordeaux, this most beautiful, according to Stendhal, city of France, the ancient city gates deserve special mention.
In total, there are eight of them in Bordeaux, the most interesting and significant of them are as follows:
- Cayo Gate (Rue Porte de Cailhau). This imposing medieval gateway, combining Renaissance and Gothic features, is noted on ancient city plans dating back to 1450. Port Cayo faces the Garonne promenade and used to be the main entrance to the city. The defensive function of the gate is evidenced by the loopholes located along the entire perimeter of the building, as well as by the massive grating that was lowered in case of danger. And the figure of the king, placed in the center above the gate, shows that Port Cayo was also used as the Arc de Triomphe.
- Gate of the Big Bell (Grosse cloche de Bordeaux), one of the most ancient buildings in Bordeaux. This gate is famous for its bell, which was sounded on solemn occasions or in moments of greatest danger. The gate is mentioned in the city chronicles of the XII-XIII centuries. They were pierced through the ramparts on the way of pilgrims traveling through Bordeaux to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The silhouette of the Big Bell Tower can be seen on the city's coat of arms.
- The Aquitaine Gate (Porte d'Aquitaine) was built in the middle of the 18th century in honor of the Duke of Aquitaine. This is the main attraction of Victory Square. They are a triumphal arch with a triangle-shaped pediment decorated with stucco. The opening is 11 meters high and 5 meters wide. The famous shopping street Saint-Catherine with a length of 1300 meters starts from the gate.
- The Dijo Gate (Porte Dijeaux) was also built in the middle of the 18th century, at the same time as the Aquitaine. The project was supervised by the famous architect A. Portier, one of the founders of the neoclassical style in France. During the construction, an unusual material was used - a porous stone interspersed with fossils. The Dijo Gate is notable for its monumentality. The relief of the graceful portico, crowning the gate, depicts the royal coat of arms with heraldic lilies. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the Dijo Gate has been officially recognized as a historical and cultural monument of France.
The Burgundy Gate (Porte de Bourgogne), which is also a state historical monument, was erected in the 18th century at the entrance to Bordeaux from the side of Paris. The author of the gate is the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, who designed the Bordeaux Exchange Square. The Burgundy Gate is a classic monumental triumphal arch with a pair of columns on the sides and no decorative frills.
Bordeaux landmarks
Basilica of Saint Michael
The historical center of Bordeaux - Port de la Lune (Port of the Moon) - is surprisingly rich in sights and monuments from different eras.
One of the most ancient religious buildings in Bordeaux is the Saint-Serain Basilica. It was built in the 6th century on the site of a cemetery, destroyed in the 9th century by the Normans, and then restored in the 11th-12th centuries. Today this example of the Romanesque style with Gothic elements is a national monument and is protected by UNESCO.
An even more ancient attraction is the Gallien Palace (Gallic Palace), also called the Bordeaux amphitheater. It dates back to the 2nd century and is the only surviving monument of ancient Burdigal, the city of Roman times, where modern Bordeaux stands.
But the Pont du Pierre (or Stone Bridge) bridge, a symbol and one of the most beautiful sights of the city, was built much later. The bridge was erected in 1819-1822 by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. The bridge had 17 spans (which corresponds to the number of letters in the name of the ruler), each of its pillars was decorated with a medallion depicting Napoleon, in some places the coat of arms of Bordeaux was also placed. This was the first bridge in the city. Prior to this, the inhabitants of Bordeaux crossed the Garonne by ferry.
Not far from the Pont du Pierre bridge is perhaps the most significant landmark of Bordeaux - the Saint-Michel Basilica with a 115-meter bell tower. St. Michael's Basilica is the tallest church in the south of France and is one of the tallest religious buildings in the world. This is the most striking example of the amazing and stunningly beautiful flaming Gothic style, which is characterized by sharp pointed arches, stone needle lace, unusually sharp spiers. The masterly executed interior decoration of the temple is also striking.
Bordeaux museums
The thousand-year history of Bordeaux is carefully preserved by the numerous museums of the city, a visit to which is highly recommended to be included in the tourist program.
The most interesting and rich expositions are presented in museums such as:
- Historical Museum of Aquitaine. This is one of the most interesting museums in all of France. He tells about the history of Aquitaine, which began many centuries before our era. In the collection of the museum "Venus with a horn", the oldest stone exhibit found by archaeologists near Bordeaux, tools from the Iron Age, sculptures of ancient times, monuments of the era of the emergence of Christianity. Most of the museum tells about the times of colonial France, because the trade of the metropolis with the colonies went exactly through the port of Bordeaux.
- The exposition of the Museum of Fine Arts was born after the French Revolution, as a result of which the personal art collections of the nobility were transferred to the state. Today, the museum has 2,000 paintings created in the 15th-20th centuries, including works by Rubens, Titian, Perugino, Van Dyck and Matisse.
- The Customs Museum occupies one of the buildings belonging to the unique architectural ensemble on Birzhevaya Square. The collection of the museum, numbering 12,000 exhibits, provides the most complete picture of the history of trade in Bordeaux, as well as the modern work of customs officials. The most interesting exhibits are confiscated goods, including a dinosaur egg, ivory, jewelry, fake paintings and counterfeit money, as well as various gadgets and "tools" of smugglers.
- The Wine Museum, one of the most visited in Bordeaux, occupies a mansion built at the beginning of the 17th century and owned by the official wine supplier at the court of King Louis XV. On a tour of the museum, you can see all the stages of wine preparation, as well as taste drinks from different wineries.
- In the museum of modern art, the combination of the inner content, represented by works of avant-garde art, and the harsh outer shell is primarily interesting - the museum occupies a room in which a warehouse of colonial goods was located for 100 years. The collection of modern art, numbering about 1000 works created by two hundred recognized avant-garde masters, is one of the largest in France.
Bordeaux and wine
Bordeaux is traditionally included in the best food and wine tours in the world. The winemaking tradition of the Aquitaine region dates back over 2000 years. Around Bordeaux - 120,000 hectares of vineyards, thousands of family wineries, wine cellars and trading houses. Almost 6 dozen brands of wines are produced here: red (about 85%), rosé and white.
Connoisseurs and amateurs alike believe that it is best to taste Bordeaux wines right where they are made. For the most vivid emotions, they go on wine excursions in the vicinity of Bordeaux - to medieval Saint-Emilion or to the Medoc vineyards.
But even without leaving the city, you can fully enjoy the unsurpassed taste of Bordeaux wines, which for many centuries have been recognized throughout the world as the standard of quality: the city has a huge number of establishments where food is delicious and delicious, and the main feature of all Bordeaux restaurants is a wide selection of excellent guilt.
