Bourges is a city in central France on the
YèvreThe Yèvre is a river in central France, right tributary of the river Cher. Its source is near the village Gron, east of Bourges. The Yèvre flows generally west through the following towns, all in the département Cher: Baugy, Avord, Saint-Germain-du-Puy, Bourges, Mehun-sur-Yèvre and Vierzon.The...
river. It is the capital of the department of
CherCher is an administrative department located in the centre of France. It is named after the Cher River.-History:Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. Most of it was created, along with the adjacent department of Indre from the former...
and also was the capital of the former
provinceThe Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
of
BerryBerry is a region located in the center of France. It was a province of France until the provinces were replaced by départements on 4 March 1790....
.
History
The name of the city is either derived from the
BiturigesThe Bituriges was a tribe with its capital at Bourges .Early in the 1st century BCE, they had been one of the main tribes, especially in terms of Druids and their political influence. But they soon declined in power as the Druids were an important target for Julius Caesar in his conquest of Gaul...
, the name of the original inhabitants, or from the Germanic
BurgBurg is the word for castle in various Germanic languages.Burg or Bürg or Buerg may refer to:*Burg bei Magdeburg, a city in Germany*Den Burg, a town in the Netherlands* Burg, former name of Melber, Kentucky...
(French:
Bourg. Spanish:
Burgos. English, others:
BurghA burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
,
BergBerg is the word for mountain in various Germanic languages, and may also refer to:-People:* Alban Berg , Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School.* Paul Berg Berg is the word for mountain in various Germanic languages, and may also refer to:-People:* Alban Berg (1885-1935), Austrian...
, or
BoroughA borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
), for "hill/village". Its
CeltThe Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic name was
Avaricon and its
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
name was
AvaricumAvaricum was an oppidum in ancient Gaul, near what is now the city of Bourges. Avaricum, situated in the lands of the Bituriges, was the largest and best-fortified town within their territory, situated on very fertile lands...
. In the
Gallic WarsThe Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 51 BC. The Gallic Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the...
, the Gauls practised a scorched-earth policy, but the inhabitants of Avaricum begged not to have their city burned, and it was spared due to its good defences provided by the surrounding marshes and a strong southern wall. Following the siege of Avaricum in the winter of 52 BC,
Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's forces destroyed the city and killed all but 800 of its inhabitants.
The city was reconstructed as a Roman city, with a monumental gate, aqueducts,
thermae and an amphitheatre, reaching a greater size than it would attain during the Middle Ages. The massive walls surrounding the late Roman city, enclosing 40 hectares, were built in part re-using stone from earlier public buildings.
The third century
Saint UrsinusSaint Ursinus of Bourges is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and is considered the first bishop of Bourges.Gregory of Tours' legendary account associated him with a Nathaniel, friend of Philip the Apostle, that he was present at the Last Supper, and read a lesson there...
, also known as Saint Ursin, is considered the first bishop of the city. Bourges is the seat of an archbishopric. During the 8th century Bourges lay on the northern fringes of the Duchy of Aquitaine and was therefore the first town to come under Frankish attacks when they crossed the Loire. It was captured by the Frankish
Charles MartelCharles Martel , also known as Charles the Hammer, was a Frankish military and political leader, who served as Mayor of the Palace under the Merovingian kings and ruled de facto during an interregnum at the end of his life, using the title Duke and Prince of the Franks. In 739 he was offered the...
in 731 but immediately reconquered by the duke Odo the Great. It remained under the rule of counts who pledged allegiance to the Aquitanian dukes up to the destructive assault of Pepin the Short on independent Aquitaine starting in 762, when
BasqueThe Duchy of Vasconia , or Wasconia, was originally a Frankish march formed by 602 to keep the Basques in check. It comprised the former Roman province of Novempopulania and, at least in some periods, also the lands south of the Pyrenees centred on Pamplona.In the ninth century, civil war within...
troops are found defending the town along with its count.
The
GothicGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
Cathedral of Saint EtienneBourges Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen, located in Bourges, France...
, begun at the end of the twelfth century, is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is considered the earliest example of the high gothic style of the thirteenth century.
During the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Bourges was the capital of a
ViscountA viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
y until the fourteenth century. The future king,
Charles VIICharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
, sought refuge there. His son, Louis XI, was born there in 1423. In 1438, Charles decreed the
Pragmatic Sanction of BourgesThe Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, issued by King Charles VII of France, on July 7, 1438, required a General Church Council, with authority superior to that of the pope, to be held every ten years, required election rather than appointment to ecclesiastical offices, prohibited the pope from...
. During this period, Bourges was also a major capital of
alchemyAlchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
.
The city has a long tradition of art and history, other sites of importance include the Palace of
Jacques CœurJacques Cœur , was a French merchant, one of the founders of the trade between France and the Levant.- Origins :He was born at Bourges, the city where his father, Pierre Cœur, was a rich merchant...
and a sixty-five-hectare district of half-timbered houses and fine town houses.
Personalities
The Impressionist painter
Berthe MorisotBerthe Morisot was a painter and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. She was described by Gustave Geffroy in 1894 as one of "les trois grandes dames" of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt.In 1864, she exhibited for the first...
was born in Bourges on 14 January 1841.
Population
Sights
- Its Gothic cathedral
Bourges Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen, located in Bourges, France...
(built 1195–1255) was added to the list of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in 1992
- Jacques Cœur
Jacques Cœur , was a French merchant, one of the founders of the trade between France and the Levant.- Origins :He was born at Bourges, the city where his father, Pierre Cœur, was a rich merchant...
's Palace
- The Maurice Estève Museum
- The marshes of the Yèvre
The Yèvre is a river in central France, right tributary of the river Cher. Its source is near the village Gron, east of Bourges. The Yèvre flows generally west through the following towns, all in the département Cher: Baugy, Avord, Saint-Germain-du-Puy, Bourges, Mehun-sur-Yèvre and Vierzon.The...
and Voiselle Rivers, was listed in 2003 as a French Natural Monument or Site
- The ruins of the Gallo-Roman walls
- The Conservatoire national du Pélargonium
The Conservatoire national du Pélargonium is a municipal botanical garden specializing in pelargoniums, which is located within the municipal greenhouses on the Chemin Tortiot, Bourges, Cher, Centre, France. The collection was established in 1986 and now contains 250 pelargonium species and 1,100...
Transport
The railway station
Gare de BourgesGare de Bourges is a railway station serving the town Bourges, Cher department, central France.-Services:The following services currently call at Bourges:*intercity services Nantes - Tours - Bourges - Lyon...
offers direct connections to Paris, Orléans, Tours, Lyon and several regional destinations. The
A71The A71 autoroute is a motorway in central France. It is also called the l'Arverne. It starts at Orléans and ends at Clermont-Ferrand.-Orléans to Bourges:...
motorway connects Bourges with Orléans and Clermont-Ferrand.
Bourges AirportBourges Airport is an airport serving Bourges, a commune in the Cher department of the Centre region of France. It is located southwest of Bourges.-Facilities:...
is a small regional airport.
Colleges and universities
Twin towns – sister cities
Bourges is
twinnedTwin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
AugsburgAugsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany Aveiro, Portugal
ForlìForlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
KoszalinKoszalin ; is the largest city of Middle Pomerania in north-western Poland. It is located 12 km south of the Baltic Sea coast. Koszalin is also a county-status city and capital of Koszalin County of West Pomeranian Voivodeship since 1999...
, Poland
PalenciaPalencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
, Spain
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, United Kingdom –
Yoshkar-OlaYoshkar-Ola is the capital city of the Mari El Republic, Russia. Population: Yoshkar-Ola means red city in Mari. The current name is the third to have been given to the city. The city was known as Tsaryovokokshaysk before 1919 and as Krasnokokshaysk between 1919 and 1927...
, Russia
External links