History
5th century BC to 11th century AD
Around 300 BC, the region was the settlement of a Celtic tribe, the12th century to 15th century, the English era
From the 12th to the 15th century, Bordeaux flourished once more following the marriage of Eléonore, Duchess of Aquitaine and the last of the House of Poitiers, to Henry II Plantagenêt, Count of Anjou and the grandson of15th century to 17th century
In 1462, Bordeaux created a local parliament. Bordeaux adhered to the Fronde, being effectively annexed to the Kingdom of France only in 1653, when the army of Louis XIV entered the city.18th century, the golden era
The 18th century saw another golden age of Bordeaux. The Port of the Moon supplied the majority of Europe with coffee, cocoa, sugar, cotton and indigo, becoming France's busiest port and the second busiest port in the world after London. Many downtown buildings (about 5,000), including those on the quays, are from this period. Bordeaux was also a major trading centre for slaves. In total, the Bordeaux shipowners deported 150,000 Africans in some 500 expeditions.French Revolution: political disruption and loss of the most profitable colony
At the beginning of the French Revolution (1789), many local revolutionaries were members of the Girondists. This Party represented the provincial bourgeoisie, favorable towards abolishing aristocracy privileges, but opposed to the Revolution's social dimension. In 1793, the Montagnards led by19th century, rebirth of the economy
From the20th century
During World War II, Bordeaux fell under German occupation. In May and June 1940, Bordeaux was the site of the life-saving actions of the Portuguese consul-general,21st century, listed as World heritage
In 2007, 40% of the city surface area, located around the Port of the Moon, was listed as World heritage sites. Unesco inscribed Bordeaux as "an inhabited historic city, an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble, created in the age of the Enlightenment, whose values continued up to the first half of the 20th century, with more protected buildings than any other French city except Paris".Geography
Bordeaux is located close to the European Atlantic coast, in the southwest of France and in the north of the Aquitaine region. It is around southwest of Paris. The city is built on a bend of the river Garonne, and is divided into two parts: the right bank to the east and left bank in the west. Historically the left bank is more developed because when flowing outside the bend, the water makes a furrow of the required depth to allow the passing of merchant ships, which used to offload on this side of the river. But, today, the right bank is developing, including new urban projects. In Bordeaux, the Garonne River is accessible toClimate
Bordeaux's climate was last officially classified as a temperateEconomy
Bordeaux is a major centre for business in France as it has the sixth largest metropolitan population in France. It serves as a major regional center for trade, administration, services and industry.Wine
The vine was introduced to the Bordeaux region by the Romans, probably in the mid-first century, to provide wine for local consumption, and wine production has been continuous in the region since. Bordeaux wine growing area has about of vineyards, 57 appellations, 10,000 wine-producing estates (châteaux) and 13,000 grape growers. With an annual production of approximately 960 million bottles, the Bordeaux area produces large quantities of everyday wine as well as some of the most expensive wines in the world. Included among the latter are the area's five ''premier cru'' (Others
The Laser Mégajoule will be one of the most powerful lasers in the world, allowing Research, fundamental research and the development of the laser and plasma (physics), plasma technologies. Some 20,000 people work for the aeronautic industry in Bordeaux. The city has some of the biggest companies including Dassault Aviation, Dassault, EADS Sogerma, Snecma, Thales Group, Thales, SNPE, and others. The Dassault Aviation, Dassault Falcon private jets are built there as well as the military aircraft Dassault Rafale, Rafale and Dassault Mirage 2000, Mirage 2000, the Airbus A380 cockpit, the Booster (rocketry), boosters of Ariane 5, and the M51 (missile), M51 SLBM missile. Tourism, especially wine tourism, is a major industry. Globelink.co.uk mentioned Bordeaux as the best tourist destination in Europe in 2015. Access to the Port de la Lune, port from the Atlantic is via theMajor companies
This list includes indigenous Bordeaux-based companies and companies that have major presence in Bordeaux, but are not necessarily headquartered there. *Arena (swimwear), Arena *Groupe Bernard *Groupe Castel *Cdiscount *Dassault Group, Dassault *Jock (company), Jock *Marie Brizard et Roger International, Marie Brizard *McKesson Corporation *Oxbow (surfwear), Oxbow *Pernod Ricard, Ricard *Sanofi-Aventis, Sanofi Aventis *Smurfit Kappa *Snecma *Solectron *Thales GroupPopulation
In January 2019, there were 260,958 inhabitants in the city proper (commune) of Bordeaux. The commune (including Caudéran which was annexed by Bordeaux in 1965) had its largest population of 284,494 at the 1954 census. The majority of the population is French, but there are sizable groups of Italians, Spanish people, Spaniards (Up to 20% of the Bordeaux population claim some degree of Spanish heritage), Portuguese people, Portuguese, Turkish people, Turks, Germans. The built-up area has grown for more than a century beyond the municipal borders of Bordeaux due to the small size of the commune () and urban sprawl, so that by January 2019 there were 1,363,711 people living in the overall metropolitan area (''aire d'attraction'') of Bordeaux, only a fifth of whom lived in the city proper. Largest communities of foreigners :Politics
Municipal administration
The Mayor of the city is the environmentalist Pierre Hurmic. Bordeaux is the capital of five cantons and the Prefecture of theMayors of Bordeaux
Since the Liberation of France, Liberation (1944), there have been 6 mayors of Bordeaux: *Rally for the Republic, RPR was renamed to Union for a Popular Movement, UMP in 2002 which was later renamed to Les Republicains, LR in 2015Elections
Presidential elections of 2007
At the 2007 presidential election, the Bordelais gave 31.37% of their votes to Ségolène Royal of the Socialist Party against 30.84% to Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the UMP. Then came François Bayrou with 22.01%, followed by Jean-Marie Le Pen who recorded 5.42%. None of the other candidates exceeded the 5% mark. Nationally, Nicolas Sarkozy led with 31.18%, then Ségolène Royal with 25.87%, followed by François Bayrou with 18.57%. After these came Jean-Marie Le Pen with 10.44%, none of the other candidates exceeded the 5% mark. In the second round, the city of Bordeaux gave Ségolène Royal 52.44% against 47.56% for Nicolas Sarkozy, the latter being elected President of the Republic with 53.06% against 46.94% for Ségolène Royal. The abstention rates for Bordeaux were 14.52% in the first round and 15.90% in the second round.Parliamentary elections of 2007
In the parliamentary elections of 2007, the left won eight constituencies against only three for the right. It should be added that after the partial 2008 elections, the eighth district of Gironde switched to the left, bringing the count to nine. In Bordeaux, the left was for the first time in its history the majority as it held two of three constituencies following the elections. In the first division of the Gironde, the outgoing UMP MP Chantal Bourragué was well ahead with 44.81% against 25.39% for the Socialist candidate Beatrice Desaigues. In the second round, it was Chantal Bourragué who was re-elected with 54.45% against 45.55% for his socialist opponent. In the second district of Gironde the UMP mayor and all new Minister of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea Alain Juppé confronted the General Counsel PS Michèle Delaunay. In the first round, Alain Juppé was well ahead with 43.73% against 31.36% for Michèle Delaunay. In the second round, it was finally Michèle Delaunay who won the election with 50.93% of the votes against 49.07% for Alain Juppé, the margin being only 670 votes. The defeat of the so-called constituency "Mayor" showed that Bordeaux was rocking increasingly left. Finally, in the third constituency of the Gironde, Noël Mamère was well ahead with 39.82% against 28.42% for the UMP candidate Elizabeth Vine. In the second round, Noël Mamère was re-elected with 62.82% against 37.18% for his right-wing rival.Municipal elections of 2008
In 2008 municipal elections saw the clash between mayor of Bordeaux, Alain Juppé and the President of the Regional Council of Aquitaine Socialist Alain Rousset. The PS had put up a Socialist heavyweight in the Gironde and had put great hopes in this election after the victory of Ségolène Royal and Michèle Delaunay in 2007. However, after a rather exciting campaign it was Alain Juppé who was widely elected in the first round with 56.62%, far ahead of Alain Rousset who has managed to get 34.14%. At present, of the eight cantons that has Bordeaux, five are held by the PS and three by the UMP, the left eating a little each time into the right's numbers.European elections of 2009
In the European elections of 2009, Bordeaux voters largely voted for the UMP candidate Dominique Baudis, who won 31.54% against 15.00% for PS candidate Kader Arif. The candidate of Europe Ecology José Bové came second with 22.34%. None of the other candidates reached the 10% mark. The 2009 European elections were like the previous ones in eight constituencies. Bordeaux is located in the district "Southwest", here are the results: UMP candidate Dominique Baudis: 26.89%. His party gained four seats. PS candidate Kader Arif: 17.79%, gaining two seats in the European Parliament. Europe Ecology candidate Bove: 15.83%, obtaining two seats. MoDem candidate Robert Rochefort: 8.61%, winning a seat. Left Front candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon: 8.16%, gaining the last seat. At regional elections in 2010, the Socialist incumbent president Alain Rousset won the first round by totaling 35.19% in Bordeaux, but this score was lower than the plan for Gironde and Aquitaine. Xavier Darcos, Minister of Labour followed with 28.40% of the votes, scoring above the regional and departmental average. Then came Monique De Marco, Green candidate with 13.40%, followed by the member of Pyrenees-Atlantiques and candidate of the MoDem Jean Lassalle who registered a low 6.78% while qualifying to the second round on the whole Aquitaine, closely followed by Jacques Colombier, candidate of the National Front, who gained 6.48%. Finally the candidate of the Left Front Gérard Boulanger with 5.64%, no other candidate above the 5% mark. In the second round, Alain Rousset had a tidal wave win as national totals rose to 55.83%. If Xavier Darcos largely lost the election, he nevertheless achieved a score above the regional and departmental average obtaining 33.40%. Jean Lassalle, who qualified for the second round, passed the 10% mark by totaling 10.77%. The ballot was marked by abstention amounting to 55.51% in the first round and 53.59% in the second round. ''Only candidates obtaining more than 5% are listed''2017 elections
Bordeaux voted for Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 French presidential election, presidential election. In the 2017 French legislative election, 2017 parliamentary election, La République En Marche! won most of the constituencies in Bordeaux.2019 European elections
Bordeaux voted in the 2019 European Parliament election in France.Municipal elections of 2020
After 73 years of right-of-centre rule, the ecologist Pierre Hurmic (Europe Ecology – The Greens, EELV) came in ahead of Nicolas Florian (The Republicans (France), LR/LaREM).Parliamentary representation
The city area is represented by the following List of constituencies of the National Assembly of France, constituencies: Gironde's 1st constituency, Gironde's 1st, Gironde's 2nd constituency, Gironde's 2nd, Gironde's 3rd constituency, Gironde's 3rd, Gironde's 4th constituency, Gironde's 4th, Gironde's 5th constituency, Gironde's 5th, Gironde's 6th constituency, Gironde's 6th, Gironde's 7th constituency, Gironde's 7th.Education
University
During Antiquity, a first university had been created by the Romans in 286. The city was an important administrative centre and the new university had to train administrators. Only rhetoric and grammar were taught. Ausonius and Sulpicius Severus were two of the teachers. In 1441, when Bordeaux was an English town, the Pope Eugene IV created a university by demand of the archbishop Pey Berland. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the National Convention abolished the university, and replace them with the École centrale in 1796. In Bordeaux, this one was located in the former buildings of the college of Guyenne. In 1808, the university reappeared with Napoleon. Bordeaux accommodates approximately 70,000 students on one of the largest campuses of Europe (235 ha). The University of Bordeaux is divided into four: *The University Bordeaux 1, (Maths, Physical sciences and Technologies), 10,693 students in 2002 *The University Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux Segalen (Medicine and Life sciences), 15,038 students in 2002 *The University Bordeaux 3, Michel de Montaigne (Liberal arts, Humanities, Languages, History), 14,785 students in 2002 *The University Bordeaux 4, Montesquieu (Law, Economy and Management), 12,556 students in 2002 *Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux, Institut of Political Sciences of Bordeaux. Although technically a part of the fourth university, it largely functions autonomously.Schools
Bordeaux has numerous public and private schools offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Engineering schools: *Arts et Métiers ParisTech, graduate school of industrial and mechanical engineering *ESME-Sudria, graduate school of engineering *École d'ingénieurs en modélisation mathématique et mécanique *École nationale supérieure d'électronique, informatique, télécommunications, mathématique et mécanique de Bordeaux (ENSEIRB-MATMECA) *École supérieure de technologie des biomolécules de Bordeaux *École nationale supérieure des sciences agronomiques de Bordeaux Aquitaine *École nationale supérieure de chimie et de physique de Bordeaux, École nationale supérieure de chimie et physique de Bordeaux *École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies *Institut des sciences et techniques des aliments de Bordeaux *Institut de cognitique *École supérieure d'informatique *EPSI, École privée des sciences informatiques Business and management schools: *The Bordeaux MBA (International College of Bordeaux) *IUT Techniques de Commercialisation of Bordeaux (business school) *INSEEC Business School (Institut des hautes études économiques et commerciales) *KEDGE Business School (former BEM – Bordeaux Management School) *Vatel Bordeaux International Business School *E-Artsup *Institut supérieur européen de gestion group *Institut supérieur européen de formation par l'action Other: *French National School for the Judiciary, ''École nationale de la magistrature'' (National school for the judiciary) * * * (EFAP) * (CNAM) * (law school)Weekend education
The ''École Compleméntaire Japonaise de Bordeaux'' (ボルドー日本語補習授業校 ''Borudō Nihongo Hoshū Jugyō Kō''), a Hoshuko, part-time Japanese supplementary school, is held in the ''Salle de L'Athénée Municipal'' in Bordeaux.欧州の補習授業校一覧(平成25年4月15日現在)Main sights
Heritage and architecture
Bordeaux is classified "City of Art and History". The city is home to 362 ''monuments historiques'' (only Paris has more in France) with some buildings dating back to Roman times. Bordeaux, Port of the Moon, has been inscribed on World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage List as ''"an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble"''. Bordeaux is home to one of Europe's biggest 18th-century architectural urban areas, making it a sought-after destination for tourists and cinema production crews. It stands out as one of the first French cities, after Nancy, France, Nancy, to have entered an era of urbanism and metropolitan big scale projects, with the team Gabriel father and son, architects for King Louis XV of France, Louis XV, under the supervision of two intendants (Governors), first Nicolas-François Dupré de Saint-Maur then the Marquis de Tourny. Saint-André Cathedral, Saint-Michel Basilica and Saint-Seurin Basilica are part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. The organ in Saint-Louis-des-Chartrons is registered on the French monuments historiques.Buildings
Main sights include: * ''Place de la Bourse'' (1735–1755), designed by the Royal architect Jacques Gabriel as landscape for an equestrian statue of Louis XV, now replaced by the ''Fountain of the Three Graces''. * ''Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, Grand Théâtre'' (1780), a large neoclassical theater built in the 18th century. * ''Allées de Tourny'' * ''Cours de l'Intendance'' * ''Place du Chapelet'' * ''Place du Parlement'' * ''Place des Quinconces'', the largest square in France. * ''Monument aux Girondins'' * ''Place Saint-Pierre'' *''Pont de pierre (Bordeaux), Pont de pierre (1822)'' * ''Bordeaux Cathedral, Saint Andrew's Cathedral'', consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096. Of the original Romanesque edifice only a wall in the nave remains. The Royal Gate is from the early 13th century, while the rest of the construction is mostly from the 14th and 15th centuries. * ''Tour Pey-Berland'' (1440–1450), a massive, quadrangular Gothic tower annexed to the cathedral. * ''Église Sainte-Croix'' (Church of the Holy Cross). It lies on the site of a seventh-century abbey destroyed by the Saracens. Rebuilt under the Carolingians, it was again destroyed by the Normans in 845 and 864. It is annexed to a Benedictine abbey founded in the seventh century, and was built in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. The façade is in Romanesque architecture, Romanesque style * The Gothic ''Basilica of St. Michael, Bordeaux, Basilica of Saint Michael'', constructed between the end of the 14th century and the 16th century. * Basilica of Saint Severinus of Bordeaux, Basilica of Saint Severinus, the most ancient church in Bordeaux. It was built in the early sixth century on the site of a palaeochristian necropolis. It has an 11th-century portico, while the apse and transept are from the following century. The 13th-century nave has chapels from the 11th and the 14th centuries. The ancient crypt houses sepulchres of the Merovingian family. * ''Église Saint-Pierre'', gothic church * ''Église Saint-Éloi'', gothic church * ''Église Saint-Bruno'', baroque church decorated with frescoes * ''Église Notre-Dame'', baroque church * ''Église Saint-Paul-Saint-François-Xavier'', baroque church * ''Palais Rohan, Bordeaux, Palais Rohan'', former mansion of the archbishop, now city hall * ''Palais Gallien'', the remains of a late second-century Ancient Rome, Roman amphitheatre * ''Porte Cailhau'', a medieval gatehouse of the old city walls. * ''La Grosse Cloche'' (15th century), the second remaining gate of the Medieval walls. It was the Bell tower, belfry of the old Town Hall. It consists of two circular towers and a central bell tower housing a bell (instrument), bell weighing . The watch is from 1759. * ''Great Synagogue of Bordeaux, Grande Synagogue'', completed 1882 * ''Sainte-Catherine Street (Bordeaux), Rue Sainte-Catherine'', the longest pedestrian street of France * ''Darwin ecosystem'', alternative place into former military barracks * The BETASOM submarine baseContemporary architecture
*Cité Frugès de Pessac, ''Cité Frugès'', district of Pessac, built by Le Corbusier, 1924–1926, listed as UNESCO heritage *Fire Station, ''la Benauge'', Claude Ferret/Adrien Courtois/Yves Salier, 1951–1954 *Mériadeck district, 1960-70's *''Tribunal d'instance, Court of first instance'', Richard Rogers, 1998 *CTBA, wood and furniture research center, A. Loisier, 1998 *Hangar 14 on the ''Quai des Chartrons'', 1999 *The Management Science faculty on the Bastide, Anne Lacaton/Jean-Philippe Vassal, 2006 *The ''Jardin botanique de la Bastide'', Catherine Mosbach/Françoise Hélène Jourda/Pascal Convert, 2007 *The Nuyens School complex on the Bastide, Yves Ballot/Nathalie Franck, 2007 *Seeko'o Hotel on the Quai de Bacalan, King Kong architects, 2007 *Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Matmut Atlantique stadium, Herzog & de Meuron, 2015 *Cité du Vin, XTU architects, Anouk Legendre & Nicolas Desmazières, 2016 *MECA of Bordeaux, MECA, Maison de l'Economie Créative et de la culture de la Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bjarke Ingels, 2019Museums
*Musée des beaux-arts de Bordeaux, ''Musée des Beaux-Arts'' (''Fine arts museum''), one of the finest painting galleries in France with paintings by painter such as Tiziano, Paolo Veronese, Veronese, Rubens, Van Dyck, Frans Hals, Claude Lorrain, Claude, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Chardin, Eugène Delacroix, Delacroix, Renoir, Seurat, Odilon Redon, Redon, Matisse and Picasso. *''Musée d'Aquitaine'' (archeological and history museum) *''Musée du Vin et du Négoce'' (museum of the wine trade) *''Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design'' (museum of decorative arts and design) *''Musée d'Histoire Naturelle'' (natural history museum) *''Musée Mer Marine'' (Sea and Navy museum) *''Cité du Vin'' *''CAPC musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux'' (modern art museum) *''Musée national des douanes'' (history of French customs) *''Bordeaux Patrimoine Mondial'' (architectural and heritage interpretation centre) *''Musée d'ethnologie'' (ethnology museum) *''Institut culturel Bernard Magrez'', modern and streetart museum into an 18th-century mansion *Cervantez Institute (into the house of Francisco Goya, Goya) *:fr:Cap Sciences, ''Cap Sciences'' *''Centre Jean Moulin''Memory of slavery
Slavery was part of a growing drive for the city. Firstly, during the 18th and 19th centuries, Bordeaux was an important Slave Trade, slave port, which saw some 500 slave expeditions that cause the deportation of 150,000 Africans by Bordeaux shipowners. Secondly, even though the "Triangular trade" represented only 5% of Bordeaux's wealth, the city's direct trade with the Caribbean, that accounted for the other 95%, concerns the colonial stuffs made by the slave (sugar, coffee, cocoa). And thirdly, in that same period, a major migratory movement by Aquitanians took place to the Caribbean colonies, withParks and gardens
*''Jardin public de Bordeaux'', with inside the ''Jardin botanique de Bordeaux'' *''Jardin botanique de la Bastide'' *''Parc bordelais'' *''Parc aux Angéliques'' *''Jardin des Lumières'' *''Parc Rivière'' *''Parc Floral''Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas
Europe's longest-span vertical-lift bridge, the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas, was opened in 2013 in Bordeaux, spanning the River Garonne. The central lift span is and can be lifted vertically up to to let tall ships pass underneath. The €160 million bridge was inaugurated by President François Hollande and Mayor Alain Juppé on 16 March 2013. The bridge was named after the late Jacques Chaban-Delmas, who was a former Prime Minister and Mayor (France), Mayor of Bordeaux.Shopping
Bordeaux has many shopping options. In the heart of Bordeaux is ''Sainte-Catherine Street (Bordeaux), Rue Sainte-Catherine''. This pedestrian-only shopping street has of shops, restaurants and cafés; it is also one of the longest shopping streets in Europe. ''Rue Sainte-Catherine'' starts at ''Place de la Victoire'' and ends at ''Place de la Comédie'' by the ''Grand Théâtre''. The shops become progressively more upmarket as one moves towards ''Place de la Comédie'' and the nearby ''Cours de l'Intendance'' is where one finds the more exclusive shops and boutiques.Culture
Bordeaux is also the first city in France to have created, in the 1980s, an architecture exhibition and research centre, ''Arc en rêve''. Bordeaux offers a large number of cinemas, theatres, and is the home of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, Opéra national de Bordeaux. There are many music venues of varying capacity. The city also offers several festivals throughout the year. In October 2021, Bordeaux was shortlisted for the European Commission's 2022 European Capital of Smart Tourism award along with Copenhagen, Dublin, Florence, Ljubljana, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia.Transport
Road
Bordeaux is an important road and Interchange (road), motorway junction. The city is connected to Paris by the A10 autoroute (France), A10 motorway, with Lyon by the A89 autoroute, A89, with Toulouse by the A62 autoroute, A62, and with Spain by the A63 autoroute, A63. There is a Beltway, ring road called the "Rocade de Bordeaux, Rocade" which is often very busy. Another ring road is under consideration. Bordeaux has five road bridges that cross the Garonne, the Pont de pierre built in the 1820s and three modern bridges built after 1960: the Pont Saint Jean, just south of the Pont de pierre (both located downtown), the Pont d'Aquitaine, a suspension bridge downstream from downtown, and the Pont François Mitterrand, located upstream of downtown. These two bridges are part of the ring-road around Bordeaux. A fifth bridge, the Pont Jacques-Chaban-Delmas, was constructed in 2009–2012 and opened to traffic in March 2013. Located halfway between the Pont de pierre and the Pont d'Aquitaine and serving downtown rather than highway traffic, it is a vertical-lift bridge with a height in closed position comparable to that of Pont de pierre, and to the Pont d'Aquitaine when open. All five road bridges, including the two highway bridges, are open to cyclists and pedestrians as well. Another bridge, the Pont Jean-Jacques Bosc, is to be built in 2018. Lacking any steep hills, Bordeaux is relatively friendly to cyclists. Cycle paths (separate from the roadways) exist on the highway bridges, along the riverfront, on the university campuses, and incidentally elsewhere in the city. Bike lane, Cycle lanes and bus lanes that explicitly allow cyclists exist on many of the city's boulevards. A paid bicycle-sharing system with automated stations was established in 2010.Rail
The main railway station, Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean, near the center of the city, has 12 million passengers a year. It is served by the French national (SNCF) railway's high speed train, the TGV, that gets to Paris in two hours, with connections to major European centers such as Lille, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Geneva and London. The TGV also serves Toulouse and Irun (Spain) from Bordeaux. A regular train service is provided to Nantes, Nice, Marseille and Lyon. The Gare Saint-Jean is the major hub for regional trains (Transport express régional, TER) operated by the SNCF to Arcachon, Limoges, Agen, Périgueux, Langon, Gironde, Langon, Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Pau, Le Médoc, Angoulême and Bayonne. Historically the train line used to terminate at a station on the right bank of the river Garonne near the Pont de Pierre, and passengers crossed the bridge to get into the city. Subsequently, a double-track steel railway bridge was constructed in the 1850s, by Gustave Eiffel, to bring trains across the river direct into Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean. The old station was later converted and in 2010 comprised a cinema and restaurants. The two-track Eiffel bridge with a speed limit of became a bottleneck and a new bridge was built, opening in 2009. The new bridge has four tracks and allows trains to pass at . During the planning there was much lobbying by the Eiffel family and other supporters to preserve the old bridge as a footbridge across the Garonne, with possibly a museum to document the history of the bridge and Gustave Eiffel's contribution. The decision was taken to save the bridge, but by early 2010 no plans had been announced as to its future use. The bridge remains intact, but unused and without any means of access. Since July 2017, the LGV Sud Europe Atlantique is fully operational and makes Bordeaux city 2h04 from Paris.Air
Bordeaux is served by Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport, located from the city centre in the suburban city of Mérignac, Gironde, Mérignac.Trams, buses and boats
Bordeaux has an important public transport system called Transports Bordeaux Métropole (TBM). This company is run by the Keolis group. The network consists of: * 4 Tramway de Bordeaux, tram lines (Bordeaux Tramway Line A, A, Bordeaux Tramway Line B, B, Bordeaux Tramway Line C, C and Bordeaux Tramway Line D, D) * 75 Bus lines in Bordeaux, bus routes, all connected to the tramway network (from 1 to 96) * 13 night bus routes (from 1 to 16) * An Trolleybus, electric bus shuttle in the city centre * A boat shuttle on the Garonne river This network is operated from 5 am to 2 am. There had been several plans for a subway network to be set up, but they stalled for both geological and financial reasons. Work on the Tramway de Bordeaux system was started in the autumn of 2000, and services started in December 2003 connecting Bordeaux with its suburban areas. The tram system uses Alstom APS a form of ground-level power supply technology developed by French company Alstom and designed to preserve the aesthetic environment by eliminating overhead cables in the historic city. Conventional overhead cables are used outside the city. The system was controversial for its considerable cost of installation, maintenance and also for the numerous initial technical problems that paralysed the network. Many streets and squares along the tramway route became pedestrian areas, with Limited-access road, limited access for cars. The planned Bordeaux tramway system is to link with the airport to the city centre towards the end of 2019.Taxis
There are more than 400 taxicabs in Bordeaux.Public transportation statistics
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Bordeaux, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 51 min. 12.% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 13 min, while 15.5% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is , while 8% travel for over in a single direction.Sport
The 41,458-capacity Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux is the largest stadium in Bordeaux. The stadium was opened in 2015 and replaced the Stade Chaban-Delmas, which was a venue for the FIFA World Cup in 1938 and 1998, as well as the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In the 1938 FIFA World Cup, it hosted a violent quarter-final known as the Battle of Bordeaux (football), Battle of Bordeaux. The ground was formerly known as the ''Stade du Parc Lescure'' until 2001, when it was renamed in honour of the city's long-time mayor, Jacques Chaban-Delmas. There are two major sport teams in Bordeaux, FC Girondins de Bordeaux, Girondins de Bordeaux is the association football, football team, playing in Ligue 2, the second tier of Football in France, French football. Union Bordeaux Bègles is a rugby union, rugby team in the Top 14 in the National Rugby League (France), Ligue Nationale de Rugby. Skateboarding, rollerblading, and BMX biking are activities enjoyed by many young inhabitants of the city. Bordeaux is home to a beautiful quay which runs along the Garonne river. On the quay there is a skate-park divided into three sections. One section is for Vert tricks, one for street style tricks, and one for little action sports athletes with easier features and softer materials. The skate-park is very well maintained by the municipality. Bordeaux is also the home to one of the strongest cricket teams in France and are champions of the South West League. There is a wooden velodrome, Vélodrome du Lac, in Bordeaux which hosts international cycling competition in the form of UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics, UCI Track Cycling World Cup events. The 2015 Trophee Eric Bompard was in Bordeaux. But the Free Skate was cancelled in all of the divisions due to the Paris and aftermath. The Short Program occurred hours before the bombing. French skaters Chafik Besseghier (68.36) in tenth place, Romain Ponsart (62.86) in 11th. Mae-Berenice-Meite (46.82) in 11th and Laurine Lecavelier (46.53) in 12th. Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres (65.75) in second. Between 1951 and 1955, an annual Formula 1 motor race was held on a 2.5-kilometre circuit which looped around the Esplanade des Quinconces and along the waterfront, attracting drivers such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jean Behra and Maurice Trintignant.Notable people
International relationships
Twin towns – sister cities
Bordeaux is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Ashdod, Israel, since 1984 * Bilbao, Spain * Baku, Azerbaijan, since 1985 * Bristol, United Kingdom, since 1947 * Casablanca, Morocco, since 1988 * Fukuoka, Japan, since 1982 * Kraków, Poland, since 1993 * Lima, Peru, since 1957 * Los Angeles, California United States, since 1968 * Madrid, Spain, since 1984 * Munich, Germany, since 1964 * Oran, Algeria, since 2003 * Porto, Portugal, since 1978 * Quebec City, Quebec Canada, since 1962 * Ramallah, Palestine * Riga, Latvia * Saint Petersburg, Russia, since 1993 * Wuhan, China, since 1998Partnerships
* Samsun, Turkey, since 2010See also
*Bordeaux wine regions *Bordeaux–Paris, a formerly professional road bicycle racing annual event *The Burdigalian Age of the Miocene Epoch is named for Bordeaux *Canelé, a local pastry *Communes of the Gironde department *Dogue de Bordeaux, a Dog breed, breed of dog originally bred for dog fighting *French wine *List of mayors of Bordeaux *Operation Frankton, a British Combined Operations Headquarters, Combined Operations raid on shipping in the harbour at Bordeaux, in December 1942, during World War II *Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bordeaux *Girondins * Atlantic history * Triangular trade * History of slaveryReferences
Bibliography
* *External links