Bordeaux

Bordeaux, city in south-west France, capital of Gironde Department, on the Garonne River. It is a major port, accessible to ocean-going ships via the Gironde estuary, which flows into the Bay of Biscay (an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). In addition, canals link the city to the Mediterranean Sea. Population 230,600 (2005 estimate).

Bordeaux is the base for a large fishing fleet, and it is the trade and shipping centre for the world-famous Bordeaux wines, produced nearby. Industries here produce ships, motor vehicles, refined petroleum, chemicals, and processed food.

Lying along a broad bend in the Garonne, the site of Bordeaux is crescent-shaped. From the centre of the city and north, Bordeaux is well planned, with wide streets, spacious squares (notably the Place des Quinconces), and many imposing buildings. To the south of this section, laid out during the 18th century, is the old quarter, with narrow, crooked streets and numerous wooden structures in the 15th-century architectural style. One of the principal points of interest in the city is the Porte de Bourgogne, an arched gate dating from the 18th century, at the end of the vehicular and pedestrian bridge spanning the Garonne. Noted churches include the cathedral of St André (consecrated 1006); the church of Sainte Croix, a Romanesque basilica of the 12th and 13th centuries; and the church of St Seurin, dating from the 11th to the 15th century. Other points of interest include the Hôtel de Ville, former residence of the archbishops; the Bordeaux Library, which contains many valuable manuscripts; the 18th-century Grand Théâtre; and several art museums. The historic city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. Bordeaux and nearby Talence are the sites of the universities of Bordeaux I, II, and III, established in the early 1970s to replace the University of Bordeaux (1441).

Before the Roman conquest of Gaul, the city, then known as Burdigala, was the capital of the region held by the Bituriges Vivisci, a Celtic tribe. It fell to the Romans in the 1st century bc, and developed into a flourishing trading station. By the 4th century ad it was the capital of the province of Aquitania Secunda and the seat of an archbishopric. After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, it was held for varying periods by the Goths and Normans. In 1154, through the marriage (1152) of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry II of England, Bordeaux became a dominion of England. The English withdrew from the city in 1453 during the Hundred Years' War, as a result of reverses inflicted by the French. Accustomed to regional autonomy during English rule, between 1548 and 1675 the city was the site of revolts against French rule. Bordeaux was a stronghold of the Girondins, a moderate Republican faction, during the French Revolution. Severe reprisals were inflicted on the Bordeaux Girondins during the Reign of Terror, when the revolutionary government of France was in the hands of extremists. The city became the seat of the French government in the final stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). During World War I, the French government again moved to Bordeaux. The city served as the seat of government for a short time in 1940, during World War II, but was soon occupied by the Germans. French troops cleared the city of the last German troops in April 1945. After the war Bordeaux continued to expand, with a modern bridge connecting the city with the motorway, and with new suburbs being built, mostly to the north.