Bordeaux

Bordeaux is a port city located along the Garonne River in southwestern France. It is

known for its wine vineyards, beautiful cathedrals, historical theaters, and sightseeing piers. The

population of Bordeaux makes it the ninth most populous city in France, with an average

population ranging from 230,000 to 240,000 (1). The climate of Bordeaux is usually classified as

an oceanic climate, meaning the summers are warmer and the winters tend to be mild.

Bordeaux has been under the rule of surrounding powers for the past two thousand years.

There are three main events that brought Bordeaux to where it is today. The city’s former name,

Burdigala, was established in 300 BC by the Celts, also known as the Celtic Tribe. Today,

Burdigala is the name of the river in the southern area of the city. Many battles were fought over

this territory, including the Battle of Burdigala. After this battle and around 60 BC, the Romans

conquered the land and took over the city. A thousand years passed, and Bordeaux fell under

French rule as a result of the Hundred Years War, when England gave up their rule over

Bordeaux in 1453 (3).

The city of Bordeaux is the business center of France. Its economy thrives, mainly

because of the wine produced there. The Wine Cellar Insider reports, “Bordeaux now has about

116,160 hectares (287,000 acres) of vineyards, 57 appellations, 10,000 wine-producing châteaux

and 13,000 grape growers. With an annual production of approximately 960 million bottles,

Bordeaux produces large quantities of everyday wine as well as some of the most expensive

wines in the world” (4). With these statistics, the wine industry makes billions of euros each

year. The Wine Cellar Insider shows that the wine industry makes at least 14.5 billion euros each

year, which is equivalent to over 17 billion U.S. dollars (4). As the world’s wine industry capital,

Bordeaux is also home to the most popular wine fair in the world - Vinexpo. This is an annual
three day event typically held in mid-June. Here, guests are welcomed from all over the world

for wine tasting and spirit events. Because of this event as well as the vineyards and mass-

production of wine bottles each year, the economy of Bordeaux thrives.

The city of Bordeaux is also known for its Marianist origins. The Marianist family

founded their practice in Bordeaux and the founder, Blessed William Joseph Chaminade spent a

lot of time there to give local Catholics the ability to worship and practice their faith. A website

states, “The founder, William Joseph Chaminade, was a diocesan priest from the diocese of

Périgueux where he had been born in 1761. At the beginning of the French Revolution he had

come to Bordeaux (in 1790) and exercised his ministry there for the rest of his life except for a

period of exile (and retreat) in Saragossa Spain (1797-1800) during the Revolution” (5). Blessed

William Joseph Chaminade would hold mass in his office because it was against the French

government at that time to practice the Catholic faith. The website continues, “His ongoing

conviction that Mary herself was the founder of the Society of Mary and that he was only putting

into concrete terms what she wanted” (5). Chaminade’s practices laid the foundation for

Marianists and Marianist schools all across the world, and it all began here in Bordeaux, France.

Bordeaux is known as a city of art and history. The city is home to 362 historic

monuments, the second most behind Paris (2). Some buildings date all the way back to Roman

times. Bordeaux is also an attractive destination for tourists and movie production crews, as it

contains some of the most notable cinemas in the world. Tourists often visit the city’s most

popular buildings, such as its cathedrals, 18th and 19th century mansions, art museums, public

gardens, and piers.

 The city is located along the Garonne River, so tourists enjoy the natural scenery as it

flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The Pont de pierre, translated as “Stone Bridge” in English,

connects the left bank of the Garonne River to the right bank or “guartier de la Bastide” (2).

Popular buildings include the Bordeaux Cathedral and Basilica of St. Michael. The

Bordeaux Cathedral, an 11th-century Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Andrew, hosts regular

services and organ recitals. The Basilica of Saint Michael was built in the 14th century and

contains breathtaking architecture and symbolic meanings such as Saint Michael slaying the

Dragon, stain-glass windows, and the 114 meter tall bell tower (2).

Some recognizable sights in Bordeaux include 18th century Place de la Bourse and the

Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. The architect of the Place de la Bourse, Ange-Jacques Gabriel,

originally planned to create a statue of King Louis XV. However, the statue was destroyed

during the French Revolution. Therefore, a Corinthian column-fountain was built on the square,

later adding a vast reflecting pool after the architect’s death. The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux

was built in the late 18th century. Some of the first ballets were performed in the theatre, such as

La Fille Mal Gardée in 1789 and Marius Petipa’s first performance as a young adult. At one

point in 1871, this theatre acted as a brief National Assembly for the French Parliament (2).

A popular art museum in Bordeaux is the Musée d’Aquitaine. This museum holds a

variety of artwork, documents, and artifacts collected throughout the history of Bordeaux and

Aquitaine, another city located in south-western France (2).

Due to its beautiful cathedrals and famous art museums, Bordeaux is an attractive

destination for many reasons. From its rich history to the wide selection of wine, people from all

over the world travel to this little French city along the Garonne River.

Work Cited
“Bordeaux Population.” Population.city. Population City, 2015. Web. 12 Oct 2017. (1)

“Bordeaux Top Sights.” Google.com. Google, 2017. Web. 12 Oct 2017. (2)

“French Moments.” Frenchmoments.eu. French Moments, 28 Nov 2012. Web. 12 Oct 2017. (3)

Leve, Jess. “Bordeaux wine Production, Facts, Figures, Grapes, Vineyards.”

Thewinecellarinsider.com. The Wine Cellar Insider, 2017. Web. 12 Oct 2017. (4)

Phillips, Timothy. “The Marianist Story.” Marianist.org. World Council of the Marianist Family,

2011. Web. 12 Oct 2017. (5)

“Vinexpo Bordeaux.” Vinexpobordeaux.com. Vinexpo, 2016. Web. 12 Oct 2017. (6)