Bordeaux in 101Sites and Buildings

The quayside façade is the emblematic face of Bordeaux, a sight to soothe the eyes of any visitor. Above this infinite sweep of blonde stone enfolding the gentle curve of the Garonne, rise the rooftops, dreaming spires and towers of the city’s Medieval past, as the eye embraces the cultural heritage of centuries in one glance.

It was around Saint André Cathedral that the major Republican and non-religious civic institutions of the city were established during the 19th century. These include the town hall, courts of justice, hospital, museum and city archives, set around the periphery of the Place Pey Berland which serves as an interface with the city’s commercial centre.

The city stretches northwards from the well-ordered facades of the Chartrons, a prosperous neighbourhood of overseas traders and wine merchants established in the 18th century, to the Cité du Grand Parc and Lac districts, quintessential achievements of the Chaban era, and from there on to Bacalan, an area currently undergoing far-reaching transformation. The former is the embodiment of Bordeaux’s past glories, while the latter is the living symbol of a city in the process of becoming.

The Place de la Victoire is a lively hub of activity, providing access to the town centre from Saint Jean railway station, the southern Boulevards and university campus. Designed by Tourny in the 18th century, it is renown for its friendly, relaxed atmosphere, and the social exchange and cultural fusion embodied in the historical legacy of its architecture is as varied as it is unexpected.

Often regarded as Bordeaux’s equivalent of Saint Germain-des-Près, the Sainte Croix district, with its fine Romanesque church completed in the 19th century, is a leading cultural centre for the plastic arts, theatre, music and gastronomy. To the rear of the railway station, the Belcier neighbourhood has begun its metamorphosis, heralded by the Euratlantique project.

It was not until 1822 that Bordeaux’s first bridge spanning the Garonne was erected. Its construction brought a boom in development to the working-class district of La Bastide, situated between the riverbanks, Avenue Thiers and La Benauge. This area of Bordeaux has lain abandoned for years, but is now poised to return with a vengeance. Its riverbanks have been redeveloped and serve as a vital oxygen tank for the city. Two new bridges across the Garonne are in the offing.

The Mériadeck district was redeveloped to provide improved living conditions for the inhabitants of this rundown area of the city. As an urban utopia it is framed on either side by key public amenities, the swimming pool in Rue Judaïque and the Lescure sports stadium –modern temples to the living body, defying the valley of death which lies ensconced within the walls of La Chartreuse cemetery set at the district’s heart

Caudéran has lost nothing of its Belle Epoque elegance. The houses around the Parc Bordelais still shine forth with Art Nouveau and Art Deco style and sophistication. Beyond the Boulevards, Charles Perrens hospital is an archetype of 19th century architecture.

From the Ambès peninsula to Bouliac, the right bank of the Garonne surprises the visitor with its uncommon landscapes, architectural gems and panoramic vistas over the city.

To the city’s south, in Bègles, the riverbanks are part tree-studded savanna, part steamy tropical jungle. In the soft light of the waning day, water, sky and riverbank merge into one, evoking images of far-flung shores...

He whole Bordeaux conurbation entertains a close relationship with water, be it through the presence of the River Garonne or the marshlands on which the city was built, fed by a network of watercourses. Some of these have been channelled underground, while others, known as “jalles” (little rivers) flow from their source north of the Landes down to Saint Médard and Blanquefort where they pour into the Garonne.

The area to the southwest is renown for the immortal wines of the Pessac-Léognan appellation, stretching out towards the Landes, but also for another vision of Bordeaux, encapsulated in neighbourhoods which sprang up during the 20th century and expanded the city centre, notably including Le Corbusier’s Cité Frugès.

The Bassin d’Arcachon is a source of perpetual wonderment, where lavish villas shelter in the pleasant shade of maritime pines, declared by medical science to be “the tree of life and good health”. Each year the Bassin attracts new visitors from near and far, joining the seaside town’s permanent residents and habitual patrons in the ever-changing spectacle of its ineffably charming faces.

The popularity and renown of the wines of the Médoc is unfaltering, but the road through the region’s vineyards is one as rich in architectural splendours, be they Neoclassical, Eclectic or Renaissance in inspiration, as it is in noble vintages.

Around the embattled ramparts of Château d’Yquem, lie the wine-producing estates of the Sauternes region, nestling within the gentle fold of the valley whose privileged climate and geography provide such a rich diversity of distinguished dessert wines.

The Gironde is Europe’s longest estuary and a vision of serene majesty. In Blaye, on its northern shores, its placid waters flow beneath edifices of blonde stone. The road north out of Bordeaux embraces vine-clad hillsides, reminding us that water too plays an essential part in the production of the region’s wines.

The ancient jurisdiction of Saint Émilion was constituted in the 12th century by an English King and Duke of Aquitaine, King John, dubbed with the seemingly ironical epithet of “John the Lackland”, and stretches over eight villages. The area today figures on Unesco’s World Heritage List.