FRANCE - BORDEAUX
Bordeaux
lies along the western side of the River Garonne, with the
eighteenth-century old town lying between the place de la Comédie to the
north, the imposing buildings of the river bank and the cathedral to the
west.
Wine is, of course, of utmost important to the city. Bordeaux wine draws
its name from the city around which it has been produced since the 8th
century. The wine industry's biggest event, the “Vinexpo” is hosted
here.
North of the centre is the vast open square of the esplanade des
Quinconces , and further still, the Jardin Public , containing some very
scant remains of Bordeaux's Roman past.
With almost 100,000 students, the city's university is renowned for its
research units in crop science, new materials and nanotechnologies,
along with its Institut d'études politiques, its comunication and
journalism institute and its law school.
The harbour city lies in the south-west of France.
Bordeaux was a very active trading port in the 18th century. It is
nicknamed "Port de la Lune" (Port of the Moon) because of its crescent
moon like shape. Most of the buildings were built between the 16th
century and the 19th century. But a part of Bordeaux called "Le vieux
Bordeaux" or "Quartier St Pierre" is even older.
In 1999 the metropolitan area of Bordeaux had 925,253 inhabitants. It is
the capital of the Aquitaine région, as well as the préfecture
(administrative capital) of the Gironde département.
Bordeaux has two major perpendicular pedestrianized streets: St
Catherine street and Porte Dijeaux street. The sites of these streets
were chosen by the Romans in Antiquity. At present, they are a great
shopping area. St Catherine street is the longest pedestrianized street
in Europe. It stretches from "Place de la Victoire" to "Cours de
l'intendance", two points of interest. From "Cours de l'intendance", the
"Grand Théâtre" and the "Allées de Tourny" are two nice sites easily
accessible. The "Esplanade des Quinconces" is also easily accessible,
famous as the greatest square in Europe.
Along the Garonne Quays, you can see historical houses dating from
the 18th century. The Quays of Bordeaux are particularly beautiful at
night.
