Discover a few small anecdotes on the city of Bordeaux and learn more about "La Belle Endormie"!
Classified as a UNESCO wine capital in the South-West of France and a major national metropolis, Bordeaux is today a top tourist destination. What if you find out otherwise? Here are some unusual anecdotes on Bordeaux, an incentive to explore the city on foot to live its history and admire its heritage.
1. Les Armoiries de Bordeaux
Photo credit: WikiMedia – Adelbrecht
What does the "logo" of the city of Bordeaux mean? A cross-section of three moon crescents, the city of Bordeaux boasts a blasphemy representative of its history, the form of the crescent evoking indeed the ancient port of the Moon. The blazon understands for his part the Grosse-Cloche (for two towers now missing), leopard of the kings of England (heritance of the English domination of the Duchy of Aquitaine), lys flowers (symbols of French royalty) and blueted ondulations (stylized representation of the Garonne).
The city's famous motto for it, « lilia sola regunt lunam unda castra leonem » ("the lys reign alone on the moon, the waves, the fortress and the lion") reminds us of the reconquest of the Duchy aquitain by France in 1453, Bordeaux falling again under the cup of the Valois (the Battle of Castillon). At the same time, Constantinople (now Istanbul) was taken by the Ottomans at the limits of the West.
2. The Big Bell
In the past, the St Eloi Gate (oldest door in Bordeaux) was a prison. The bell would then have been cast thanks to the Spanish cannons...
3. The Pont de Pierre
Photo credit: Flickr – Matthew Severe
This bridge connects the bridge two banks on which Bordeaux settled. It connects the St. Michel and the Salinières with the Bastide, symbolized by its famous blue lion . He was the first bridge built on the Garonne. Built by Napoleon I in the 1820s, he had seventeen arches, each of which represented a letter from his patronyme: Napoleon Bonaparte.
4. Route de St. Jacques de Compostelle
The city of Bordeaux was, and is always, the place of passage of pilgrims. Formerly housed at the Sait-James Hospital located in the famous street of the Mirail already mentioned, they are today welcomed to the Maison des Pèlerins From March to October. You will find pictures of the place here .
Address: 28 rue des Argentiers, 33000 Bordeaux (near the church of Saint Pierre) You'll have to show your credencial! Price : 12€ per night
5. The Dutch Houses
On the Quai des Chartons, two houses denoted the rest of the architecture: in fact, two houses at the Flemish style Sharing the star. Built in the 17th, they are now classified as Historical Monuments.
Address: 28, 29 Quai des Chartrons, 33000 Bordeaux / Tram B (stop Chartrons)
6. L’Esplanade des Quinconces
Photo credit: WikiMedia – Orikrin1998
Bordeaux and its surroundings inherited several blockhouses under Nazi occupation. Some are still visible on the beaches of the Bassin d’Arcachon, near the Pilat Dune . In the Bordeaux metropolis, one of them was engulfed under the Quinconces square. In addition, with its monument of the Girondins, it is the largest place in Europe.
Address: Place des Quinconces, 33000 Bordeaux / Tram B & C (Quinconces stop)
7. Rue Sainte-Catherine
Main shopping street in Bordeaux, this is the longer pedestrian street in Europe . It extends from the Place de la Comédie to the Victoire, where there is a huge obelisk. Bordeaux is definitely the city of superlatives! As a family, have fun counting St. Jacques' shells on St. Catherine Street!
Access: Tram B (stop Victoire, Grand Théâtre)
Main photo: Wikimedia – Xellery
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