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Bourges

  (bʊrzh) pronunciation

A city of central France south-southeast of Orléans. It was a Roman provincial capital under Augustus and the site of a notable university that was founded by Louis XI in 1463 but abolished during the French Revolution. Population: 71,000.

 

 
 
(būrzh) , city (1990 pop. 78,773), capital of Cher dept., central France. It is a transportation center with foundries, arsenals, breweries, printing plants, and aeronautical and food industries. Known as Avaricum, Bourges was the Roman capital of Aquitania N of the Garonne River (see Gaul). It early became an archiepiscopal see and the capital of Berry. Charles VII resided there while most of France was in English hands. In 1438 he promulgated the pragmatic sanction of bourges, which was revoked in 1461 by his son Louis XI, who was born in Bourges. Louis XI founded (1463) the Univ. of Bourges, where Jacques Cujas later taught; it was abolished in the French Revolution. The Cathedral of St. Etienne (13th cent.), one of the glories of French Gothic, is remarkable in that it has no transept. Jacques Cœur, whose splendid house still stands, and Louis Bourdaloue were born in Bourges.


 
Wikipedia: Bourges

Coordinates: 47°05′04″N, 02°23′47″E

Commune of Bourges
Bourges04.jpg
Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges

Location
Coordinates 47°05′04″N, 02°23′47″E
Administration
Country France
Region Centre
Department Cher (préfecture)
Arrondissement Bourges
Canton Chief town of 5 cantons
Intercommunality Communauté
d'agglomération
de Bourges
Mayor Serge Lepeltier
(2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude 120 m–169 m
(avg. 153 m)
Land area¹ 68.74 km²
Population²
(1999)
72,480
 - Density 1,054/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 18033/ 18000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
France

Bourges is a town and commune in central France that is located on the Yèvre river. It is the préfecture (capital) of the département of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.

History

The name of the city is either derived from, the Bituriges; the name of the original inhabitants; or from the Germanic Burg (French: Bourg. Spanish: Borgos. English, others: Burgh, Berg, or Borough), for "hill/village". Its Celtic name was Avaricon. In the Gallic Wars, the Gauls practiced a scorched-earth policy, but the inhabitants of Avaricon begged not to have their city burned, and it was spared due to its good defenses provided by the surrounding marshes and a strong southern wall.

The third century Saint Ursinus, also known as Saint Ursin, is considered the first bishop of the city. Currently, Bourges is the seat of an archbishopric.

The Gothic Cathedral of Saint Etienne, begun at the end of the twelfth century, is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is considered the earliest example of the high gothic style of the thirteenth century.

During the Middle Ages, Bourges was the capital of a Viscounty until the fourteenth century. The future king, Charles VII, sought refuge there. His son, Louis XI, was born there in 1423. In 1438, Charles decreed the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges. During this period, Bourges was also a major capital of alchemy.

The city has a long tradition of art and history, other sites of importance include the Palace of Jacques Cœur and a sixty-five-hectare district of timber houses and grande homes.


The Impressionist painter, Berthe Morisot, was born in Bourges on January 14, 1841.

Main sights

  • Its Gothic cathedral (built 11951255) was added to the list of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1992
    Floorplan of the cathedral of Bourges
    Enlarge
    Floorplan of the cathedral of Bourges
  • Jacques Cœur's Palace
  • The Maurice Estève Museum
  • The marshes of the Yevre and Voiselle Rivers, was listed in 2003 as a French Natural Monument or Site
  • The ruins of the Gallo-Roman walls


Colleges and universities

Miscellaneous

Serge Lepeltier became mayor of the city in 1995 and again in 2001.

The Printemps de Bourges music festival takes place in Bourges every year.

Twin towns

Internal links

External links

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bourges" Read more

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