Bergerac

Location

Bergerac is located in the southern part of the Dordogne department of the Aquitaine region . The city is located in the historical region of Purple Perigord , on the right bank of the Dordogne River .

Bergerac is 48 km from Perigueux , 90 km from Agen , 93 km from Bordeaux and 110 km from Cahors .

Climate

During archaeological excavations carried out in the Vore Bergerac quarter , traces of a Neolithic settlement dating back to 3500-3000 BC were discovered. Scientists examined more than 20 dwellings that were rectangular in shape, 15 to 25 meters long and 4 to 5 meters wide, mounted on a wooden base. Their gable roofs were probably made of plant materials ^{[1] [2]} .

In 2012, during the construction of the western bypass road in Bergerac, the Merovingian necropolis was discovered dating back to the 5th – 6th centuries ^[3] .

At the very beginning of the Hundred Years War , on August 24, 1345, the city was attacked by English troops under the command of Henry Grosmont , Earl of Derby .

In May 1472, on the occasion of the death of the Duke of Guyenne, the King of France Louis XI confirmed with his diploma the privileges of the city granted to Bergerac by his predecessors. And in 1565, King Charles IX , accompanied by the royal court, visited Bergerac during his Great trip to France (1564-1566).

In the era of the French religious wars in Bergerac, on September 17, 1577, a truce was concluded, called the "Bergerac Peace". On July 16, 1621, King Louis XIII entered Bergerac and ordered the destruction of the city fortifications built by the Huguenots .

In the era of Louis XIV , an anti-fiscal revolt swept across the west of France, called the Stamp Paper Rebellion . Beginning in 1675 in Bordeaux , it spread to Bergerac, where the rebellion lasted two days, on May 3 and 4 ^[4] . The order in the city was restored by the cavalry, which was in Bergerac until mid-May.

On August 11, 1685, the first dragoon units arrived in Bergerac to facilitate the conversion of the Huguenots to Catholicism.

In October 1793, Joseph Lacanal , a member of the National Convention, arrived in Bergerac, who was tasked with raising funds for the defense of a revolutionary nation. In a short time ^[5] he was able to reorganize the system of city administration and school education. By his order, a public library and an arms factory were opened in Bergerac, and the estates of the pre-revolutionary aristocracy were destroyed in the district. It is noteworthy that the workshops of this weapons factory were built from materials obtained during the destruction of the estate of the Dukes of La Force (in ruins to this day), located 10 kilometers from Bergerac.

In 1794, 4 neighboring communes were included in the Bergerac commune.

In Bergerac there is a branch of the Dordogne Chamber of Commerce.

For more than 10 years, Bergerac has been actively developing the tourism sector of the economy. Since Bergerac is the center of the largest wine - growing region in the South-West region , the main emphasis is on the development of wine tourism, in particular, Monbazillac has a high reputation. A variety of tourist offers are complemented by a rich historical heritage, the picturesque Dordogne Valley and outdoor activities.

A significant proportion of foreign tourists, most of whom are British, Dutch and Belgians, mainly due to the development of the airport in Bergerac, where daily flights to these countries are operated.

Winemaking

On the territory of Bergerac there are 12,600 hectares of vineyards distributed over 12 appellations. Each season, local farms produce 560,000 hectoliters of wine. 12 brands of local wine have AOC certificates.

Rail service

Bergerac Train Station is served by the TER Aquitaine regional commuter train network.

Air

Thanks to regular low-cost flights from Bergerac-Perigord-Dordogne Airport, the city ​​is connected to several cities in the UK , Paris , Rotterdam and Brussels .

• Museum of Tobacco Anthropology
• Museum of Wine and River Navigation
• Chateau Lespinassa ( fr. Château de Lespinassat ), XVII — XIX century
• Chateau Monet-Sully ( Fr. Château de Mounet-Sully ), XIX century
• Museum of Bones (sculptor Konstantin Papahristopoulos )
• Protestant temple located in the heart of the old city on Place du Docteur-Cayla . Concerts are regularly held here.
• In the gallery of the church of Le Cloître des Récollets is the House of Bergerac wines
• The Notre-Dame-de-Bergerac church was built in the neo - Gothic style by the French architect Paul Abadi between 1852 and 1868. This building was included in the list of national historical monuments in 2002.

Cyrano de Bergerac (1619–1655), the author of the “Other World” dilogy ( French: L'Autre monde ), which tells of a journey to the moon and the sun, has no historical connection with the city of Bergerac. He became the prototype of the main character of the famous play by Edmond Rostand , called " Cyrano de Bergerac ." To his real name, Hercule-Savignan Cyrano , he added the generic name "de Bergerac" by the name of an old family estate located in the vicinity of Paris . He began to use the compound surname constantly from the moment he participated in the company of the Gascon cadets .

The city is proud of this “kinship by name” and actively uses the name of Cyrano for tourism and commercial purposes. In different corners of Bergerac statues of Cyrano are installed - in proud poses, with a fervently upturned famous nose.

• The two-day international enduro race "Grappe de Cyrano" (since 2010 also called "Grappe Dafy Moto"). This race was born in Bergerac and, after a short break, since 1987 has been held annually in Bergerac on Easter weekend ^[6] .
• “Feasts at Cyrano” is gathered in July in the open air by many lovers of regional cuisine and street music ^[7] .
• The exhibition fair takes place every two years (even years) in August-September ^[8] .
• The competition of fencers “La Botte de Cyrano” is held at the end of June in the historical center of the city (fencing club “Les Cadets de Bergerac”).

Bergerac has 15 kindergartens and elementary schools, 4 colleges, 2 lyceums and 9 vocational training institutions. At the same time, there are no higher educational institutions in Bergerac.

Two municipal medical centers, the Center Hospitalier Samuel Pozzi (222 beds) and the Clinique Pasteur (96 beds), are open for residents of the commune.

• Julien Ranui ( Pakito ) - French electro-pop musician.

•   Repantigny ( Canada , Quebec ), 1997 ^[9]
•   Faenza ( Italy ), 1998 ^[10]
•   Kenitra ( Morocco ), 2016
•   Ostrow Wielkopolski ( Poland ), 2017
•   Hohen Neuendorf ( Germany ), 2018

• bergerac.fr (fr.) - official website of the city of Bergerac
• Official website on tourism in Bergerac (fr.) (Eng.) (Nid.) (Sp.) (German)