Libourne

Libourne
Subprefecture and commune
Town hall
Coat of arms
Country	France
Region	Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes
Department	Gironde
Arrondissement	Libourne
Canton	Le Libournais-Fronsadais
Intercommunality	CA Libournais
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Philippe Buisson (PS)
Area1	20.63 km2 (7.97 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)2
INSEE/Postal code	33243 / 33500
Elevation	2–28 m (6.6–91.9 ft) (avg. 15 m or 49 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Libourne (French pronunciation: [libuʁn]; Occitan: Liborna [liˈbuɾnɔ]) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.

It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.

Bridge over the Dordogne

Geography

Libourne is located at the confluence of the Isle and Dordogne rivers. Libourne station has rail connections to Bordeaux, Bergerac, Angoulême, Périgueux, Limoges, Brive-la-Gaillarde and Sarlat-la-Canéda.

History

In 1270, Leybornia was founded as a bastide by Roger de Leybourne (of Leybourne, Kent), an English seneschal of Gascony, under the authority of King Edward I of England. It suffered considerably in the struggles of the French and English for the possession of Gironde in the 14th century, and joined France in the 15th century.

In December 1854 John Stuart Mill passed through Libourne, remarking "I stopped at Libourne as I intended & had a walk about it this morning quite the best thing there is the bridge of the Dordogne, the view from which is really fine".

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 9,100 —     1800 8,076 −1.69% 1806 8,293 +0.44% 1821 8,787 +0.39% 1831 9,838 +1.14% 1836 9,714 −0.25% 1841 9,814 +0.21% 1846 11,813 +3.78% 1851 12,650 +1.38% 1856 13,290 +0.99% 1861 13,565 +0.41% 1866 14,639 +1.54% 1872 14,960 +0.36% 1876 15,231 +0.45% 1881 15,981 +0.97% 1886 16,736 +0.93% 1891 17,867 +1.32% 1896 18,016 +0.17%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 19,175 +1.25% 1906 19,323 +0.15% 1911 20,085 +0.78% 1921 18,083 −1.04% 1926 18,453 +0.41% 1931 19,103 +0.69% 1936 19,491 +0.40% 1946 20,166 +0.34% 1954 19,474 −0.44% 1962 19,834 +0.23% 1968 22,123 +1.84% 1975 21,651 −0.31% 1982 22,119 +0.31% 1990 21,012 −0.64% 1999 21,761 +0.39% 2007 23,471 +0.95% 2012 23,736 +0.22% 2017 24,845 +0.92%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017)

Sights

The Gothic church, restored in the 19th century, has a stone spire 232 ft (71 m) high. On the quay there is a machicolated clock-tower which is a survival of the defensive walls of the 14th century. The town-house, containing a small museum and a library, is a quaint relic of the 16th century. It is located by the main square, the Place Abel Surchamp, which hosts every weekend one of the largest fresh food market in the region. There is a statue of Élie, duc Decazes, who was born in the region.

Notable people

• Eugène Atget (1857–1927), French photographer, "Creator and Purveyor of a Collection of Photographic Views of Old France"
• Florian Latorre (born 1997), racing driver
• Louis Le Provost de Launay (1850–1912), French deputy and senator
• Jean-Marie Londeix (1932–), French saxophonist
• Jean Marcadé (1920–2012), French Hellenist and historian
• Jean-Marie Poumeyrol, (born 1946), artist

See also

• Hull town walls, the town of Hull, also established under Edward I, is said to have been similar in design to the Bastides, in particular Libourne
• Communes of the Gironde department
• Keynsham, twinned with Libourne

External links

•  
• Official website (in French)
• Unofficial website (in French)