Libourne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Libourne, the wine-making capital of northern Gironde, is a French commune in the Aquitaine region. Its population in 1999 was 22,457 inhabitants.

[edit] Geography

It is located at the confluence of the Isle and Dordogne rivers.

[edit] History

In 1270, Leybornia was founded as a bastide by Roger de Leybourne (of 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.

[edit] Sights

The Gothic church, restored in the 19th century, has a stone spire 232 ft high. On the quay there is a machicolated clock-tower which is a survival of the ramparts of the 14th century; and the town-house, containing a small museum and a library, is a quaint relic of the 16th century. There is a statue of the Duc Decazes, who was born in the neighborhood.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Libourne