Libourne

Libourne

Town hall

Coat of arms
Libourne

Coordinates: 44°55′N 0°14′W / 44.92°N 0.24°WCoordinates: 44°55′N 0°14′W / 44.92°N 0.24°W
Country France
Region Aquitaine
Department Gironde
Arrondissement Libourne
Canton Libourne
Intercommunality Libournais
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Gilbert Mitterrand (PS)
Area1 20.63 km2 (7.97 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 23,725
 • Density 1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 33243 / 33600
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 (Gascon Liborna) is a commune in the Gironde department in 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.

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.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1793 9,100—    
1800 8,076−11.3%
1806 8,293+2.7%
1821 8,787+6.0%
1831 9,838+12.0%
1836 9,714−1.3%
1841 9,814+1.0%
1846 11,813+20.4%
1851 12,650+7.1%
1856 13,290+5.1%
1861 13,565+2.1%
1866 14,639+7.9%
1872 14,960+2.2%
1876 15,231+1.8%
1881 15,981+4.9%
1886 16,736+4.7%
1891 17,867+6.8%
1896 18,016+0.8%
1901 19,175+6.4%
1906 19,323+0.8%
1911 20,085+3.9%
1921 18,083−10.0%
1926 18,453+2.0%
1931 19,103+3.5%
1936 19,491+2.0%
1946 20,166+3.5%
1954 19,474−3.4%
1962 19,834+1.8%
1968 22,123+11.5%
1975 21,651−2.1%
1982 22,119+2.2%
1990 21,012−5.0%
1999 21,764+3.6%
2008 23,725+9.0%

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; and 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 week end one of the largest fresh food market in the region. There is a statue of Élie, duc Decazes, who was born in the neighborhood.

See also

References

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Libourne.
    Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Libourne.