Bourg-en-Bresse ( ;
Bôrg in Arpitan language) is a commune in eastern France
, capital of
the Ain
department, and was capital of
the former province of Bresse
(Brêsse). It is located north-northeast of Lyon
. The
population of the city and suburbs is 57,198, and the population of
the metropolitan area is 101,016. The inhabitants of
Bourg-en-Bresse are known as
Burgiens or
Burgiennes.
Geography
Bourg-en-Bresse is located at the western
base of the Jura mountains, on the
left bank of the Reyssouze
, a tributary of the Saône. It's at North-East of Lyon and at of
Lons-le-Saunier
.
History
The coat of arms of
Bourg-en-Bresse
Roman remains have been discovered at Bourg, but little is known of
its early history. Raised to the rank of a
free town in 1250, it was at the beginning of the
15th century chosen by the
dukes of
Savoy as the chief city of the province of Bresse. In February
1535—1536 new style—it passed to France, during a full-scale French
invasion of Savoy, but was restored to
Duke Philibert Emmanuel in
1559, when he married Henri II's sister Marguerite. The Duke later
built a strong citadel, which afterwards withstood a six-months'
siege by the soldiers of
Henry IV. The town was finally ceded to
France in 1601. In 1814 the inhabitants, in spite of the
defenseless condition of their town, offered resistance to the
Austrians, who put the place to pillage.
Sights
The chief
of the older buildings is the church of Notre-Dame
(Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation de
Bourg-en-Bresse) (16th century), of which the façade
belongs to the Renaissance;
other parts of the church are Gothic. In the interior there are
stalls of the 16th century. The other public buildings, including a
handsome
préfecture, are modern. The
hôtel de
ville contains a library and the Lorin museum with a
collection of pictures, while another museum has a collection of
the old costumes and ornaments characteristic of Bresse. Among the
statues in the town there is one of
Edgar
Quinet (1803-1875), a native of Bourg.
Stalls in the Brou Church, albumen
print, ca. 1865-1886
The
church of
Brou
, a suburb of Bourg-en-Bresse, is of great artistic
interest. Marguerite of
Bourbon, wife of
Philip II of
Savoy, had intended to found a
monastery on the spot, but died before her
intention could be carried into effect. The church was actually
built early in the 16th century by her daughter-in-law
Marguerite of Austria, wife
of
Philibert le Beau of Savoy,
in memory of her husband. The exterior, especially the
façade, is richly ornamented, but the chief
interest lies in the works of art in the interior, which date from
1532. The most important are the three mausoleums with the marble
effigies of Marguerite of Bourbon, Philibert le Beau, and
Marguerite of Austria. All three are remarkable for perfection of
sculpture and richness of ornamentation. The rood loft, the oak
stalls, and the
reredos in the chapel of the
Virgin are masterpieces in a similar style.
Economy
Interior of the church of Brou
The manufactures consist of iron goods, mineral waters, tallow,
soap and earthenware, and there are flour
mills and
breweries;
and there is considerable trade in grain, cattle and poultry -
Poulet de Bresse.
Miscellaneous
Bourg is the seat of a
prefect and of a
court of assizes, and has a
tribunal of first instance, a tribunal and a
chamber of commerce, and a branch of the Bank of France. Its
educational establishments include
lycées, and
training
collèges.
Bourg-en-Bresse was the finish of Stage 6 and the departure of
Stage 7 in the
2007 Tour de
France.
The Bourg Walk is a name of a bridge in Aylesbury, dedicated to the
twin town. Former resident and past pupil of Aylesbury Grammar
School, Alastair Harrison proposed the name to symbolically bridge
the gap between the two towns, which has been received most
favourably.
Births
Bourg-en-Bresse was the birthplace of:
- Claude
Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac (1581-1638), mathematician
- Henri Musson de Val
Bourg (d.1715) Explorer
- Francois Maximilien
Musson (d. 1722) Explorer
- Jérôme Lalande
(1732-1807), astronomer
- Jean-Bernard
Gauthier de Murnan (1748-1796), French officer for the Continental Army and a French General
during the French Revolution
- Edgar Quinet (1803-1875), historian and man of letters
- Jacques Pépin (born 1935),
noted French chef
- François Clerc (born 1983),
football player for Olympique
Lyonnais and the French national team
- Paul Fromin, (born 1950), composer
and musician (saxophone player)
- Julien Benneteau, (born 1981),
tennis player
- Lionel Nallet, (born 14 September,
1976), French international rugby union player (lock), currently playing for
Castres Olympique in the Top 14.
- Laurent Gerra, (born 1967),
humorist, voices imitator, writer and director.
- Georges Blanc, famous cook.
- Alain Giletti, (born on 9
November, 1939), ice skater, 10 times
French champion, 5 times European champion, 4 times vice-champion
of Europe and 1 time World champion (1960).
- Jean De Gaulle, grandson of the
General De Gaulle.
- André Diethelm, Minister of
war under the General De Gaulle's
first government.
- Louis Jourdan, painter.
- Jean-Yves Mariotte, architect
and paleograph.
- Daniel Morelon, cyclist.
- Jean-Luc Tissot, basketball
player.
- Jérôme Monnet,
basketball player.
- Paul Filliat, cyclist.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Bourg-en-Bresse is
twinned
with:Bourg-en-Bresse is twinned with:
Additionally, it has established partnerships with:
See also
References
External links
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