Bourges

Bourges
	Bourges
	Saint-Étienne de Bourges
	Bourges
Administration
Country	France
Region	Centre
Department	Cher
Arrondissement	Bourges
Intercommunality	Bourges
Mayor	Serge Lepeltier; (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	120–169 m (390–554 ft); (avg. 153 m or 502 ft)
Land area1	68.74 km2 (26.54 sq mi)
Population2	68,980 (2008)
- Density	1,003 /km2 (2,600 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	18033/ 18000
	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.

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Coordinates: 47°05′04″N 2°23′47″E / 47.0844°N 2.3964°E / 47.0844; 2.3964

Bourges (French pronunciation: [buʁʒ]) is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.

[edit] History

The name of the city is either derived from the Bituriges, the name of the original inhabitants, or from the Germanic Burg (French: Bourg. Spanish: Burgos. English, others: Burgh, Berg, or Borough), for "hill/village". Its Celtic name was Avaricon and its Latin name was Avaricum. In the Gallic Wars, the Gauls practised a scorched-earth policy, but the inhabitants of Avaricum begged not to have their city burned, and it was spared due to its good defences provided by the surrounding marshes and a strong southern wall. Following the siege of Avaricum in the winter of 52 BC, Julius Caesar's forces destroyed the city and killed all but 800 of its inhabitants.

The city was reconstructed as a Roman city, with a monumental gate, aqueducts, thermae and an amphitheatre, reaching a greater size than it would attain during the Middle Ages. The massive walls surrounding the late Roman city, enclosing 40 hectares, were built in part re-using stone from earlier public buildings.

The third century Saint Ursinus, also known as Saint Ursin, is considered the first bishop of the city. Bourges is the seat of an archbishopric. During the 8th century Bourges lay on the northern fringes of the Duchy of Aquitaine and was therefore the first town to come under Frankish attacks when they crossed the Loire. It was captured by the Frankish Charles Martel in 731 but immediately reconquered by the duke Odo the Great. It remained under the rule of counts who pledged allegiance to the Aquitanian dukes up to the destructive assault of Pepin the Short on independent Aquitaine starting in 760, when Basque troops are found defending the town along with its count.

The Gothic Cathedral of Saint Etienne, begun at the end of the twelfth century, is listed as a World Heritage Site. It is considered the earliest example of the high gothic style of the thirteenth century.

During the Middle Ages, Bourges was the capital of a Viscounty until the fourteenth century. The future king, Charles VII, sought refuge there. His son, Louis XI, was born there in 1423. In 1438, Charles decreed the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges. During this period, Bourges was also a major capital of alchemy.

The city has a long tradition of art and history, other sites of importance include the Palace of Jacques Cœur and a sixty-five-hectare district of half-timbered houses and fine town houses.

[edit] Personalities

The Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot was born in Bourges on 14 January 1841.

[edit] Population

Historical population of Bourges
Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	15,964	16,330	17,552	18,910	19,730	25,324	22,826	24,799	25,037	26,799

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
Population	28,064	30,119	31,312	35,785	40,217	42,829	45,342	43,587	46,551	44,133

Year	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
Population	45,735	45,942	44,245	45,067	49,263	51,040	53,879	60,632	70,814	77,300

Year	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	76,432	75,609	72,434	68,980

[edit] Sights

Floorplan of the cathedral of Bourges

Its Gothic cathedral (built 1195–1255) was added to the list of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1992
Jacques Cœur's Palace
The Maurice Estève Museum
The marshes of the Yèvre and Voiselle Rivers, was listed in 2003 as a French Natural Monument or Site
The ruins of the Gallo-Roman walls
The Conservatoire national du Pélargonium

[edit] Transport

The railway station Gare de Bourges offers direct connections to Paris, Orléans, Tours, Lyon and several regional destinations. The A71 motorway connects Bourges with Orléans and Clermont-Ferrand. Bourges Airport is a small regional airport.