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Bordeaux --the city -- has developed into a treasure of French architecture,
food & wine culture, and civility since our last visit 14 years ago. UNESCO has now named it one of the newest World
Heritage Sites. Bordeaux city is an overlooked jewel currently in the process of a Renaissance. |
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We first visited Bordeaux 14 years ago and left completely unimpressed--by the wine
culture and by the city itself, which appeared as a gloomy, half-modern and half run-down city without identity.
In 2008, everything has changed.
As the New York Times, the Independant of London, and many others have noted, Bordeaux has undergone a transformation,
nay a transmogrification from the city that France and the rest of the world had written off into a stunning example of civic
pride, urban renewal, high culture, gastronomy, and architectural preservation. There is more to come, as the process of cleaning
facades and sprucing up neighborhoods is in process. The immigrant quartier of St. Michele--centered on a stunning
Gothic Church that is a World Heritage Monument of UNESCO--is the next one up.
Bordeaux is also naturally situated at the center of the vast wine region (since it
was always the commercial hub of the whole region) and therefore forms a perfect base for visiting Medoc, Graves, Sauternes,
or Pomerol. And if you don't have time to go out too see all the vineyards, they will come to you through numerous retail
wine merchants and the Wine School.
The food markets of Bordeaux count among the finest we have seen in France, Italy, or
Spain. Locales like Les Cupucins--which has a history going back to 1749 but is now housed in a modern parking structure--have
an amazing breadth and range of products, inlcuidng both permanent vendors in stalls and others who come in for the day. Vegetable
& fruit vendors spill out onto the streets outside the market as you head towards Place Victoire. Fresh seafood, an astonishing
selection of oysters, cheese mongers, butchers, and a wine shop all find their home here.
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Bordeaux: The largest urban World Heritage Site
UNESCO has included Bordeaux on the list
of UNESCO World Heritage sites as of 28 June 2007. This distinction recognises the beauty and incredible unity of style of
Bordeaux's architectural heritage, which has developed harmoniously over the centuries and remained remarkably well-preserved.
The Bordeaux World Heritage site is the largest urban entity to be so honoured. It covers 1,810 hectares, or half of the city,
from the outer boulevards to the banks of the Garonne.
A rich concentration of monuments
in a dynamic city
With over 350 historic monuments in a protected area of 147 hectares, as well as 3 churches (Saint-André,
Saint-Michel, and Saint-Seurin) that had already received listings as World Heritage sites on the pilgrim road to Santiago
de Compostela, Bordeaux had a number of assets to convince the jury.
Bordeaux, an 18th century architectural gem, owes its beauty to architects spanning
a number of periods: Jacques Gabriel Les Allées de Tourny, Victor Louis Le Grand Théâtre, Jacques d'Welles the municipal stadium,
and Richard Rogers, who designed not only the Beaubourg Centre in Paris, but also the Bordeaux Court of First Instance.
Above and beyond its lovely architecture, Bordeaux was chosen for its attractive,
vibrant, and cosmopolitan districts. From the narrow streets of the Saint-Michel quarter to buildings from the 60s and 70s
in Mériadeck, these districts reflect the life of a city that has evolved without losing its character or identity.
Bordeaux's successful bid as a World Heritage site also relied on several ambitious
urban renewal projects begun in 1996 under the impetus of mayor Alain Juppé. These include development of the quays along
the Garonne River, the restoration of many façades, and a light rail transit system.
The city boasts un unrivalled
and very civilized quality of life.
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