Le Figaro Bordeaux
Before nourishing the ambition of becoming “the Solar City” as desired by the current mayor, Pierre Hurmic, Bordeaux is better known under the name “Port of the Moon
”.
A nickname given by the Romans since the Middle Ages which first derives its existence from the shape of the river bed, a crescent-shaped curve, which flows into the harbor of Bordeaux.
The one which was then called
“Burdigala”
, fueled by its wine trade, then extracted most of its wealth from its port activity.
To the point that a crescent moon appears on the city's coat of arms since the reign of Richard the Lionheart, and the star is mentioned in its motto: "
Lilia sola regunt lunam, undas, castra, leonem
" ("The lilies alone reign over the moon, the waves, the fortress and the lion”, in French).
From the 12th century, the canton became Gascon and moved its port to the heart of the city.
In the palaces of the general farm (ancestor of customs) located on Place de la Bourse, all goods arriving or leaving the territory are recorded, controlled and taxed in the hall which now houses the National Customs Museum.
After the victory of the kings of France at Castillon-la-Bataille, the last battle of the Hundred Years' War, on July 17, 1453, Charles VII entered Bordeaux.
He
“had a fortress built there, Château Trompette, on the banks of the Garonne
,” explains the Bordeaux Wine and Trade Museum.
The first wine merchants then set up shop, a stone's throw from the Place de la Bourse, in a marshy district which would become the wealthy Chartrons district.
Also read “It’s a bit like an island”: meeting the inhabitants of the smallest village in France, near Bordeaux
Unesco World Heritage
If the “Port de la Lune” is no longer active in the city center of Bordeaux, where the quays have been developed while maritime activities have been moved to the Bassins à flots district, the appellation is listed as a world heritage site. UNESCO since 2007. Listed as an
“exceptional urban ensemble”,
1,810 hectares are classified, specifies the Bordeaux town hall, emphasizing that it was
“a first”
for such a large area.
Around it, a heritage attention zone of 3725 hectares has been decreed.
With the exception of Paris, the “Port of the Moon” is the French city with the most protected buildings, mentions the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
The “Port of the Moon” has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site since 2007. Bordeaux City Hall