Libourne
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Libourne (French pronunciation: [libuʁn] ⓘ; Gascon: Liborna [liˈbuɾnɔ]) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-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.
History
Like other sites at the confluence of important rivers, that of Libourne was appropriated at an early period. Under the Romans a colonia stood rather more than a mile to the south of the present Libourne; it was destroyed during the troubles of the 5th century. Resuscitated by Charlemagne, it was rebuilt in 1269, as Leybornia, and was founded as a bastide by Roger de Leybourne (of Leybourne, 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 Hundred Years' War, and joined France in the 15th century.
In 1787 the parlement of Bordeaux was exiled to Libourne amid political crises.
In December 1854 John Stuart Mill passed through Libourne, remarking "I stopped at Libourne as I intended & had a walk about it this morning quite the best thing there is the bridge of the Dordogne, the view from which is really fine".
Sights
The Gothic church, restored in the 19th century, has a stone spire 71 m (232 ft) high. On the quay there is a machicolated clock-tower which is a survival of the defensive walls of the 14th century.
The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1427.
There is also a statue of Élie, duc Decazes, who was born in the region.
Geography
Libourne is located at the confluence of the Isle and Dordogne rivers. Libourne station has rail connections to Bordeaux, Bergerac, Angoulême, Périgueux, Limoges, Brive-la-Gaillarde and Sarlat-la-Canéda.
| Climate data for Libourne (Saint-Émilion) (1995–2020 normals, extremes 1995–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 26.3 (79.3) | 30.8 (87.4) | 35.5 (95.9) | 39.7 (103.5) | 40.9 (105.6) | 41.3 (106.3) | 37.9 (100.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 25.2 (77.4) | 19.7 (67.5) | 41.3 (106.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.9 (49.8) | 11.6 (52.9) | 15.4 (59.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 22.2 (72.0) | 25.9 (78.6) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.0 (82.4) | 24.7 (76.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 13.8 (56.8) | 10.5 (50.9) | 19.0 (66.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) | 7.3 (45.1) | 10.3 (50.5) | 13.1 (55.6) | 16.6 (61.9) | 19.8 (67.6) | 21.5 (70.7) | 21.5 (70.7) | 18.2 (64.8) | 14.9 (58.8) | 9.8 (49.6) | 7.1 (44.8) | 13.9 (57.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.3 (37.9) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.2 (41.4) | 7.6 (45.7) | 11.0 (51.8) | 13.8 (56.8) | 15.1 (59.2) | 14.9 (58.8) | 11.8 (53.2) | 9.6 (49.3) | 5.8 (42.4) | 3.6 (38.5) | 8.7 (47.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.3 (17.1) | −12.0 (10.4) | −9.0 (15.8) | −1.8 (28.8) | 2.2 (36.0) | 5.6 (42.1) | 7.1 (44.8) | 6.2 (43.2) | 2.9 (37.2) | −5.6 (21.9) | −8.0 (17.6) | −9.7 (14.5) | −12.0 (10.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 78.2 (3.08) | 61.5 (2.42) | 58.0 (2.28) | 72.4 (2.85) | 68.1 (2.68) | 58.2 (2.29) | 47.7 (1.88) | 55.2 (2.17) | 62.0 (2.44) | 61.4 (2.42) | 91.4 (3.60) | 84.0 (3.31) | 798.1 (31.42) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.5 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 11.2 | 9.9 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 13.2 | 12.5 | 121.3 |
| Source: Meteociel |
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| Historical population | ||
| YearPop.±% p.a.17939,100—18008,076−1.69%18068,293+0.44%18218,787+0.39%18319,838+1.14%18369,714−0.25%18419,814+0.21%184611,813+3.78%185112,650+1.38%185613,290+0.99%186113,565+0.41%186614,639+1.54%187214,960+0.36%187615,231+0.45%188115,981+0.97%188616,736+0.93%189117,867+1.32%189618,016+0.17%190119,175+1.25% | YearPop.±% p.a.190619,323+0.15%191120,085+0.78%192118,083−1.04%192618,453+0.41%193119,103+0.69%193619,491+0.40%194620,166+0.34%195419,474−0.44%196219,834+0.23%196822,123+1.84%197521,651−0.31%198222,119+0.31%199021,012−0.64%199921,761+0.39%200723,471+0.95%201223,736+0.22%201724,845+0.92%202325,036+0.13% | |
| 1793 | 9,100 | — |
| 1800 | 8,076 | −1.69% |
| 1806 | 8,293 | +0.44% |
| 1821 | 8,787 | +0.39% |
| 1831 | 9,838 | +1.14% |
| 1836 | 9,714 | −0.25% |
| 1841 | 9,814 | +0.21% |
| 1846 | 11,813 | +3.78% |
| 1851 | 12,650 | +1.38% |
| 1856 | 13,290 | +0.99% |
| 1861 | 13,565 | +0.41% |
| 1866 | 14,639 | +1.54% |
| 1872 | 14,960 | +0.36% |
| 1876 | 15,231 | +0.45% |
| 1881 | 15,981 | +0.97% |
| 1886 | 16,736 | +0.93% |
| 1891 | 17,867 | +1.32% |
| 1896 | 18,016 | +0.17% |
| 1901 | 19,175 | +1.25% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1906 | 19,323 | +0.15% |
| 1911 | 20,085 | +0.78% |
| 1921 | 18,083 | −1.04% |
| 1926 | 18,453 | +0.41% |
| 1931 | 19,103 | +0.69% |
| 1936 | 19,491 | +0.40% |
| 1946 | 20,166 | +0.34% |
| 1954 | 19,474 | −0.44% |
| 1962 | 19,834 | +0.23% |
| 1968 | 22,123 | +1.84% |
| 1975 | 21,651 | −0.31% |
| 1982 | 22,119 | +0.31% |
| 1990 | 21,012 | −0.64% |
| 1999 | 21,761 | +0.39% |
| 2007 | 23,471 | +0.95% |
| 2012 | 23,736 | +0.22% |
| 2017 | 24,845 | +0.92% |
| 2023 | 25,036 | +0.13% |
| Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968-2023) |
Gallery
- The Hôtel de Ville
- Nave of the Chapelle de Condat
- Gate of the Port
- Protestant temple
Notable people
- Eugène Atget (1857–1927), French photographer, "Creator and Purveyor of a Collection of Photographic Views of Old France"
- Georges Charles Marius Engerrand (1877–1961), geologist and archaeologist
- Florian Latorre (born 1997), racing driver
- Louis Le Provost de Launay (1850–1912), French deputy and senator
- Jean-Marie Londeix (1932–2025), French saxophonist
- Jean Marcadé (1920–2012), French Hellenist and historian
- Jean-Marie Poumeyrol (born 1946), artist
See also
- Hull town walls, the town of Hull, also established under Edward I, is said to have been similar in design to the Bastides, in particular Libourne
- Communes of the Gironde department
- Keynsham, twinned with Libourne
External links
- (in French)
- (in French)