Bergerac, Dordogne

History

In 1565, Charles IX of France visited Bergerac during his grand tour.

On 17 September 1577, amidst the French Wars of Religion, the Treaty of Bergerac, also known as the Peace of Bergerac (French: Paix de Bergerac), was signed between Henri III of France and Protestants to put a temporary end to the conflict. The treaty was negotiated by important figures on each side of the conflict, namely Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy and Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron on the King's side and François de la Noue and François, Duke of Montpensier on the Protestant side.

Bergerac, which was a site where members of the French Resistance in Dordogne were incarcerated and interrogated during World War II, was freed from German occupation on 21 August 1944.

Demographics

| graph-pos = bottom |1793 |11720 |1800 |8544 |1806 |8665 |1821 |8044 |1831 |8557 |1836 |9285 |1841 |10102 |1846 |9873 |1851 |10402 |1856 |10875 |1861 |12116 |1866 |12123 |1872 |11699 |1876 |13120 |1881 |15042 |1886 |14353 |1891 |14735 |1896 |15642 |1901 |15936 |1906 |15623 |1911 |16162 |1921 |17041 |1926 |16593 |1931 |17520 |1936 |18902 |1946 |22525 |1954 |23622 |1962 |25185 |1968 |27165 |1975 |27764 |1982 |26832 |1990 |26899 |1999 |26053 |2007 |27601 |2012 |27972 |2017 |26833 |2023 |27110

Climate

With climate change, Bergerac's climate has varied. A study carried out in 2014 by the Directorate General for Energy and Climate predicts that the average temperature should increase and the average rainfall decrease.

|Jan record high C = 19.1 |Feb record high C = 25.9 |Mar record high C = 26.6 |Apr record high C = 29.7 |May record high C = 33.5 |Jun record high C = 39.5 |Jul record high C = 40.5 |Aug record high C = 42.1 |Sep record high C = 37.5 |Oct record high C = 32.7 |Nov record high C = 24.8 |Dec record high C = 20.0 |year record high C = 42.1 |Jan record low C = -10.5 |Feb record low C = -17.1 |Mar record low C = -12.0 |Apr record low C = -5.1 |May record low C = -1.5 |Jun record low C = 2.9 |Jul record low C = 6.4 |Aug record low C = 4.8 |Sep record low C = 1.2 |Oct record low C = -5.5 |Nov record low C = -9.8 |Dec record low C = -12.4 |year record low C = -17.1 |access-date=22 November 2024}}}}

Economy

Main article: Bergerac wine

The region is primarily known for wine and tobacco. It has twelve recognised wine AOCs (appellations d'origine contrôlée):

• Bergerac
• Bergerac Rosé
• Bergerac Sec (dry)
• Côtes-de-Bergerac
• Côtes de Bergerac Blanc
• Côtes de Montravel
• Montravel (red and white)
• Haut-Montravel
• Saussignac
• Monbazillac
• Pécharmant
• Rosette

Immigration

Bergerac is home to a population of immigrant British. This trend is not unique to Bergerac and is evident throughout the Dordogne. In part, this is driven by house prices which are very affordable when compared with either the French or British national averages. The increasing British presence has led to some integration initiatives such as the non-profit Université du Temps Libre which offers French language classes and a programme of cultural activities; mainly to increase assimilation.

Tourism

The town has a growing tourism industry. The region's association with wines is also a key motivating factor for much tourism with wine tours, chateau visits and a wine house by the river which features an exhibition on the history of wine growing. Nearby sites for tourists include the Arboretum de Podestat, Château de Monbazillac, the town museum, statue museum, and tobacco museum. The church of Notre Dame is located in the town centre. The Dordogne River is also a significant tourist attraction for river boat tours and kayak rental.

Cyrano de Bergerac

The town contains two statues of Cyrano de Bergerac, subject of a famous eponymous play by Edmond Rostand. An old stone statue stands on Place de la Myrpe, facing Place du Docteur Cayla. A newer statue, painted in colour and standing on a stainless steel pedestal, has been erected on Place Pélissière .

Transport

Bergerac is served by Bergerac-Roumanière Airport (code EGC), which has internal flights, as well as routes to UK airports including Southampton, Bristol, Manchester, East Midlands, London Luton, Edinburgh, Exeter, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds Bradford and London Stansted Airport. Transavia also flies to Bergerac from Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

Bergerac has an SNCF station with regular services to Bordeaux and Sarlat-la-Canéda. A weekday bus service operates between Bergerac and Périgueux, mainly serving student commuters.

Education

Bergerac is located within the Bordeaux Académie, which covers the entire former Aquitaine region. The main high school is Lycée Maine de Biran. Other high schools in the town include the private school Institution Sainte-Marthe Saint-Front, Lycée Jean Capelle and Lycée Professionnel de l'Alba.

International relations

Bergerac, Dordogne is twinned with:

• CAN Repentigny, Canada, since 1997
• ITA Faenza, Italy, since 1998
• MAR Kenitra, Morocco, since 2016
• POL Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland, since 2017
• GER Hohen Neuendorf, Germany, since 2018

References

References

1. (6 June 2023). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
2. [https://www.sudouest.fr/2013/12/09/bergerac-est-classee-ville-d-art-et-d-histoire-1253928-1733.php?nic "Bergerac est classée Ville d'art et d'histoire"], ''[[Sud Ouest (newspaper). Sud Ouest]]'' (in French), 9 December 2013.
3. [https://www.sudouest.fr/politique/le-21-aout-1944-bergerac-etait-liberee-2508331.php "Le 21 août 1944, Bergerac était libérée"], ''[[Sud Ouest (newspaper). Sud Ouest]]'' (in French), 19 August 2019.
4. {{Cassini-Ehess. 3735. Bergerac
5. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8643952?geo=COM-24037#tableau-POPREF_G1 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023], INSEE
6. "Le climat de la France au XXIe siècle - Volume 4 - Scénarios régionalisés : édition 2014 pour la métropole et les régions d'outre-mer".
7. (27 March 2018). "'It's been mad': Dordogne town's unexpected Brexit boom".
8. (8 September 2017). "Why is Dordogne so popular with Brits?".
9. "Université du Temps Libre de Bergerac".
10. "Wine & cuisine".
11. [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:%C3%89glise_Notre-Dame_(Bergerac) Category:Église Notre-Dame (Bergerac)], [[Wikimedia Commons]]
12. "Les relations internationales". Bergerac.