11/10/2023 0 Comments Cities in dordogne franceDespite the Wars of Religion, the population of Bergerac in the 16th century led a peaceful and prosperous existence sheltered from its defences. The peaceful merchant city then became a powerful Protestant stronghold where convents and churches were destroyed. With the Peace, commercial prosperity returned, but the population fell in love with Calvinist ideas. After a demographic recovery, the municipal power restructures urban life and regulates public hygiene. However, it loses half of its “fiscal” population. In the middle of the 14th century, the city was surprised by the Hundred Years War but managed to preserve itself, as a free and independent city, through its diplomatic strategy. The cereal lands arrive at the gates of the city while the vine dominates on the hillsides from this time. The agglomeration extends and overflows by suburbs where settle convents of mendicant order. Engaged in the municipal movement, the city acquires freedoms and franknesses, conditions of its fortune, since it can from now on export its wines. In the 13th century, the development of viticulture and the growth of trade led to the construction of a bridge over the Dordogne. The construction of the St Jacques church and a hospital confirms this extension. The castral town grew to become a stage for travellers, pilgrims and merchants, a century later. More.Bergerac finds its origin in the existence of a castle, built at the end of the 11th century on the banks of the Dordogne, which attracts a population hitherto dispersed in the plain. St-Cirq LapopieĪ medieval village little changed from the Middle Ages, set in a vast forest, it takes awhile to get to. Sarlat is a popular base for explorations of the Dordogne because of its many good hotels and rental apartments, its restaurants, and its own cultural and historical interest. RocamadourĪ mystic, spiritual medieval town clinging to a sheer cliff topped by a fortress, Rocamadour is revered for its miraculous Black Madonna effigy and chapel as well as for its dramatic situation. Préfecture and largest city in the Dordogne region, Périgueux is half-ancient, half-modern and famous for its foie gras and truffles. It's here you'll find the National Museum of Pre-History along with plenty of caves and art. Lascaux is most famous, but Les Eyzies is really the center of France's pre-historic cave-dwellers and their culture. The neighboring town of Montignac is a gracious host. The astonishing 25,000-year-old cave paintings discovered in the caves at Lascaux are a must-see, even if they're actually the faithful reproductions in Lascaux II. It's best viewed from the middle of the River Dordogne in a hired canoe or kayak, or during a cruise by traditional gabare riverboat. Squeezed between a mountain cliff and the river, this old one-street town looks to be straight out of a storybook. View from the ramparts of Domme, Périgord. DommeĪ strong-walled military lookout on a rock promontory has become a must-see stop on any Dordogne Valley itinerary because of its panoramic views of the fertile countryside, spired châteaux, and meandering river. CahorsĪ mostly modern city embraced by the River Lot, but with medieval reminders, Cahors is, and always has been, famous for its wines. Perched on a mountain crag looming over the Dordogne River, Beynac is a picture-perfect medieval town topped by a castle-fortress, with canoes and kayaks for a cruise on the river. Here are the high points: Bergeracįamous for Edmond Rostand's play Cyrano de Bergerac, this interesting medieval town is, more importantly, a winemaking center. You go to the Dordogne (by plane, train, bus or car) just to live there for awhile and enjoy it. What it has is a consistent richness of natural beauty, history, culture and cuisine. The Dordogne has no must-visit imperial cities such as Paris, no must-see royal châteaux such as in the Loire valley. Swathed in fertile river-floodplain fields and green forests, its hills and rock outcrops dotted with medieval towns and châteaux, it offers a succession of beautiful vistas and panoramas along the length of the river and its tributaries. The Dordogne River valley is among France's most beautiful and alluring regions.
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