History History

The south-west of France is home to many prehistoric remains. In Gironde, Pair-Non-Pair, listed as a Monument Historique, is one of the most remarkable decorated caves of the early Palaeolithic.

The Pair-Non-Pair cave in Prignac-et-Marcamps tells the story of over 60,000 years of human presence, starting with Neanderthal man. Discovered in 1881 by archaeologist François Daleau, it is the only prehistoric site in the département that can be visited. Its engraved bestiary features horses, ibex, deer, mammoths, bovines and an exceptional megaceros figure. Over 15,000 bone and flint tools have been discovered. Most of the remains are on display at the Musée d'Aquitaine in Bordeaux.

This is the appearance of agriculture in Aquitaine. The development of pottery for food and breeding are two other considerable advances. In the Médoc, at the crossroads between Iberia and Armorica, men made straight-edged axes in series.

Between the ^3rd and ^1st centuries BC, Celtic peoples settled in the Gironde region. The Bituriges Vivisques settled in Bordeaux, the Vasates in the Bazadais and the Boïates in the Buch region. Trade, agriculture, iron and bronze crafts and pottery were all part of their daily lives. At the crossroads of the Atlantic and Mediterranean communication routes, the port of Bordeaux was a busy place.

Founded by the Bituriges Vivisques under the Roman Empire, Burdigala is the Latin name for the present-day city of Bordeaux. A stronghold, it gradually became the capital of the province of Aquitaine. Numerous Roman roads were built.

Burdigala submits to Rome.

The Gallo-Romans left many traces in Gironde, notably the Gallo-Roman villa of Plassac, the Palais Galien in Bordeaux, the site of Brion in the Médoc or the villa of Loupiac. On the coast, the oldest excavated site is in Andernos.

Following the Germanic invasions, Tetricus, governor of Burdigala, became ruler of Gaul. He remained in power until 274, the year in which Gaul returned to the Roman Empire.

The second Aquitaine and Novempopulania are invaded by the Visigoths. In 507, Clovis, king of the Franks, attacks the Visigoth kingdom.

In the 11th century, Aquitaine was one of the most important duchies in France.

Sole heiress of the duchy in 1137, Eleanor is placed under the protection of King Louis VI of France. Eager to recover the duchy, he married Eleanor to his son Louis VII. Upon his death, Eleanor became Queen of France. The divorce of Eleanor and her remarriage in 1152 to Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and heir to the King of England, attached Aquitaine to the Crown of England until 1453, at the end of the Hundred Years War.

The kingdom of France recovers the duchy of Aquitaine.

The creation of the Parliament of Bordeaux was a direct consequence of the return of Aquitaine to the Crown of France, at the end of the Hundred Years' War. Bordeaux became a parliamentary city.

During the Wars of Religion, Henri de Navarre defeated the royal army of Duke Anne de Joyeuse at Coutras.

Of the Gironde Renaissance, only a few residences remain, such as the castles of Vayres, Cadillac or Malle. On the other hand, it was during this period that Vauban had the Verrou de l'estuaire (the citadel of Blaye, Fort Pathé and Fort Médoc) built.

Bordeaux is living its "golden age".

A letter of patent from the King authorizes the port of Bordeaux to practice the slave trade.

The department of Gironde, which took its definitive name on February 26, 1790, was created by grouping together the former provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne.

The Société des Amis de la Constitution, cradle of the Girondin party, was created on April 16, 1790. On August 10, 1792, Pierre Vergniaud proclaimed the deposition of Louis XVI. Ten days later, the people of Bordeaux toppled the equestrian statue of Louis XV on today's Place de la Bourse.
The monument to the Girondins, on Place des Quinconces, was erected in memory of the deputies who fell victim to the Terror.

The 19th century was also marked by a period of intense industrial development. The arrival of the railway went hand in hand with the creation of the seaside towns of Arcachon and Soulac-sur-Mer. Important facilities were built and several engineering structures were designed by Gustave Eiffel. Most of the Médoc's châteaux were built at this time.

First bridge over the Garonne in Bordeaux, the stone bridge is open to traffic.

This reference was established at the request of Emperor Napoleon III for the Universal Exhibition in Paris.

Law relating to the reclamation and cultivation of the Landes de Gascogne aimed at draining the wet moors, in particular by afforestation with maritime pines.

While the men were engaged on the front line, the women were working in the fields and in the vineyard. In the city, they worked in the armament, metallurgy and powder factories as well as in transport.

The floods of 1930 submerged the South of Gironde. In Cadillac and Barsac, the waters of the river reached up to 12 meters high. A record!

After the episodes of the Commune in 1870-1871 and the retreat of September-December 1914, Bordeaux became the capital of France for the third time. On June 17, 1940, Marshal Pétain, appointed to the presidency of the Council, called for an armistice with Germany, while General de Gaulle flew from Bordeaux-Mérignac to England to form the Free French government. On June 22, the demarcation line divided the region into two zones. The Gironde was occupied on June 28.

Transformed into a digital art center - Bassins de Lumière - the Bordeaux submarine base is one of five submarine bases built by the German army on the Atlantic coast. Another legacy of the Second World War on our beaches: the blockhouses of the Atlantic Wall.

The Landes forest fire of 1949 consumed 52,000 hectares and led to the death of 82 people. August 24 is declared a day of national mourning.

The end of the 1960s was marked by a major transformation phase in the city of Bordeaux. A symbol of modernity, the Aquitaine Bridge was inaugurated on 6 May 1967.

The vineyards and 8 villages of the Saint-Emilion Jurisdiction have been listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, as a "cultural landscape". This is a world first.

The storm of the century

On the night of December 27 to 28, Hurricane Martin tore through France, causing 27 deaths. A large part of the Gironde forest was destroyed.

Ten years later, nine French departments, including Gironde, were hit hard by storm Klaus. A state of natural disaster was declared on January 29.

Created from the merger of the former Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes regions, Nouvelle-Aquitaine becomes the largest region in France. Bordeaux is the regional capital.

With the opening of the High Speed Line, Bordeaux is now just 2 hours 04 minutes from Paris.

The ^44th session of the World Heritage Committee and its 21 member states inscribed the Cordouan lighthouse on the Unesco World Heritage List as a "cultural property". This international recognition is the finest of rewards for the guardian of Europe's largest estuary.

In July and August 2022, Gironde experienced historic fires called "fires of the century" with the giant fires of Landiras and La Teste-de-Buch. In total, more than 32 000 hectares of the Landes de Gascogne massif went up in smoke. Excluding the resumption of fire, Landiras is the^2nd largest fire in recent French history.

Since 2000, the region has undergone considerable development, particularly in terms of tourism. A new stage will be reached with the extension of the LGV line between Bordeaux and Nantes, scheduled for 2020-2025. In Gironde, Le Train will also extend to Arcachon.