This is another wonderful city to walk in my belle France. So many times in Bourges, and recently visited again. I have plenty written on it in my blog, so will do this one in my black and white series, no pictures. I take you up to Bourges. We came to Bourges, the majestic city that was for a short period the capital of the kingdom of France. It’s huge gothic cathedral, the wooden houses, mansions Renaissance style , the marshes are all sublime. Let me tell you my take on this is Bourges !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
You go to the Place Gordaine the old butchers’s market to meet up with the four pedestrians streets nice. The corner of this square with the rue Coursalon and the Palais Jacques-Coeur, you get into the passage Casse Cou to link upper and lower town, and the rue d’Auron, where on house palais d’Auron was born Jacques Coeur, This is Bourges.
You can’t missed the Cathedral Saint Etienne de Bourges bigger than ND de Paris ; when in 1195 the bishop Sully decided to rebuilt it, Its crypt built in the 12C keeps the remains of duke Jean de Berry. Be courageous and climb the 86 steps to the tour Nord, with beautiful views of the city. At its foot see the gardens of the city hall, French style of the 17C designed by a student of Le Nôtre, Follow up to the rue Moyenne, the most merchant of the city, take the street to your left you arrive at the Palais Jacques Coeur, the big house of the money men of king Charles VII and built between 1443 to 1451,
You descend the stairs to your left of the palace to come to rue des Arénes bordered by the courthouse and the Berry museum that took the building Hôtel Cujas built in the 16C, Passed by the place Planchat to link up with the place Gordaine by the rue Pelvoysin and rue Mirebeau,one of the prettiest with wooden houses and its terraces, You know Bourges has 430 wooden houses with the majority built in the last years of the 15C ! Worth the detour !
You can walk the Promenade des Remparts along the gallo Roman walls in parallel do not missed the rue Bourbonnoux with the Hôtel Lallemand a Renaissance building housing today the decorative arts museum. You are walking on pave brick streets ! Here in September you can see the night lights of Bourges event when all lights up coming into the night,
In city center Bourges you go to the Place Saint Bonnet then take the rue Edouard Vaillant to go to the avenue Marx-Dormoy, here you can access a unique land of another world, you are in the marshes of Bourges 130 hectares of green share in different parcels in the heart of the city. This swampy area serve as defense to the city for years and it was in the 13C that they were made into parcels for cultivation. Today there are about 1500 gardeners have replaced the pros market gardeners, There are several cabins that serves as housing, You keep going by a trail before you see a surprising bar on the chemin du Caraquis, a meeting place of gardeners, Here they regroup to go into the areas only accessible by boat, Instead you turn left into chaussée de Chappe until the railroad line that will bring you to the avenue Marx-Dormoy. Coming back you will have a great view of the Cathedral, Worth the walk and visit indeed ! To visit with the Association des Maraîchers berruyers with a guide contact webpage: https://amb-maraichers-bourges.fr/visiter/
The Musée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, (tops a must see) at the old episcopal bishops palace and open since 1995, showcasing the best art form in France from cuisine to leather makers to wood makers craftmens that was established in France from 1924. If you want to know the French joie de vivre ,then come here, we all enjoy it much. At the Place Etienne Dolet just around the corner from the Cathedral.
It has a nice marais or swampy area just around the city limits, a gorgeous Jardin de l’Archeveque or bishops gardens, the fact that king Louis XI was born here in 1423. The wonderful street rue Bourbonnoux medieval and nice as well as the promenade des Remparts, and see the maison des 3 flûtes ,15C by rue Bourbonnoux and end of rue Moliére.
To recap the best to see in Bourges. The city center or downtown is divided in two sections surrounded by boulevards that allows you to go around it as in a beltway. This city center has the main shopping street , rue Moyenne The things to see here are plenty and very nice; most written on already in my blog. These are the Cathédrale Saint Etienne ,Palais Jacques Coeur ,The marshes or marais de l’Yévre et de la Voiselle ,The ruins of the Gallo Roman ramparts. The monumental fountain and Gallo Roman porch under the palace of the Duke of Berry , Walk around the Place Gordaine and the wooden houses from the 14C, the Grange des Dîmes from the 12C at rue Moliére , The Episcopal Palace or palais Archiepiscopal from the 17C, old city hall and a French style garden done by Le Nôtre , this is the jardin de l’Archevêché, and the jardin des Pré-Fichaux, The Canal de Berry on the river Auron. Halle au Blé, Palais d’Auron, Church Saint Bonnet, Halles St Bonnet, Notre Dame Church , Church Saint-Pierre le Marché, Musée du Berry ( archeology, arts and popular traditions) in the Hôtel de Cujas mansion. Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle Gabriel Foucher, Musée Maurice Estève (dedicated to modernist painter Maurice Estève) in the Hôtel des Echevins mansion. Hôtel Lallemant mansion (Renaissance style) with a museum on decorative arts; Musée des Meilleurs ouvriers de France (best craftmans of France). The musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation du Cher (museum of the resistance and deportation of the Cher).
A bit of history I like tell us that before the Romans, this area was inhabited by Gallic people known as the Bituriges Cubes , that I am told it means “kings of the world” . The uprising of the Bituriges against the Romans and their massacre by the Romans in 53 BC is a major item on the uprising strength of the Gallic people and their main leader Vercingétorix against Jules Caesar. During the Gallic wars Caesar had several sieges against Bourges for long months. As in the rest of Gallia, Vercingétorix has implemented a tactic of burning and destroying everything before helping to supply the Romans. The Gallic leader had defended Bourges with natural defenses such as hills around a river, and marshes as well as a strong wall in the south. From this wall, we come to the term later of calling the city, the red town (same as was name Le Mans). Caesar took the city anyway and massacre most of the inhabitants. Bourges becomes the seat of the Bishops from where the dioceses of Albi, Cahors, Clermont-Ferrand , Mende, Puy-en-Vélay, Rodez, Saint Flour, and Tulle were attached. It was one of the first diocese founded by Saint Ursin in one of the first evangelical campaigns of the Gaulle around the 4C. The town ,then belonging to the kingdom of Aquitaine was taken by Charles Martel in 731 ,then by Eudes of Aquitaine, Pépin le Bref took it in 762; destroying the walls ramparts and integrating it to the Royal domain under the care of the Counts; he builts a palace from the 767. Early on the 12C, Bourges becomes the seat of the Viscount until the last one Eudes d’Arpin in 1101 sells the county to the king of France ,Louis VI to finance a crusade; the city enters the domain Royal, property of the Crown. In the 14C, the city of Bourges becomes the capital of the duchy of Berry that is given to Jean de Berry as a priviledge. He is the third child of king of France Jean le Bon and brother of king Charles V. The dauphin , future king Charles VII of France finds refuge in Bourges and used the administration of the city put in place by his grand uncle ,the duke of Berry to be able to take control of his kingdom. Bourges by 1860, was chosen to be the center of army provisions under the Second Empire (Napoléon III)
The city of Bourges on its heritage: https://www.ville-bourges.fr/site/ville-tourisme-patrimoine
The Bourges Tourist office on not to miss monuments: https://www.bourgesberrytourisme.com/destination-bourges/best-of/
The local Berry province tourist office on Bourges: https://www.berryprovince.com/ma-destination-le-berry/les-destinations-en-berry/bourges-et-ses-alentours/#
There you go folks, another dandy in my belle France! The sky is the limit so much to see all beautiful, and Bourges ranks up there with the best. Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Bourges !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 