The Gironde

Thinking of buying a proprty in France? Then it might be a good idea to take a good look at buying a house in Bordeaux or wider around in Aquitaine.

This region comprises 5 departments or main administrative areas which stretch southwards along the Atlantic coast from Bordeaux down to the spanish border near Biarritz and east across into Lot-et-Garonne. The most populus of these departments is the Gironde. The commercial and administrative hub of the Gironde and indeed for most of Aquitaine is the wonderful city of Bordeaux, with a population of around one million including its suburbs.

The name Gironde is actually the name of the estuary where the rivers Dordogne and Garonne empty into the sea. Summers here are generally hot and winters fairly mild with no more than a few weeks of cold weather.

In recent years, the city of Bordeaux has undergone a massive regeneration, particlarly along its dock areas on the river Garonne which passes though the city on its way to the Atlantic ocean. The regeneration in new infrastrucure has also encouraged a great deal of renovation of its neoclassical and gothic architecture; making the city one of the finest and most interesting places to live in Europe. For example, Bordeaux has not one but two world heritage sites nominated by UNESCO. The other distinguishing characteristic of Bordeaux is its wide tree lined streets, interspersed by parks and its huge square on the banks of the river Garonne, which is called Quinconces.

As a little history, the Romans favoured the city site when they first came to Aquitaine in the 3rd Century BC. Parts of this influence can still be seen today. However it was the English that truly colonised the region thanks to Eleanor of Aquitaine who married Henry II and was the mother of two English kings – the famous Richard the ‘Lion Heart’ and King John (famous for signing the Magnacarta). The English came in 1154 and stayed for three hundred years, playing an important role in the development of the wine industry for which Bordeaux is now renowned. It is the second largest wine-growing region in the world but without doubt produces the finest wine from the appellations in the Medoc, from St Emillion and Pomerol. Also without doubt, Bordeaux and the Gironde presents themselves as great places to live and buy property.