Bourg-en-Bresse is located at the western base of the Jura Mountains, on the left bank of the Reyssouze, a tributary of the Saône. It lies 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast of Lyon and 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-southwest of Lons-le-Saunier.
History
Roman remains have been discovered at Bourg, but little is known of its early history. It was probably pillaged by Goths in Late Antiquity. Raised to the rank of a free town in 1250, it was at the beginning of the 15th century the capital of the dukes of Savoy in the province of Bresse. In February 1535 it was conquered by France during a full-scale invasion of Savoy, but was restored to Duke Philibert Emmanuel in 1559, when he married Henri II's sister Marguerite. The duke later built a strong citadel, which afterwards withstood a six-months' siege by the soldiers of Henry IV during the Franco-Savoyard War of 1600–1601. The town was finally ceded to France in 1601. In 1814, the inhabitants, in spite of the defenseless condition of their town, offered resistance to the Austrians, who put the place to pillage.[4]
Demographics
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
6,533
—
1800
6,984
+0.96%
1806
7,417
+1.01%
1821
8,132
+0.62%
1831
8,996
+1.01%
1836
9,528
+1.16%
1841
10,219
+1.41%
1846
10,308
+0.17%
1851
12,068
+3.20%
1856
11,676
−0.66%
1861
14,052
+3.77%
1866
13,733
−0.46%
1872
14,280
+0.65%
1876
15,692
+2.39%
1881
18,233
+3.05%
1886
18,113
−0.13%
1891
18,968
+0.93%
1896
18,501
−0.50%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1901
18,887
+0.41%
1906
20,045
+1.20%
1911
20,545
+0.49%
1921
20,191
−0.17%
1926
20,364
+0.17%
1931
23,117
+2.57%
1936
24,746
+1.37%
1946
25,944
+0.47%
1954
26,699
+0.36%
1962
32,596
+2.53%
1968
37,887
+2.54%
1975
42,181
+1.55%
1982
41,098
−0.37%
1990
40,972
−0.04%
1999
40,666
−0.08%
2007
40,506
−0.05%
2012
40,171
−0.17%
2017
41,527
+0.67%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Hôtel-Dieu de Bourg-en-BresseThéâtre de Bourg-en-Bresse
Bourg-en-Bresse Cathedral, also known as the church of Notre-Dame (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation de Bourg-en-Bresse), which dates back to the 16th century, has a façade built in the Renaissance; other parts of the church are Gothic. In the interior there are stalls of the 16th century.
The other public buildings, including a handsome prefecture, are modern. The town hall contains a library and the Lorin Museum with a collection of pictures, while another museum has a collection of old costumes and ornaments characteristic of Bresse. Among the statues in the town there is one of historian Edgar Quinet, a native of Bourg-en-Bresse.[4]
Stalls in the Church of Brou, albumen print, c. 1865–1886Interior of the Church of Brou
The exterior, especially the façade, is richly ornamented, but the chief interest lies in the works of art in the interior, which date from 1532. The most important are the three mausoleums with the marble effigies of Marguerite of Bourbon, Philibert le Beau and Margaret of Austria. All three are remarkable for perfection of sculpture and richness of ornamentation. The rood loft, the oak stalls and the reredos in the chapel of the Virgin are masterpieces in a similar style.[4] The monastery has three cloisters from the early 16th century. The church and the cloisters are listed monuments.[8]
Economy
In the early 20th century, the city manufactured iron goods, mineral waters, tallow, soap and earthenware. There were flour mills and breweries; there is considerable trade in grain, cattle and poultry.[4]
On 3 May 1953 a motorcycle racing meeting was held on a circuit going past the Residence Emile Pélicand and the Jardin d'Enfants Emile Pélicand.[9]
Miscellaneous
Bourg is the prefecture of the department and the location of a court of assizes; it has a tribunal of first instance, a tribunal and a chamber of commerce, as well as a local branch of the Bank of France.
Bourg-en-Bresse was the finish of Stage 6 and the departure of Stage 7 in the 2007 Tour de France.
^ ab"Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
^"Relations internationales". ville-laigle.fr (in French). Bourg-en-Bresse. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.