| Dordogne | |
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| Coat of arms of the Dordogne department | |
| Location | |
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| Administration | |
| Department number: | 24 |
| Region: | Aquitaine |
| Prefecture: | Périgueux |
| Subprefectures: | Bergerac Nontron Sarlat-la-Canéda |
| Arrondissements: | 4 |
| Cantons: | 50 |
| Communes: | 557 |
| President of the General Council: | Bernard Cazeau PS |
| Statistics | |
| Population | Ranked 58th |
| -1999 | 388,293 |
| Population density: | 43/km² |
| Land area¹: | 9060 km² |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km². The term administration, as used in the context of Government, differs according to Jurisdiction. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of A prefecture ( préfecture) in France can refer to: the Chef-lieu de département, the town in which the administration of a ''département'' Périgueux ( (in Occitan: Peireguers or Periguers) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine Subprefectures (sous-préfectures are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. Bergerac (Brageirac is a commune and a Sub-prefecture of the Dordogne department in southwestern France. Nontron is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. Sarlat-la-Canéda, or simply Sarlat, is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. The 100 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The 4 arrondissements of the Dordogne department are Arrondissement of Bergerac, ( subprefecture: Bergerac) The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 341 arrondissements and 100 departments. The following is a list of the 50 cantons of the Dordogne department, in France, sorted by arrondissement: Arrondissement The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. The following is a list of the 557 communes of the Dordogne département in France. In France, the President of the General Council (French Président du conseil général) is the locally-elected head of the General Council, the assembly The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here areas between 1000 km2 and 10000 km2 An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open | |
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Dordogne (Occitan: Dordonha) is a department in central France named after the Dordogne River. Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Dordogne ( Occitan: Dordonha) is a River in south-central and southwest France.
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History
The Dordogne is a region of South West France between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the river that runs through it. Loire ( Arpitan: Lêre, Occitan: Léger) is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés Locally it is known as the Périgord. This dates back to when the area was inhabited by the Gauls: four tribes lived there, and the name for "four tribes" in the Gaulish language was "Petrocore", which eventually became the Périgord and its inhabitants became the Périgordin. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western There are four Périgords in the Dordogne: the "Périgord Verte" (Green Périgord) with its main town of Nontron, consists of verdant valleys in a region crossed by many rivers and streams; the "Périgord Blanc" (White Périgord) situated around the regions capital of Périgueux, is a region of limestone plateaux, wide valleys and meadows; the "Périgord Pourpre" (Purple Périgord) with its capital of Bergerac (the home of Cyrano), is a wine region; and the "Périgord Noir" (Black Périgord) surrounding its capital of Sarlat, overlooks the valleys of the Vézère and the Dordogne, where the woods of Oak and Pine give it its name. Nontron is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. Hector Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (6 March 1619 &ndash 28 July 1655 was a French Dramatist and Duelist who is now best remembered for the many works Sarlat-la-Canéda, or simply Sarlat, is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. The Vézère is a 211 km long River in south-western France, right tributary of the Dordogne River.
The Petrocores took part in the resistance against Rome. Concentrated in two or three major sites are the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period - the gigantic ruined tower and arenas in Périgueux (formerly Vesone), the Périgord museum's archaeological collections, villa remains in Montcaret and the Roman tower of La Rigale Castle in Villetoureix. The first cluzeaux, or artificial caves either above or below ground, are found throughout the Dordogne. These subterranean refuges and lookout huts could shelter entire populations. According to Julius Caesar the Gauls took refuge there.
Since the Guienne province had returned to the Crown under the Plantagenets following the re-marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, Périgord passed by right under English suze-rainty. Being situated at the boundaries of influence of the monarchies of France and England, it was to oscillate between the two dynasties for a long time. Over three hundred years of struggle until 1453 and the end of the Hundred Years War were to tear apart and, as a consequence, model its physiognomy.
With the end of the Hundred Years War, the Castillon plain on the banks of the Dordogne, during the calmer periods of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, saw a development in urban architecture. The finest Gothic and Renaissance residences were built in Périgueux, Bergerac and Sarlat. In the countryside, the nobility had the majority of our 1200 chateaux, manors and country houses erected. In the second half of the sixteenth century, however, they experienced attacks, pillaging and fires as the Wars of Religion reached a rare degree of violence in Périgord. At the time, Bergerac was one of the most powerful Huguenot stongholds, along with La Rochelle. Following these wars, Périgord, fief of Henry of Navarre. was to return to the Crown for good and suffer henceforth from the sudden political changes of the French nation, from the Revolution to the tragic hours of the Resistance. We also encounter the memory of its most illustrious literary figures: Bertran de Born, Michel de Montaigne. Etienne de La Boetie, Brantôme, Fenelon. Mahle de Biran, Eugene Le Roy and Andre Maurois; its great captains: Talleyrand, Saint-Exupery, Biron. . . and even Josephine Baker. A number of ruins (La Chapelle-Faucher, I'Herm. . . ) have retained the memory of the tragedies which took place within their walls. Several of our castles and châteaux are open to visitors and some of them such as Bourdeilles and Mareuil, house remarkable collections.
In addition to its castles, chateaux, churches, Bastides and cave fortresses. Périgord has preserved from centuries past, a number of wonderful villages which still have their market hall, dovecotes, Tories (stone huts), church, abbey and castle (s). Saint-Leon-sur-Vezere, Conclat, Saint-Jefm-de-Cole, La Roque-Gageac and many others are real jewels of architecture. As for the old quarters of Périgueux or Bergerac, restored and developed into pedestrian areas, they have regained their former charm. A number of small towns, such as Brantôme, Issigeac. Eymet and Mareuil, have with-stood the often brash changes of modern times. A special mention should be made in this respect to Sarlat and Black Périgord.
Dordogne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1790 ( MDCCXC) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year It was created from the former province of Périgord, the county of Périgord. The Kingdom of France was organised into Provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département The Périgord ( ( Occitan: Peiregòrd / Perigòrd) is a former province of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne
Geography
The department is part of the region of Aquitaine and is surrounded by the departments of Haute-Vienne, Corrèze, Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, Gironde, and Charente, 6 départements. The Château de Beynac is a Castle situated in the commune of Beynac-et-Cazenac, in the Dordogne département France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. Corrèze ( Occitan: Corresa) is a department in south central France, named after the Corrèze River. Lot ( Occitan: Òlt) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot River. Lot-et-Garonne ( Occitan: Òlt e Garona) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers Gironde (Gironda is a common name for the Gironde Estuary - sound where merge the mouths of the Garonne river and of the Dordogne river - and for Charente ( Saintongeais: Chérente, Occitan: T'Charanto) is a department in western France named after the Charente It is the third largest department of France.
Demographics
Dordogne has become one of the favourite destinations of British immigration to France, (more than 20 000 in 2006)
Tourism
There are more than 1,000 castles in Dordogne, including the following:
The famous caves of Lascaux have been closed to the public, but the duplicate model cave of Lascaux II is open to visitors and is a major tourist attraction. The Château de Beynac is a Castle situated in the commune of Beynac-et-Cazenac, in the Dordogne département Biron is a commune in the Dordogne department in southwestern France. The Château de Bourdeilles is a Château located in the commune of Bourdeilles in the Dordogne Département in France The Château de Castelnaud dominating the commune of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, overlooking the Dordogne River in Perigord, France is a medieval fortress The Château de Commarque is a French castle on a rocky outcrop in the valley of the river Beune. The Château des Milandes is a small Castle in the commune of Castelnaud-la-Chapelle in the Dordogne département Monbazillac is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. The Château de Pécany is located in the Dordogne Valley in France. The Château de Puymartin is a French castle in the commune of Marquay which is located between Sarlat (8 km and Les Eyzies (11 km in the Dordogne Lascaux is the setting of a complex of Caves in southwestern France famous for its prehistoric Cave paintings The original caves are located near Périgueux has important Roman ruins, including an arena which is still visible inside a public park located near the town centre. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC
See also
- Cantons of the Dordogne department
- Communes of the Dordogne department
- Arrondissements of the Dordogne department
Dordogne in Popular Culture
Michael Crichton's Timeline (novel) is placed in two time periods of Dordogne. The following is a list of the 50 cantons of the Dordogne department, in France, sorted by arrondissement: Arrondissement The following is a list of the 557 communes of the Dordogne département in France. The 4 arrondissements of the Dordogne department are Arrondissement of Bergerac, ( subprefecture: Bergerac) John Michael Crichton, ˈkraɪtən, (born October 23 1942 is an American author Film producer, Film director, Medical doctor, and Television producer Timeline is a Science fiction novel by Michael Crichton that was published in November 1999.
Douglas Boyd, the author husband of flautist Atarah Ben-Tovim, set parts of each of his six thrillers in Dordogne. Atarah Ben-Tovim is a British flautist and children's concert presenter
External links
- (French) Préfecture website
- (French) Conseil général website
- (English) Dordogne at the Open Directory Project
- Dordogne travel guide from Wikitravel
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