Bordeaux - City of France

Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department. Its inhabitants are called Bordelais.

The city is among the world's major wine industry centres. Bordeaux wine has been produced in the region since the 8th century. The historic part of the city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble" of the 18th century.

In historical times, around 300 BC it was the settlement of a Celtic tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci, who named the town Burdigala, probably of Aquitainian origin. The name Bourde is still the name of a river south of the city. The city fell under Roman rule around 60 BC, its importance lying in the commerce of Tin and Lead towards Rome. Later it became capital of Roman Aquitaine, flourishing especially during the Severan dynasty. In 276 it was sacked by the Vandals. Further ravage was brought by the same Vandals in 409, the Visigoths in 414 and the Franks in 498, beginning a period of obscurity for the city.

The 18th century was the golden age of Bordeaux. Many downtown buildings , including those on the quays, are from this period. Victor Hugo found the town so beautiful he once said: "take Versailles, add Antwerp, and you have Bordeaux". Baron Haussmann, a long-time prefect of Bordeaux, used Bordeaux's 18th century big-scale rebuilding as a model when he was asked by Emperor Napoleon III to transform a then still quasi-medieval Paris into a "modern" capital that would make France proud.

The French government was relocated from Paris to this city during World War II, when it became apparent that Paris would soon fall into German hands.

Bordeaux has an oceanic climate. Winters are mild because of the prevalence of westerly winds from the Atlantic. Summers are warm and long due to the influence from the Bay of Biscay.

Engineering schools:

École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers
École d'ingénieurs en modélisation mathématique et mécanique
École nationale supérieure d'électronique, informatique, radiocommunications de Bordeaux
École supérieure de technologie des biomolécules de Bordeaux
École nationale d'ingénieurs des travaux agricoles de Bordeaux
École nationale supérieure de chimie et physique de Bordeaux
Institut des sciences et techniques des aliments de Bordeaux
Institut de cognitique
École supérieure d'informatique
École privée des sciences informatiques
Business and management schools:

IUT Techniques de Commercialisation of Bordeaux
Bordeaux école de management
EBP International
Institut des hautes études économiques et commerciales
École de commerce européenne

Other:

Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux
École nationale de la magistrature
École du service de santé des armées
École d'architecture et de paysage de Bordeaux
École des beaux-arts de Bordeaux
École française des attachés de presse et des professionels de la communication
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers d'Aquitaine

Bordeaux is also the first city in France to have created, in the 1980s, an architecture exhibition and research centre, Arc en rêve, still the most prestigious in France besides Paris IFA. Bordeaux offers a large number of cinemas, theatres and is the home of the National Opera of Bordeaux. There are many music venues of varying capacity. The city also offers several festivals throughout the year.