Libourne

Libourne
Subprefecture and commune
Bridge over the Dordogne river
Bridge over the Dordogne river
Coat of arms of Libourne
Coat of arms
Location of Libourne
Libourne is located in France
Libourne
Libourne
Location within France
Libourne is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Libourne
Libourne
Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 44°55′N 0°14′W / 44.92°N 0.24°W / 44.92; -0.24
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentGironde
ArrondissementLibourne
CantonLe Libournais-Fronsadais
IntercommunalityCA Libournais
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Philippe Buisson (PS)
Area
1
20.63 km2 (7.97 sq mi)
Elevation
15 m (49 ft)
Highest elevation
28 m (92 ft)
Lowest elevation
2 m (6.6 ft)
Population
 (2023)
25,036
 • Density1,214/km2 (3,143/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
33243 /33500
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Libourne (French pronunciation: [libuʁn] ⓘ; Gascon: Liborna [liˈbuɾnɔ]) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.

It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émilion and Pomerol.

History

Like other sites at the confluence of important rivers, that of Libourne was appropriated at an early period. Under the Romans a colonia stood rather more than a mile to the south of the present Libourne; it was destroyed during the troubles of the 5th century. Resuscitated by Charlemagne, it was rebuilt in 1269, as Leybornia, and was founded as a bastide by Roger de Leybourne (of Leybourne, Kent), an English seneschal of Gascony, under the authority of King Edward I of England. It suffered considerably in the struggles of the French and English for the possession of Gironde in the Hundred Years' War, and joined France in the 15th century.

Libourne, view from the mound of Fronsac, pen drawing by Herman Van der Hem, around 1640

In 1787 the parlement of Bordeaux was exiled to Libourne amid political crises.

In December 1854 John Stuart Mill passed through Libourne, remarking "I stopped at Libourne as I intended & had a walk about it this morning quite the best thing there is the bridge of the Dordogne, the view from which is really fine".

Sights

The Gothic church, restored in the 19th century, has a stone spire 71 m (232 ft) high. On the quay there is a machicolated clock-tower which is a survival of the defensive walls of the 14th century.

The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1427.

There is also a statue of Élie, duc Decazes, who was born in the region.

Geography

Libourne is located at the confluence of the Isle and Dordogne rivers. Libourne station has rail connections to Bordeaux, Bergerac, Angoulême, Périgueux, Limoges, Brive-la-Gaillarde and Sarlat-la-Canéda.

Climate data for Libourne (Saint-Émilion) (1995–2020 normals, extremes 1995–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.6
(65.5)		 24.7
(76.5)		 26.3
(79.3)		 30.8
(87.4)		 35.5
(95.9)		 39.7
(103.5)		 40.9
(105.6)		 41.3
(106.3)		 37.9
(100.2)		 33.0
(91.4)		 25.2
(77.4)		 19.7
(67.5)		 41.3
(106.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8)		 11.6
(52.9)		 15.4
(59.7)		 18.6
(65.5)		 22.2
(72.0)		 25.9
(78.6)		 27.8
(82.0)		 28.0
(82.4)		 24.7
(76.5)		 20.1
(68.2)		 13.8
(56.8)		 10.5
(50.9)		 19.0
(66.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.6
(43.9)		 7.3
(45.1)		 10.3
(50.5)		 13.1
(55.6)		 16.6
(61.9)		 19.8
(67.6)		 21.5
(70.7)		 21.5
(70.7)		 18.2
(64.8)		 14.9
(58.8)		 9.8
(49.6)		 7.1
(44.8)		 13.9
(57.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 3.3
(37.9)		 3.1
(37.6)		 5.2
(41.4)		 7.6
(45.7)		 11.0
(51.8)		 13.8
(56.8)		 15.1
(59.2)		 14.9
(58.8)		 11.8
(53.2)		 9.6
(49.3)		 5.8
(42.4)		 3.6
(38.5)		 8.7
(47.7)
Record low °C (°F) −8.3
(17.1)		 −12.0
(10.4)		 −9.0
(15.8)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 2.2
(36.0)		 5.6
(42.1)		 7.1
(44.8)		 6.2
(43.2)		 2.9
(37.2)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −8.0
(17.6)		 −9.7
(14.5)		 −12.0
(10.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 78.2
(3.08)		 61.5
(2.42)		 58.0
(2.28)		 72.4
(2.85)		 68.1
(2.68)		 58.2
(2.29)		 47.7
(1.88)		 55.2
(2.17)		 62.0
(2.44)		 61.4
(2.42)		 91.4
(3.60)		 84.0
(3.31)		 798.1
(31.42)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 12.5 10.4 10.6 11.2 9.9 8.0 7.3 7.7 8.1 9.8 13.2 12.5 121.3
Source: Meteociel

Population

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Wikisource One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Libourne". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 545.
  4. ↑ Doyle, William (2018). The Oxford History of the French Revolution (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 77. ISBN 9780198804932.
  5. ↑ The Collected Works of John Stuart Mill Vol XIV, Page 251. ISBN 0-8020-5261-4
  6. ↑ "Découvrir Libourne" (PDF). Tourisme Libournais. p. 6. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Normales et records pour Saint-Émilion (33)". Meteociel. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  8. ↑ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Libourne, EHESS (in French).
  9. ↑ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE