BRIVE-LA-GAILLARDE

'Brive-la-Gaillarde' (Limousin dialect of Occitan language: ''Briva la Galharda'') is a commune of France. it is a ''sous-préfecture'' of the Corrèze ''département''. Its population as of the 1999 census was 49,141 inhabitants. Although it is by far the most populous commune in Corrèze, the ''préfecture'' (capital) resides in the much smaller commune of Tulle.

Contents

History

Mayors

Miscellaneous

Sport

Famous natives

Sister cities

External links

History

Even though the inhabitants settled around the 1st century, the city only started to grow much later. Starting around the 5th century, the original city starts to develop around a church dedicated to Saint-Martin-l'Espagnol. During the 12th century walls are built around the city and during the Hundred Years' War a second wall is built. These fortifications no longer exist and are now replaced by boulevards.
The commune was named "Brive" until 1919, when it was renamed "Brive-la-Gaillarde". The word "Gaillarde" (a word still existing and fairly used in current French probably stands for bravery or strength in the city's name, but it can also refer to the city's walls. Brive now extends outside of its original boundaries into Malemort and Ussac.
The medieval center is mainly a commercial district with retail shops and various cafés. It is also the location of the city hall, the main police station, and the Labenche museum. One notable landmark outside the inner city is the ''Pont Cardinal'', a bridge which used to be a crossing point for travelers from Paris to Toulouse. Finally, it is the home of CA Brive rugby union team.

Mayors

★ 1966-1995: Jean Charbonnel

★ 1995-present: Bernard Murat

Miscellaneous

Sport

The city is home to a rugby union team, CA Brive.

Famous natives

Brive-la-Gaillarde was the birthplace of:

★ Guillaume Dubois (1656-1723), cardinal and statesman

★ Pierre André Latreille (1762-1833), entomologist

★ Guillaume Marie Anne Brune (1763-1815), marshal of France

★ Dimitri Yachvili (1980- ), French international rugby player

★ Pierre-André Valade (1959- ), conductor

★ Cédric Heymans (1978- ), French international rugby player

Sister cities

★ Lauf an der Pegnitz (Germany)

★ Joliette (Québec, Canada)

★ Sikasso (Mali)

★ Guimarães (Portugal)

★ Melitopol (Ukraine)

★ Dunstable, (England, United Kingdom) until 2005

External links

★ Official website