Périgueux Visit the Capital of Périgord

Geographically, Périgueux occupies a central position in Périgord. With more than 31,000 inhabitants, it fulfills all the central functions of a prefecture city, capital of a department. Administrative and service center, it is the beating heart through its tourist, cultural, heritage and commercial attractiveness. Showcase of economic, social and cultural life, Périgueux acts in a double movement, it brings together and shines.

Nestled in the loops of the Isle, protected by its hills, this town in the countryside claims its status as Capital of Périgord.

A CITY MORE THAN TWELVE THOUSAND YEARS OLD:

If Périgueux and its surrounding areas were already occupied at the origins of Humanity, the first city, named Vesunna (name of a Gallic tutelary deity whose rite would be preserved by the Romans), dates from the 1st century BC during the Roman occupation of Gaul. In the hollow of seven hills, "little Rome" extends into the loop of the Isle River and becomes the Roman capital of the city of the Petrocores. In the 3rd century AD, the Roman Empire experienced serious difficulties and Vesunna retreated inside a wall built at the end of the 3rd century with the dismantled blocks of the great monuments that made its glory. Around the 10th century, a monastic center frequented by pilgrims was formed on the hill overlooking the river around the sanctuary of Saint Front, evangelist of Périgord.

A fortified town of religious, merchants and artisans was formed and became a major stopover for pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela.
Between the Count of the City, anxious to preserve his authority, and the bourgeois of Puy Saint-Front, there were many rivalries. An act of union gave birth to the city of Périgueux in 1240 under the reign of Saint Louis.

The high Saint-Front cathedral with its Byzantine accents, like a lookout, marks the identity of Périgueux and its heritage. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela since 1998.

During the Renaissance, Périgueux continued to develop and became an even more important trading hub in the region. Neither the uprisings of the croquants nor the Revolution damaged the city's commercial reputation, but it lost its power after the Wars of Religion.

Having become the Prefecture of the department, it was the arrival of the railway, under the Second Empire, which attracted new inhabitants. The population practically doubled in 30 years. The area of the city increased, leading to the stretching of the urban perimeter. Far from the theater of conflicts, the population of the Dordogne nevertheless suffered the consequences of the Great War. The economy had to support the war effort: the railway workshops became "National Defense Workshops" and manufactured shells. During the Second World War, the city, located in the free zone, hosted several Resistance networks.

VARIED URBAN LANDSCAPES:

The Roman city

It was born at the foot of the hills, on the right bank of the Isle loop, around 16 BC. In the 2nd century, it extended over 82 hectares and had all the characteristics of a small Rome. Three centuries later, political and military crises, epidemics and the first invasions led to a decline in population. Vesunna retreated behind its ramparts and its surface area was reduced to 6.5 hectares. Today, Gallo-Roman remains are still visible: the Tour de Vésone and the domus (current Vesunna museum site), the amphitheater (current garden
of the Arenas).

The medieval city

Its uniqueness comes from its composition around two enclosed centres, the Cité and the Puy Saint-Front, around which suburbs develop. The protected sector offers an idea of this interlacing of alleys, with its wooden houses and stone mansions. The protected area, created in 1970, extends over more than 20 hectares and concerns the Puy Saint-Front in its pedestrian sector, the rue Limogeanne and all the alleys around the Tour Mataguerre.

The modern city

In the 18th century, the intendant of Guyenne, Louis-Urbain de Tourny, had squares built, avenues opened and began dismantling the old fortifications. The ditches and ramparts to the north of the city were replaced by the vast mall of the Tourny alleys. In 1826, a young Parisian architect aged 20, Louis-Baptiste Catoire, changed the city's land divisions. Drawing new horizons to the west, he finished blowing up the corset of ramparts.

The contemporary city

At the end of the Second World War, a beautification project was presented with the development of the new Sainte-Ursule district and the new theater.
The demolition of the "Rues Neuves" district at the foot of the cathedral led, until the 1970s, to the displacement of many families to the districts of Campniac and Gour-de-l'Arche. In the city center, new urban spaces appeared such as the Saint-Louis and Francheville squares.

A SWEET CITY:

Périgueux displays its urban figures in a green setting where forests and fields draw a rural geometry visible and perceptible in all places near the city. The capital of Périgord is experienced at human height, Périgueux is a gentle city. The gentle city is the parks, gardens and markets, the pacification of the center, a fair sharing of the street. It is also a consideration of the well-being of the inhabitants by an offer of quality services and a permanent vigilance regarding security and tranquility. The gentle city is the search for harmony, an art of living the city in the countryside by following the rhythms of nature.

Discover the museums:

• www.perigueux-vesunna.fr
• www.perigueux-maap.fr
• https://www.museemilitaire-perigord.fr/

Tourist information:

• https://www.destination-perigueux.fr/