Blanquefort, Gironde
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 Blanquefort
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Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Blanquefort
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| Coordinates: 44°54′41″N 0°38′11″W / 44.9114°N 0.6364°WCoordinates: 44°54′41″N 0°38′11″W / 44.9114°N 0.6364°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Gironde | |
| Arrondissement | Bordeaux | |
| Canton | Blanquefort | |
| Intercommunality | Bordeaux | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Vincent Feltesse | |
| Area1 | 33.72 km2 (13.02 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 14,814 | |
| • Density | 440/km2 (1,100/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 33056 /33290 | |
| Elevation | 0–39 m (0–128 ft) (avg. 17 m or 56 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Blanquefort (French) or Blancafòrt (Gascon) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Blanquefort is an outlying commune of the Bordeaux metropolitan area.
The commune consists of historic Blanquefort and Caychac, which is further out from central Bordeaux and was formerly a commune in its own right. Historic Blanquefort includes the ruins of a small medieval fortress and a nineteenth-century park, the Parc de Majolan, complete with a maze-like grotto and small artificial ruins which were in vogue at that time.
Blanquefort is well connected to the rest of the agglomeration by the Bordeaux bus services, including services most of the night. It also has a train station with regular services to central Bordeaux. The Bordeaux tram system is projected to connect with Blanquefort in 2013.
Blanquefort, which is located in a famous wine-producing area, has a notable educational institution for viticulture.
The oldest signs of human habitation in the commune are pieces of pottery dating back to 2000 BC. This is in line with the very early settlement of all south-western France by pre-historic peoples (e.g. in the Périgord)
A Roman military post was set up in the area, to ensure the security of the road to Noviomagus in the Medoc. Tiles and coins from the Roman occupation have been found around the site of the later fortress.
In the ninth century, a first medieval fortification was built. The white stone gave the fort the name "White Fort", in Latin Blanca Fortis, which evolved into the modern name Blanquefort. During the English occupation of Aquitaine, the fortifications were expanded into a royal fortress at the end of the thirteenth century by Edward I of England. At the end of the Hundred Years War, the fortress became French. A wine-producing village grew around the fortifications, probably worked predominantly by serfs.
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Wikipedia