The story of the beautiful villages of southwest France

Southwest France is a very inclusive concept, with “south” clearly referring to the Mediterranean coast and the Pyrenees mountain range, while “west” refers to the Atlantic coast. I do not intend to “tailor” a travel itinerary to this part of the world – entire books would not be enough to describe the hundreds (thousands?) of beautiful villages in these areas. 

The term “Southwest” France"" usually refers to the Dordogne region, and in a broader sense, to the entire region of "Aquitaine", or as it is called today (after the re-division into regions in January 2016) "New Aquitaine" - mainly the regions of Dordogne, Correze, Lot-et-Garonne, and exceptionally, also the Lot region, which is already associated with another region (Occitanie).

This article reviews the history of the villages. In the second part, you will find A comprehensive guide to the various villages in southwestern France.

European history in a nutshell

This is probably one of the first inhabited areas on the European continent, after Neanderthals migrated across the Eurasian continent – ​​their origin, apparently, was in Central Asia – and reached Western Europe around 100,000 to 50,000 years BC. Around 35,000 years BC, the first Homo sapiens (“thinking man”, Homo sapiens) appeared in Europe, whose signs of life and remains were discovered in the caves of ancient man in northern Spain (Altamira), and southern France, including Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac, Lascaux and many other sites.

During the first century BC, the Roman legions conquered the entire Mediterranean basin, pushing out the Celtic tribes that inhabited the region and establishing the “province of Gaul” – modern-day France – stretching from the British Isles in the north to the Pyrenees Mountains in the south (the current border between France and Spain). Around 60 BC, the Romans planted vineyards in the Bergerac area – among the oldest vineyards in the world. In 16 BC, the city of Vesunna was founded – the capital of the modern-day Perigueux department. This is also the name of the Gallo-Roman Museum in the city.

On September 4, 476 AD, Romulus Augustulus (465-511), the last Roman emperor (he was 14 years old at the time), surrendered to Odoacer (433-493), the ruler of the Germanic tribes who had repeatedly attacked the borders of the Roman Empire. These tribes, who came from northern Europe and were collectively called “barbarians” (=”uncivilized”) by the Romans, were divided into Goths, Celts, Slavic, Franks, Suebians, and others. They were “joined” by the Hun tribes, led by their cruel leader Attila, who made a name for themselves in Europe and fought each other.

In the 8th century, King Charlemagne, who quickly became known as “Charlemagne the Great” (748-814), stood out among the Frankish rulers. He united all the tribal factions under a single rule and, in a series of wars, took control of almost all of Europe – from the Pyrenees Mountains (Spain was under the rule of the Moors, Muslims from North Africa) to the English Channel, and to the (present-day) border between Germany and Poland. Upon his death, in 814, the empire was divided between his 3 sons, who never stopped quarreling among themselves. Although Charlemagne is considered to have laid the foundations of government in Europe, his tradition did not survive. Local rulers managed to impose themselves on the rulers of the estates closest to them, and annexed their territories. During the Middle Ages, countless principalities, duchies, countships, and other local forms of government, large and small, were established, overthrown, unified, and dissolved.

The Goths, who arrived in the region with all the Germanic tribes that overthrew the Roman Empire (1360th century AD), migrated further south to Spain, thus allowing Christianity to penetrate Aquitaine in the early 100th century AD. The province of Périgord was formed around Duke Widbalde, who was appointed ruler of the province by Charlemagne himself, who later became emperor of all Western Europe. In 1337, as part of an agreement between the warring states in the Hundred Years' War (one of the religious wars that shook Europe, 1453-XNUMX), the province of Aquitaine passed to English control. This was the period when the construction of castles and fortified villages flourished in the region.

Twice during the Middle Ages, Europe was the scene of total wars. The “Hundred Years’ War” broke out in 100 between England and France and ended in 1337. The war was fought over territorial claims and demands between the two kingdoms. It took place almost entirely on French soil, in various provinces, and had various truces and interruptions. After it, the “Thirty Years’ War,” a conflict between Protestants and Catholics, which broke out in 1453 and lasted until 30, involved various governments and armies from almost all of Europe’s kingdoms and is not really related to the topics of this article.

As mentioned, the Hundred Years' War actually took place in France, and English military forces were in French provinces for many years – Normandy and Brittany, northern France (Picardy), but mainly in the southwest of the country, a region now identified as Aquitaine.

This is also the period when the English “discover” French wine and huge quantities of “Claret” wine – the collective, English name for regional wines. Bordeaux (Back then, there was no strict separation of vineyards and wineries) – they sailed on ships from the port of Bordeaux to the British Isles.

In October 1533, following the marriage of Catherine de' Medici to Henry II, King of France, the province of Aquitaine returned to the sovereignty of the French Crown, under which it has remained to this day.

district Dordogne It was again re-designated as an official province on March 4, 1790, after the French Revolution.

England – France rivalry

In January 1066, the English king, Edward the Confessor (1004-1066), died peacefully, leaving no heir. A war of succession between the English nobles had shaken the sense of security on the other side of the English Channel (La Manche), and the Norman king William II, a distant descendant of the Viking king Rollo (known as Robert I, Rollo, 2-846), later known as “William the Conqueror,” decided to intervene and at the Battle of Hastings in October 932, conquered the island across the Channel and crowned himself King of England. This laid the foundation, albeit unofficially, for a long rivalry between England and France, a conflict that would last for centuries to come.

Southwest, Dordogne and Lot

During a visit to this region of southwestern France, you may very well come across both names – Dordogne (the name of the river), and Perigord (the historical name of the Grand Duchy in the region, during the Middle Ages). In the overview of the general background of France, in other chapters of my various articles, you will find a brief overview of the formation of the names of the historical regions in France and how their names were changed after French Revolution (1789), as well as the reorganization of the provinces in France (January 2016) and the association of the geographical province “Dordogne” with the administrative region Nouvelle-Aquitaine (“New Aquitaine”), which includes almost all of southwestern France.

So which is correct, “Dordogne” or “Périgord”? Actually, both are correct. This is one of the only regions in France that has “remained faithful” to its old name, perhaps – and mainly – because there is an internal division into four sub-regions, and most residents, tourists and guides have remained faithful to these names. You will not encounter the name “Green Dordogne” (in French, a river is a feminine noun), or “Black Dordogne”, but almost always “Green Périgord” or “Black Périgord”.

As mentioned, four sub-regions. Initially, only the southeastern part was called “Black Périgord” (the area around the city of Sarlat-la-Caneda, which everyone just calls Sarlat). It earned its name due to the oak forests common in the area, whose foliage
The overcrowding cast a dark shadow over the entire district. In light of the tourist success of this distinction in the mid-20th century, the district tourism board decided to characterize the other regions with additional colors: “Périgord Purple” – west of “Périgord Noir”, all along the Dordogne River, around the town of Bergerac, which received its name due to the intense crimson color of the vineyards and the numerous wine grapes in the area; “Périgord Blanc” – north of it, around the capital of the entire district, Perigueux
(Périgord) and along the Isle River. It got its name from the white limestone deeply carved by its many waterways; “Green Périgord” – the northern part of the department, around the small town of Nontron, due to the rich green vegetation in the area, both agricultural and natural.

A little economics

It is the third largest department in France, and it is also the third most forested, covering about 45% of its area. The department's forests are an important component of the local economy, and the wood industry provides raw materials for the furniture and construction industries, wood for industry (mainly for packaging and the paper industry), as well as wood for firewood and heating. The wine industry, in all its branches, is another important component of the department. The extensive tobacco growing areas provide about 15% of the total tobacco industry in France. Walnut and chestnut trees of various types have been growing almost throughout the department for centuries, and the residents have a very long tradition of making almost everything from nuts and chestnuts - oil, candies, spreads, cakes, toys, furniture, and more.

Gastronomy: Dordogne is not considered a prominent region in French cuisine. However, several ingredients from the local cuisine have made their way to the top of the list of world delicacies. Dordogne foie gras is considered one of the leading delicacies in French cuisine (despite the protest in recent years against fattening geese). The local duck, forest mushrooms – primarily black truffles, and especially the rarer white truffle – also have a place of honor in regional cuisine in particular, and French cuisine in general. As mentioned, walnuts and chestnuts and their derived products are also of great importance. Dordogne wines (Bergerac, Monbazillac, Cahors and others) have acquired an important status for themselves, even if they do not compete with Bordeaux wines or Burgundy (Burgundy) In recent years, the importance of raising sturgeon fish has increased, from which caviar is “produced” on a number of fish farms in the area.

And something else about the language

Of course, in the Dordogne region they speak French. In the past, the region spoke the Aquitani language, which is a development of various Celtic languages. In the development into French over the centuries, a few distinguishing marks remained that are embedded in the language to this day, a characteristic feature of any language development and in any region. The suffix “AC” in the Aquitaine language indicates the association of a place with a specific person – a farm in his possession, an estate under his control, and so on. This is why many names of settlements in the region end with this syllable – Bazillac, Siorac, Gigouzac and many others.

Bastide

We are all familiar with the fortified town, typical of the Middle Ages, surrounded by a wall and with several gates that closed and locked in the evening, when darkness fell. This is one of the most common forms of construction and settlement in the warring Europe of the Middle Ages. But there were other forms of settlement. The castle, especially in its fortified version, was very common in the Middle Ages, with its towers and walls, with the “Guards’ Path” (“Chemin des Gardes”) rising at the top of its wall and circling all around. A fortified castle built on a lake – or surrounded by a moat filled with water – was another common form of defense. These are tall, large fortresses, whose construction is long and expensive and is usually only possible for powerful and wealthy rulers. And what did the common people, the farmers, the villagers who could not afford it do?

In southwestern France, during the wars with the English soldiers, a unique form of construction developed, characteristic only of this region. In many settlements in these regions, this construction model can still be seen today, while in others, with the additions of modern construction, it is becoming blurred and swallowed up in the expanding and growing countryside.

A bastide is a type of town or village in southwestern France that developed in the Middle Ages, especially during the
The Wars of Religion that took place in Europe. Its name comes from the ancient Aquitanian language Bastida (=fortress). In the ancient Provençal language, the meaning of the word is slightly different and signifies a house made of stone – that is, more solid and stronger – at a time when most houses were built of wood or mud. With this construction method, the village was built as a square with straight streets intersecting
At right angles to each other, at 90 degrees.

As in ancient Roman cities, the town has two main streets, also crossed at right angles, ending in entrance gates to the settlement surrounded by a defensive wall. The town's central square, the Halles market square, is located at the intersection of the two main streets, but the public and government buildings are somewhat distant from the square - the town hall, the school, the church and other institutions. This construction method allows for better protection of the town from possible invaders, especially due to the fact that the government buildings are not located at the intersection of the main streets in the center of the town. This construction is characteristic of southwestern France only and there are no such settlements elsewhere in Europe, or in the world.

The first town built using this method was Cordes-sur-Ciel (“Cord in the Sky”), founded in 1222. Over the years, the town walls fell, the houses were expanded and new streets were paved. The shape of the settlement was not always preserved and in many of them today it is even difficult to distinguish the square infrastructure and the intersecting streets. In recent decades, with the development of global tourism, the cultural and tourist value of these towns has been recognized and many of them have become attractive and historical sites to visit.

Over 200 towns of this type are currently known, even though their structural form has changed over the years, but there were some
In their original form. Particularly touristic examples and recommended for a visit – Domme (1281), Cordes-sur-Ciel (1222),
Monpazier (1284), Villefranche-de-Rouergue (1252), Villereal (1267), and many others.

See also the websites – https://about-france.com/tourism/bastide-towns.htm and also: https://www.francethisway.com/tourism/bastide-towns.php

Historians estimate that during the Middle Ages, more than 600 bastide towns were built in southwestern France. Over 200 of them have survived to this day, and during the years of developing tourism in the 20th century, France realized the possibilities inherent in these towns, many of which have unparalleled beauty and charm. Some of them have been restored in an amazing way, others have been preserved with the close cooperation of the residents. In most of them, the alleys have been restored and turned into small, colorful cafes, colorful restaurants or charming shops for tourist souvenirs or handicrafts by local artists.

A trip to the southwest of France, especially in the Dordogne and Lot regions, is incomplete without a visit – one, two or even more – to these bastide towns. Many of them are also listed in the “Most Beautiful Villages in France” association.

The most beautiful villages in France

It all started with a man and a brochure. In 1981, Charles Ceyrac, mayor of La Rouge Collanges, received a booklet called “Beautiful Villages of France,” published by Reader’s Digest, which featured photographs of several beautiful villages in France, without any sorting or classification. Charles asked other mayors in France, “Why this village, and not another?” 66 other mayors responded to his call, and on March 6, 1982, the association was officially founded under the name “The most beautiful villages in France".

The association's bylaws set out a number of basic rules that, if met, grant the village the status of a "contender for the title," such as the number of residents (not exceeding 2,000), the village having at least 2 heritage sites or historical sites, etc. Only the candidate villages are tested against 32 additional criteria of culture, environmental preservation, cultivation, consumerism, tourism, and more.

A village that applies to the organization must pass extensive tests and examinations by the organization's committees, including anonymous committees and examiners. If accepted, the mayor signs a certificate of commitment that enshrines the organization's principles as expressed in the association's regulations. A village accepted into the organization may place the organization's symbol at the entrance to the village, and it is advertised on all French tourist sites. Membership in the organization does not provide actual grants or financial support, but indirectly contributes to the development and promotion of the village.

Over the years, this organization has earned itself a respectable name and its member villages receive great priority on travel and tourism routes, both domestic and international. Today, 178 villages are members of this association, out of over 35,000 villages throughout France.