Bordeaux, the third seaport of France, and the chief town in the department of Gironde, is beautifully situated in a plain on the left bank of the Garonne, about 60 miles from its mouth in the Atlantic, and 359 miles SSW. of Paris by rail. Transatlantic steamers can easily ascend with the flood to Bordeaux, which is accessible at all times to vessels of 600 tons. The commerce both by the Garonne and by railways is very extensive, and its long and crescent-shaped harbour, providing anchorage for 1200 ships, has a singularly noble appearance. But the quay accommodation is limited; most of the ships have to anchor in the stream, exposed to very high and swift tides. In 1867–79 a spacious dock was constructed at the lower or northern end of the town, with a depth at ebb-tide of 22 feet, and an area of almost 25 acres; and in 1888 the construction of stone embankments, iron jetties, and other improvements was commenced. The river is crossed by a noble bridge of 17 arches and 532 yards in length, erected in 1811–21. The old town has narrow crooked streets; but the newer parts of the city and the suburbs have wide streets, fine squares, and pleasant promenades lined with trees. In spite of damp winters and oppressive summers, as well as of its imperfect drainage system, Bordeaux is a healthy town. The cathedral of St André, which was consecrated in 1096, is remarkable for its beautiful towers, designed and built, it is said, by English architects during the English occupation. St Croix dates from the 10th century, and St Seurin is also very ancient. Several handsome large churches have been built between 1868 and 1881. Bordeaux is the seat of an archbishop, and contains a faculty of science and letters (rebuilt in 1885–87, and constituting part of the university of France, with 900 students), schools of theology, medicine, art, and navigation, an academy of arts and sciences, a valuable gallery of paintings, a museum, and an observatory. The Grand Théâtre is one of the largest and finest buildings of its kind in France. The public library has upwards of 160,000 volumes. Pop. (1872) 190,682; (1886) 235,374; (1891) 247,890.
The principal branches of industry are the production or preparation of sugar, brandy, liqueurs, vinegar, tobacco, printed calicoes, woollen goods, casks, paper, earthenware, glass bottles, capsules, labels, and chemical products. There are large dockyards, but shipbuilding has been practically at a standstill for some years. The old Canal du Midi connects Bordeaux with the Mediterranean; and a great canal has been recently proposed, to connect Bordeaux with Narbonne. Wine, brandy, vinegar, fruit, fish, lace, jewelry, ready-made clothing, and skins are among its principal exports, the largest trade being with England and South America. Bordeaux is an important centre of the French cod-fishing ships for Newfoundland and elsewhere. Annually about 1500 ships of from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 tons enter, and as many clear the port, almost half the vessels being usually British. The value of imports runs to £15,000,000 or £16,000,000 a year, the exports somewhat less. The Bordelais held an exhibition in 1895.
Except those of Champagne, no French wines have been so much exported to foreign countries as those grown in the department of Gironde, especially the Medoc, and known as Bordeaux wines. Some of them are red (known in England as Claret), others white. The finest red wines are produced by the vineyards of Château-Lafite, Château-Margaux, Château-Latour (all Medoc wines), and Haut-Brion, the best of the vins de Graves. St Julien and St Estèphe are of the second rank. The St Emilion wines are a distinct group. Of the white wines, the Château d'Yquem is the finest of Sauternes, others being Bommes, Barsac, Preignac. Of late years, however, the ravages of the Phylloxera (q.v.) have seriously diminished the vintages, and large quantities of wine have been imported in consequence from Spain and Sicily, and either mixed with, or sold as, Bordeaux wines.
Bordeaux, anciently called Burdigala, was the capital of the Bituriges Vivisci, and being made by Hadrian the capital of Aquitania Secunda, it became both the principal emporium of the south-west of Gaul, and the seat of its best educational institutions. The only important Roman remains are the so-called 'palace of Gallienus,' really the ruins of a large amphitheatre. The town shared the fate of Aquitania, and suffered successively from Vandals, Goths, Franks, and Moors. It was taken by Charles Martel in 735; but was again spoiled by Norman plunderers in the 9th century. It became the capital of the Duchy of Guienne; and in 1152 passed, by the marriage of Eleanor of Guienne with Henry of Normandy (afterwards Henry II. of England), under the dominion of England. The town was for a considerable time the seat of the splendid court of Edward the Black Prince, but was restored to France in 1451. It was the seat of the Collège de Guyenne, in which George Buchanan and other noted Scotsmen were professors in the 16th century. During the Revolution it was the principal seat of the Girondists, and suffered fearfully at the hands of the Terrorists. Its inhabitants, disaffected to Napoleon's government, were the first to declare for the Bourbons in 1814. During the Franco-Prussian war, the first sittings of the National Assembly in 1871 were held here in the Grand Théâtre. Bordeaux is the birthplace of Richard II. of England, the poet Ausonius, and Rosa Bonheur.