- Brive-la-Gaillarde
French commune
nomcommune=Brive-la-Gaillarde
région=Limousin
département=Corrèze
arrondissement=Brive-la-Gaillarde
canton=
insee=19031
cp=19100
gentilé=Brivistes
maire=Philippe Nauche
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=Brive
longitude=1.532078
latitude=45.158317
alt moy=142 m
alt mini=102
alt maxi=315 m
hectares=4859
km²=48.59
sans=49,141
date-sans=1999
dens=1011
date-dens=1999Brive-la-Gaillarde (Limousin dialect of
Occitan language: "Briva la Galharda") is a commune ofFrance . It is asub-prefecture of theCorrèze department. The population of theurban area was 89,260 as of 1999. Although it is by far the biggest commune in Corrèze, the capital isTulle .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" (still 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 .During World War II, Brive-la-Gaillarde was a regional capital of the Resistance, acting as a seat of several clandestine information networks and several of the principal resistance movements, including the "Armée secrète" (or “Secret Army”) and the "Mouvements unis de la Résistance" (or “
United Movements of the Resistance ”).Brive-la-Gaillarde was the first city of
Occupied France to liberate itself by its own means, onAugust 15 ,1944 . For this, the city received the “"Croix de guerre 1939-1945"” military decoration.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 [http://www.musee-labenche.com/defaulta.htm 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 toToulouse . Finally, it is the home ofCA Brive rugby union team.Mayors
* 1966-1995: Jean Charbonnel
* 1995-2008: Bernard Murat
* 2008 - present : Philippe NaucheSport
The city is home to a
rugby union team,CA Brive .It will also host the 2009 Junior World Rowing Championships
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 internationalrugby union player
*Pierre-André Valade (1959– ), conductor
*Cédric Heymans (1978– ), French internationalrugby union player
*Alexis Palisson (1987– ), French internationalrugby union playerSister cities
*
Lauf an der Pegnitz (Germany )
* Joliette (Québec ,Canada )
*Sikasso (Mali )
*Guimarães (Portugal )
*Melitopol (Ukraine )
*Dunstable , (England ,United Kingdom ) until 2005ee also
*
Communes of the Corrèze department References
"Based on the article in the French Wikipedia."
External links
* [http://www.brive.net/ Official website] fr icon
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