Bourg-en-Bresse (; 'Bourg-in-Bresse'; ) is the prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient province of Bresse ().

Geography

Bourg-en-Bresse is located at the western base of the Jura Mountains, on the left bank of the Reyssouze, a tributary of the Saône. It lies northeast of Lyon and south-southwest of Lons-le-Saunier.

History

Roman remains have been discovered at Bourg, but little is known of its early history. It was probably pillaged by Goths in Late Antiquity. Raised to the rank of a free town in 1250, it was at the beginning of the 15th century the capital of the dukes of Savoy in the province of Bresse. In February 1535 it was conquered by France during a full-scale invasion of Savoy, but was restored to Duke Philibert Emmanuel in 1559, when he married Henry II's sister Marguerite. The duke later built a strong citadel, which afterwards withstood a six-months' siege by the soldiers of Henry IV during the Franco-Savoyard War of 1600–1601. The town was finally ceded to France in 1601. In 1814, the inhabitants, in spite of the defenseless condition of their town, offered resistance to the Austrians, who put the place to pillage.

Demographics

Politics

thumb|The [[Hôtel de Ville, Bourg-en-Bresse|Hôtel de Ville]]

Since 2008, Jean-François Debat of the Socialist Party (PS) has been Mayor of Bourg-en-Bresse. He was reelected following the 2026 municipal election.

| Emmanuel Macron

| EM

| 72.37

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| 2012

| François Hollande

| PS

| 53.96

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| 2007

| Nicolas Sarkozy

| UMP

| 50.83

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| 2002

| Jacques Chirac

| RPR

| 84.46

|}

Sights

thumb|left|Hôtel-Dieu de Bourg-en-Bresse

thumb|left|Théâtre de Bourg-en-Bresse

Bourg-en-Bresse Cathedral, also known as the church of Notre-Dame (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation de Bourg-en-Bresse), which dates back to the 16th century, has a façade built in the Renaissance; other parts of the church are Gothic. In the interior there are stalls of the 16th century.

The other public buildings, including a handsome prefecture, are modern. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) contains a library and the Lorin Museum with a collection of pictures, while another museum has a collection of old costumes and ornaments characteristic of Bresse. Among the statues in the town there is one of historian Edgar Quinet, a native of Bourg-en-Bresse.

Economy

In the early 20th century, the city manufactured iron goods, mineral waters, tallow, soap and earthenware. There were flour mills and breweries; there is considerable trade in grain, cattle and poultry.

Miscellaneous

Bourg is the prefecture of the department and the location of a court of assizes; it has a tribunal of first instance, a tribunal and a chamber of commerce, as well as a local branch of the Bank of France.

Bourg-en-Bresse was the finish of Stage 6 and the departure of Stage 7 in the 2007 Tour de France.

Personalities

Bourg-en-Bresse is the birthplace of:

thumb|140px|[[Jérôme Lalande, ]]

  • Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac (1581–1638), mathematician
  • Julien Benneteau, (born 1981), tennis player
  • Georges Blanc (born 1943), chef
  • Raymond Chevallier (1929–2004), historian and archaeologist
  • François Clerc (born 1983), footballer for Olympique Lyonnais and France
  • Alain Giletti, (born 1939), ice skater
  • Jérôme Lalande (1732–1807), astronomer, freemason and writer.
  • Isabelle Lonvis-Rome (born 1963), magistrate and minister
  • Daniel Morelon (born 1944), cyclist
  • Jean-Bernard Gauthier de Murnan (1748–1796), French officer for the Continental Army and general during the French Revolution
  • Lionel Nallet, (born 1976), international rugby union player
  • Jacques Pépin (born 1935), chef
  • Edgar Quinet (1803–1875), historian and man of letters.
  • Jérôme Tafani (born 1958), businessman
  • Léo Wanner (1886–1941), communist, anti-fascist, and anti-imperialist activist and journalist

Twin towns – sister cities

thumb|right|Twin town and partner cities

Bourg-en-Bresse is twinned with:

  • Bad Kreuznach, Germany
  • Aylesbury, England
  • San Severo, Italy
  • Parma, Italy
  • Namur, Belgium
  • Brzeg, Poland
  • El Kef, Tunisia

Climate

See also

  • Arpitania
  • Bressan
  • Bresse chicken
  • Communes of the Ain department
  • Pierre-Marie Poisson

References

  • City council website (in French)