The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, the name of the original inhabitants, or from the Germanic word Burg (French: bourg; Spanish: burgo; English, others: burgh, berg, or borough), for "hill" or "village". The Celts called it Avaricon; Latin-speakers: Avaricum. In the fourth century BC, as in the time of Caesar, the area around it was the center of a Gallic (Celtic) confederacy.
In 52 BC, the sixth year of the Gallic Wars, while the Gauls implemented a scorched-earth policy to try to deny Caesar's forces supplies, the inhabitants of Avaricum convinced the council not to have their town burned.[3] It was temporarily spared due to its good defences provided by the surrounding marshes, by a river that nearly encircled it, and by a strong southern wall. Julius Caesar's forces, nevertheless, captured and destroyed the town, killing all but 800 of its inhabitants.[4]
Rome reconstructed Avaricum as a Roman town, with a monumental gate, aqueducts, thermae and an amphitheatre; it reached a greater size than it would attain during the Middle Ages. The massive walls surrounding the late-Roman town, enclosing 40 hectares, were built in part with stone re-used from earlier public buildings.
The third-century AD Saint Ursinus, also known as Saint Ursin, is considered[by whom?] the first bishop of the town. Bourges functions as the seat of an archbishopric. During the 8th century Bourges lay on the northern fringes of the Duchy of Aquitaine and was therefore the first town to come under Frankish attacks when the Franks crossed the Loire. The Frankish Charles Martel captured the town in 731, but Duke Odo the Great of Aquitaine immediately re-took it. It remained under the rule of counts who pledged allegiance to the Aquitanian dukes up to the destructive siege by the Frankish King Pepin the Short in 762, when Basque troops are found defending the town along with its count.
Bourges in 1820
During the Middle Ages, Bourges served as the capital of the Viscounty of Bourges until 1101. In the fourteenth century, it became the capital of the Duchy of Berry (established in 1360). The future king of France, Charles VII (r.1422–1461), sought refuge there in the 1420s during the Hundred Years' War. His son, Louis XI, was born there in 1423. In 1438, Charles VII decreed the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges. During this period, Bourges was a major centre of alchemy.[citation needed] In 1487, a third of Bourges was destroyed by fire, after which the economic decline of the city started.[5]
Bourges has a long tradition of art and history. Apart from the cathedral, other sites of importance include the 15th-century Palais Jacques Cœur and a sixty-five-hectare district of half-timbered houses and fine town-houses.
Bourges became an important center of artillery production from the 1860s, when Napoleon III decided to relocate the École de pyrotechnie militaire, at the time located in Metz, far away from the Prussian border.[7]
Population
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
15,964
—
1800
16,330
+0.32%
1806
17,552
+1.21%
1821
18,910
+0.50%
1831
19,730
+0.43%
1836
25,324
+5.12%
1841
22,826
−2.06%
1846
24,799
+1.67%
1851
25,037
+0.19%
1856
26,799
+1.37%
1861
28,064
+0.93%
1866
30,119
+1.42%
1872
31,312
+0.65%
1876
35,785
+3.39%
1881
40,217
+2.36%
1886
42,829
+1.27%
1891
45,342
+1.15%
1896
43,587
−0.79%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1901
46,551
+1.32%
1906
44,133
−1.06%
1911
45,735
+0.72%
1921
45,942
+0.05%
1926
44,245
−0.75%
1931
45,067
+0.37%
1936
49,263
+1.80%
1946
51,040
+0.35%
1954
53,879
+0.68%
1962
60,632
+1.49%
1968
70,814
+2.62%
1975
77,300
+1.26%
1982
76,432
−0.16%
1990
75,609
−0.14%
1999
72,480
−0.47%
2007
71,155
−0.23%
2012
66,666
−1.29%
2017
64,551
−0.64%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Bourges sits at the river junction where the Auron flows into the Yèvre. The disused Canal de Berry follows alongside the course of the Auron through Bourges.
Climate
Bourges, located in the center of France, away from the Atlantic Ocean, features a typical degraded oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), characterized by colder, drier winters and warmer, wetter summers than the oceanic climate.
Climate data for Bourges (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1945–present)
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snow days (1961–1990)[11]
Industry
In 2025, one-sixth of the population worked in the defense industry, primarily in manufacturing arms. Notable local employers include KNDS France and MBDA.[12]
Bourges' principal football team was the now dissolved Bourges Football 18. It is also home to the women's basketball club CJM Bourges Basket, which has won multiple titles in domestic and European basketball. Bourges XV is the premier rugby team in the region, currently playing in French National Division, Federal 3.
Marcel Bascoulard (1913-1978), artist, was born outside of Bourges and resided there for most of his life.
The mother of fictional character Gabrielle Maple hailed from Bourges in The Petrified Forest (1936), endearingly mispronounced "Boorgs" by the actress playing the part, Bette Davis.
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