Lormont
Lormont (; , ) is a commune in the Gironde department, New Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is a suburb of the city of Bordeaux and is adjacent to it on the northeast. Thus, it is a member of the intercommunality Bordeaux Métropole. Etymology. The name Lormont comes from "Laureamontus" or "Laureomonte". The "laurier" (laurel) was a wood sacred to the Gauls. For the Romans it symbolized glory and the god Apollo. The Celts considered it to be a symbol of immortality. Until the revolution, Lormont was spelled 'Lormon' without t. Geography. Lormont is located on the right bank of the river Garonne , 6 km north and downstream of Bordeaux. It has long been a small town in the Bordeaux area until its entry into the CUB on 1 January 1968. It is a popular location due to different means of transport and roads present: once being accessible by gondolas and a national train station, the Pont d'Aquitaine and the tram. The town has 735 hectares. Lormont can be divided into several major areas: Access. Access can be made by the Rocade A630: Exits 2 (Lormont, Carbon Blanc, Bassens, Zone portuaire) 3 (Vieux Lormont) 26 (Artigues Moulinat, Yvrac, Quatre Pavillons) 27 (Lormont, Carbon  Blanc) Geology. A floodplain was constructed in the extension area of the 'Entre – Deux – Mers', to confluence the two valleys of the Dordogne and Garonne, this space is made up of recent estuarine sediments. Once 60 meters is reached, the soil consists of a limestone plateau. Hydrography. The town is bordered by the Garonne and has two streams channelled, the Pimpin and the Garosses, which form an . Geothermal drilling was carried out in Génicart and supplies thermal water to a Thermo center in located in the Hermitage Park. Work begun in January 2010 to build a complex of about 7000 m. Topography. Lormont is located on two hills framing a narrow valley, 'Cape deu Tureu' in the north and 'Roqua' to the south. Cycling enthusiasts challenge the steep climb of the côte du Pimpin and avenue des champs. The maximum altitude recorded in Lormont is 63 meters. History. Located on the outskirts of Bordeaux, Lormont has always been a prosperous village, fishing port, and a place for the transit of goods and people. In 778, Charlemagne and Roland founded the Church of St. Martin. Around the year 1000, the Dukes of Aquitaine built the first château de Lormont where Eleanor  of Aquitaine stayed. The northern half of Lormont in 1152 became a sauveté (Lordship) of the Archbishops and would have accommodated the princes of England, while the other half is establishing itself dependent provost of Bordeaux. In 1308, Pope Clement V resided at the château de Lormont where Richard II was born, the son of the "Black Prince" in 1367. The town prospered and lived well with their vineyards, fishing and ferrying passenger from the port. Nevertheless, famine, pestilence and invasion of a Spanish fleet devastated the city. In 1570, Protestants burnt the Village, the church and the Hermitage. In  1751, the Intendant Tourny opened the road to Paris. Lormont became one of the most important communities of Bordeaux. The first French commercial steamboat called the "Garonne" was built in August 1818 by Chaigneau. They then employed 1,000 workers and built 500 within a century to become the "chantiers de la Garonne" in 1882. After the lines of the TER were opened, in 1901, Lormont played host to the first tramway at the place du port which allowed the Bordelais discover the city. By the 19th century, the Bordelais used to travel to Lormont for a day of leisure on  Sunday afternoons. During the 1960s Lormont was subject to a grand industrialisation which doubled the size of the population. This decade saw the construction of the large housing blocks in the Carriet Génicart and the '4 Pavilions' shopping centre, the inauguration of the Pont d'Aquitaine, the opening of school, sports, cultural and associative infrastructure. Large industries like Siemens and Ricard also took up residency in the area. Coat of arms. The coat of arms of the city was selected in January 1969 following a competition and validated by the City Council, June 6, 1969. The form is of an English  styled shield which recalls the ties that bound England and Lormont. Administration. In 2008, the outgoing mayor, Jean Touzeau, was elected for a third term. The municipal council of the city is composed of 35 members including the mayor, 10 deputies, 3 community advisors, 17 municipal councilors and 4 councilors elected from the opposition. International relations. Lormon is twinned with: Urban policy. On 21 November 2006, Lormont joined the Great Cities Project to improve the supply of equipment and housing, to promote interactions between neighborhoods and conurbation. The district of Carriet will develop: The district of Génicart will develop: The  centre of the city will develop: These projects, which accompanies the layout of the recently installed Bordeaux Tramway Line A on the avenue de la Libération, should basically modify the living conditions of the plateau. Population. In 1999, youth accounted for 28.7% of the population, with residents over 75 years accounting for around 5.6% of the population. Since 1999, the town has had a 5% increase in households and 3.5% of dwellings. The operations of deconstruction and reconstruction efforts, through the urban renewal plan may be the cause of population decline. This trend should be reversed in coming years through  the construction of new housing. The inhabitants are called "Lormontais". Economy. The city's economic activity revolves around 3 main axes: "The industrial zones of the 4 Pavillons (26.5 ha), La Gardette (18 ha) and Lissandre (15 ha) account for nearly 59.5 hectares dedicated to businesses." Sites and Monuments. The Château of Lormont (Black Prince/Archbishops). Built around 1060, the castle of Lormont probably saw Eleanor of Aquitaine stay here during her marriage to King Louis VII of France. The Prince of Aquitaine, also known as the Black Prince lived there. The archbishops of Bordeaux possessed the château in the  14th century. In 1453, negotiations to end the Hundred Years War also took place there. After having been successively destroyed and rebuilt, notably in 1626 by architect Henry Roche for the Cardinal Francis d'Escoubleau of Sourdis then to his brother Henri de Sourdis. The castle became national property in 1789. Today the castle is private property. After a major renovation it was converted to house offices and also a restaurant. The Château du Bois Fleuri. Built around 1880, the Chateau du Bois Fleuri was owned by a wine merchant named Mr. Jouin. This monument of a neo-Gothic castle is  inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria (Germany), of which was the inspiration for Walt Disney to create Sleeping Beauty's castle in 1959. The Château Génicart. Built in a vineyard around 1854, Château Génicart was used to help house the army of the United States with 250 barracks erected in the gardens between 1917 and 1919. Today located in the heart of Lormont, it is the local trade hub. The Château des Iris. In 1864, Mrs Blanc de Manville decided to build the castle of Iris. This is a tribute to the French flag by choosing colors that adorn  it: slate blue, the white stone and red brick. During World War II, the castle of Iris was occupied by the Germans and in 1969 the building was sold to the Urban Community of Bordeaux by Poliet & Chausson, who were a cement works, which was located near the damaged building. Château des Lauriers. In 1860, the castle was constructed by a Mr. Gradis, who built the château around large gardens and parks. Today the building. Today, it houses the national museum of health insurance, which presents the history and values of the French social security. Educational workshops. Audio guide. Free  guided tour. website: www.musee-insurance maladie.com: Tel. : 05 56 06 19 88 Church of Saint Martin. The Church of St. Martin stands has stood in the same place since 1294. The patron saint of the parish, owes its name to Martin of Tours. In 1451, then in ruins, it was consecrated by the archbishop Pey Berland, which offered the reconstruction once the Hundred Years War was over. After about 20 years of renovation, it is classified today as a historic monument. Church Saint Esprit. The Church was in built in Carriet in 1966. Father Puyo, pastor of St. Martin oversaw  the construction of this church with a cubic area of 400m. Communal laundry house. During the nineteenth century many communal laundries began to appear. They remained for many years an important and central meeting location, where the exchange of local information and gossip were traded. In 1880, the first water system to provide drinkable water was created. Today, five laundries still remain: les lavoirs de Lissandre, de Gelot, de la République, de Carriet and de Blanchereau. Pont d'Aquitaine (bridge). After many proposals to link the two banks of the Garonne, it was on 20 May 1960 that the work  for the Pont d'Aquitaine started. It provides a connection to the motorway from Paris and also services the port and industrial areas of Ambés and Bassens. Opened on 6 May 1967 by Jacques Chaban-Delmas, the bridge rises to almost 53 meters in height. It ook stacks of 105 meters and nearly 12,000 km of cable to suspend the bridge. Hermitage Park. With nearly 30 acres, Hermitage park is located on the former site of the cement works, Poliet & Chausson. The park takes its name to an old chapel that was once located on the hillside. The park's highest  point is 63 meters, with a network of trails allowing hikers to enjoy the views offered by the park on the Garonne and Bordeaux. Trails. There are several well worn trails in the area offering hikers many different choices to undertake. There are walks that give the chance to discover the natural landscapes of the right bank of the river, while there are two walks that enable to hiker to explore the city. Mérignac Centre ↔ La Gardette-Bassens-Carbon-Blanc / Floirac Dravemont As of February 22, 2010