- France 1941. City Arms of Bordeaux. Surcharge for the benefit of French Social Aid.
- France 1958. A newer version of the City Arms of Bordeaux.
Bordeaux, Port of the Moon
(2007)
France
The historic centre of Bordeaux, Port of the Moon, the port city in south-west France, is inscribed as an inhabited historic city, an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble, created in the age of Enlightenment, whose values continued up to the first half of the 20th century, with more protected buildings than any other French city, except Paris.
It is also recognized for
its historic role as a place of exchange of cultural values over
more than 2,000 years, particularly since the 12th century due to
commercial links with Britain and the Low Lands. Urban plans and
architectural of the early 18th century onwards place the city as an
outstanding example of innovative classical and neo-classical trends
and give it an exceptional urban and architectural unity and
coherence.
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Its urban form represents the success of philosophers who wanted to make towns into melting pots of humanism, universality and culture.
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The more poetic sounding reference to "Port of the Moon" is often used because of the city's shape being like the moon crescent. The only reference I have found is from Encarta Encyclopedia 2002, stating that "Lying along a broad bend in the Garonne, the site of Bordeaux is crescent-shaped". I have not yet come across any stamps from Bordeaux illustrating the moon crescent.
Bordeaux is part of the wine district of Saint-Emilion. which in 1999 was granted its own status as World Cultural Heritage.
Sources and links:
Other World Heritage Sites in France (on this site). Please refer to the UNESCO-listing, section France for further information on the individual properties.
Revised 09 sep 2007 |
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