Brive-la-Gaillarde (French pronunciation: [bʁiv la ɡajaʁd] ; Limousin dialect of Occitan: Briva la Galharda), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the agglomeration was 75,579 in 2019.[3]

Brive-la-Gaillarde
Briva la Galharda (Occitan)
The Town Hall of Brive-la-Gaillarde
The Town Hall of Brive-la-Gaillarde
Coat of arms of Brive-la-Gaillarde
Location of Brive-la-Gaillarde
Map
Brive-la-Gaillarde is located in France
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Brive-la-Gaillarde is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Coordinates: 45°09′30″N 1°31′56″E / 45.1583°N 1.5321°E / 45.1583; 1.5321
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentCorrèze
ArrondissementBrive-la-Gaillarde
CantonBrive-la-Gaillarde-1, 2, 3 and 4
IntercommunalityCA Bassin de Brive
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Frédéric Soulier[1]
Area
1
48.59 km2 (18.76 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
46,599
 • Density960/km2 (2,500/sq mi)
DemonymBrivistes
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
19031 /19100
Elevation102–315 m (335–1,033 ft)
(avg. 142 m or 466 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Although it is by far the biggest commune in Corrèze, the capital is Tulle. In French popular culture, the town is associated with a song by Georges Brassens.

History

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Even though the inhabitants settled around the 1st century, the city only started to grow much later. From around the 5th century onwards, the original city began to develop around a church dedicated to Saint-Martin-l'Espagnol. During the 12th century walls were built around the city and during the Hundred Years' War a second wall was built. These fortifications no longer exist and have been replaced by boulevards.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, on 15 August 1944. For this, the city received the "Croix de guerre 1939–1945" military decoration.

The medieval centre 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 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 to Toulouse.

Climate

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Climate data for Brive-la-Gaillarde (1987–2010 averages, extremes 1987–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.8
(65.8)
24.4
(75.9)
26.7
(80.1)
30.0
(86.0)
32.9
(91.2)
39.6
(103.3)
42.1
(107.8)
40.7
(105.3)
35.9
(96.6)
30.9
(87.6)
25.6
(78.1)
19.3
(66.7)
42.1
(107.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.7
(49.5)
11.6
(52.9)
15.2
(59.4)
17.4
(63.3)
22.1
(71.8)
25.3
(77.5)
27.4
(81.3)
27.5
(81.5)
23.5
(74.3)
19.1
(66.4)
12.8
(55.0)
9.8
(49.6)
18.5
(65.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.3
(41.5)
6.2
(43.2)
9.1
(48.4)
11.3
(52.3)
15.6
(60.1)
18.7
(65.7)
20.7
(69.3)
20.7
(69.3)
16.9
(62.4)
13.7
(56.7)
8.3
(46.9)
5.5
(41.9)
12.7
(54.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.9
(33.6)
0.8
(33.4)
2.9
(37.2)
5.3
(41.5)
9.1
(48.4)
12.1
(53.8)
14.0
(57.2)
13.8
(56.8)
10.3
(50.5)
8.2
(46.8)
3.8
(38.8)
1.2
(34.2)
6.9
(44.4)
Record low °C (°F) −11.8
(10.8)
−16.4
(2.5)
−12.6
(9.3)
−5.4
(22.3)
−1.7
(28.9)
2.1
(35.8)
5.2
(41.4)
3.6
(38.5)
0.6
(33.1)
−5.6
(21.9)
−10.2
(13.6)
−13.4
(7.9)
−16.4
(2.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 69.9
(2.75)
61.3
(2.41)
63.3
(2.49)
92.3
(3.63)
86.9
(3.42)
76.6
(3.02)
69.0
(2.72)
71.1
(2.80)
80.1
(3.15)
86.8
(3.42)
85.0
(3.35)
72.1
(2.84)
914.4
(36.00)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 10.8 9.3 9.4 12.6 10.6 9.3 7.8 8.4 8.9 10.9 11.5 10.7 120.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 91.1 113.3 169.6 177.5 215.1 241.1 256.3 241.3 200.3 137.4 85.2 79.5 2,007.6
Source: Météo France[4]

Administration

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The most recent mayors of Brive-la-Gaillarde were:

  • 1966–1995: Jean Charbonnel
  • 1995–2008: Bernard Murat
  • 2008–present: Philippe Nauche

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 5,847—    
1800 5,762−0.21%
1806 7,608+4.74%
1821 6,801−0.74%
1831 8,031+1.68%
1836 8,843+1.95%
1841 8,350−1.14%
1846 8,382+0.08%
1851 8,889+1.18%
1856 9,384+1.09%
1861 9,854+0.98%
1866 10,389+1.06%
1872 10,765+0.59%
1876 11,920+2.58%
1881 14,182+3.54%
1886 15,707+2.06%
1891 16,803+1.36%
1896 18,111+1.51%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 19,496+1.48%
1906 20,636+1.14%
1911 21,486+0.81%
1921 21,711+0.10%
1926 24,049+2.07%
1931 26,718+2.13%
1936 29,074+1.70%
1946 33,501+1.43%
1954 36,088+0.93%
1962 40,175+1.35%
1968 46,561+2.49%
1975 51,828+1.54%
1982 51,511−0.09%
1990 49,765−0.43%
1999 49,141−0.14%
2007 50,231+0.27%
2012 47,411−1.15%
2017 46,916−0.21%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

Transport

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Brive-la-Gaillarde railway station offers connections to Limoges, Périgueux, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Paris and several regional destinations. The A20 motorway connects Brive with Limoges and Toulouse, the A89 with Bordeaux.

Brive–Souillac Airport lies south of the city. It was opened in 2010 to replace the older Brive-La Roche Airport.

Sport

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The city is home to a rugby union team, CA Brive. It also hosted the 2009 Junior World Rowing Championships.

Notable inhabitants

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Twin towns – sister cities

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Brive-la-Gaillarde is twinned with:[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Comparateur de territoires, INSEE
  4. ^ "Brive (19)" (PDF). Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  5. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Brive-la-Gaillarde, EHESS (in French).
  6. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  7. ^ "Villes jumelées". brive.fr (in French). Brive-la-Gaillarde. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
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