Périgord
The Périgord ( ) is a landscape and historical province in southwestern France known for its rich historical heritage, cuisine and temperate climate . The name is derived from the Celtic Petrocorier tribe . Its borders have changed only minimally for over two thousand years: the area extends around its capital, Périgueux, within an imaginary circle of around 100 kilometers in diameter . The inhabitants of the Périgord call themselves Périgourdins .
For a long time the Périgord was a county in medieval France. As a border area in the Hundred Years War between England and France in the Middle Ages , it was fought over and was united with the French crown in 1607 by Henry IV .
geography
The area of the Périgords roughly corresponds to today's Dordogne department and is thus part of Nouvelle-Aquitaine , the most south-western French region . Historically, smaller parts of the Lot-et-Garonne and Lot departments also belong to it. The Briver Basin in the Corrèze department occupies a transitional position between Périgord and Limousin .
Landscapes
The Périgord is now divided into several areas named for tourist and historical reasons and only used for the Dordogne department:
- The Périgord vert (green Périgord) is located in the hilly, wooded north, which already has a climatic similarity to the harsher, humid climate of the neighboring Limousin .
- The Périgord blanc (white Périgord) forms a wide strip running from west to east through the center with the capital Périgueux and owes its name to the extensive limestone plateaus that lie on both sides of the fertile river lowlands of the Isle . The sparse features of the Double and the Ribéracois are also part of this.
- The Périgord noir (black Périgord) forms the southeast with the city of Sarlat-la-Canéda and is covered with thick, dark oak and pine forests.
- The Périgord pourpre (purple Périgord) in the southwest around the city of Bergerac is the main growing area of the wine. The term “purple Périgord” was only reintroduced in 1970 for reasons of tourism. The inhabitants continue to use the traditional name “Bergeracois”.
The boundaries between the four landscapes are not set administratively and therefore vary depending on the point of view. In general, these almost correspond to the four arrondissements of the Dordogne department. Only the names Périgord blanc and Périgord noir have been documented for a long time. The area around Périgueux is sometimes also called Périgord central . Traditional landscape names are also: Nontronnais (land around Nontron in the north), Ribéracois (land around Ribérac in the north-west), Bergeracois (land around Bergerac in the south-west), Sarladais (land around Sarlat in the south-east). The northeast belonged to the Limousin for a long time. The term Causse has also been used for the central limestone plains .
Geology and relief
The terrain rises from southwest to northeast. The lowest point lies at a height of approx. 8 m downstream from Bergerac on the border with the Gironde department , the highest point is approx. 480 m in the forest of Vieillecour on the border with the Limousin. The Périgord thus forms the link between the Aquitaine Basin and the Massif Central , whose metamorphic Variscan basement forms the northeastern part of the Périgord. The central part is formed by levels of limestone formations , the so-called causses , which are mostly at a height of about 200 m . In a narrow strip that runs north-south through the eastern Périgord, these are of Jurassic origin , to the west of which chalk predominates. Numerous rivers have dug themselves deep here and there are many caves that also favored early settlement. Upstream to the west are gravel areas that were deposited by tertiary sediment transport: the Double in the north and the Landais in the south . These landscapes are only about 150 m high, are hardly usable for agriculture and are interspersed with small lakes. Low-lying points are located on the lower reaches of the river, in the extreme south and northwest on the border with the Charente lowlands .
Waters
The Périgord belongs almost exclusively to the Gironde catchment area and is crossed by several rivers, of which the Dordogne is the largest and therefore gave the name to the later created department. The second largest river is the Isle , which drains the northern half of the Périgord and only flows into the Dordogne at Libourne. Within the Périgord, the Dronne and Auvézère flow towards it, while the Vézère flows into the Dordogne at Limeuil. All rivers run east to west or northeast to southwest.
climate
The Périgord lies in the zone of influence of the Atlantic westerly winds and has a temperate climate with year-round precipitation , the maximums of which occur in winter. The summers are long and warm, but not arid ( dry ) in the long-term mean . Average temperatures are around 12 ° C with a minimum of 3.5 ° C in January and a maximum of 21.5 ° C in July, with a difference of around 4 ° C between the climatically favored Bergeracois and the edge of the Massif Central. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −22 ° C in the northeast, the highest 42 ° C in Bergerac. Sometimes the favorable climatic conditions can be disturbed by droughts or late frosts . Hurricane Martin also caused great damage at the turn of the year 1999/2000, which laid down entire forests and plunged forestry into a lasting crisis.
Flora and fauna
The low population density and the poor soils are the reason that the Périgord is one of the most wooded areas in all of France. The landscape is characterized by a multitude of different tree species: oaks and pines dominate the Causses, and beeches in the north and northeast. The river valleys, on the other hand, are home to moisture-loving trees such as poplars, plane trees and chestnuts. Economically usable species such as chestnuts, walnuts and fruit trees are represented almost everywhere.
The Périgord is exceptionally rich in game. The large, contiguous forest stands, which alternate with open and semi-open terrain, are home to wild boars, red deer, roe deer, poultry and rabbits in large numbers.
history
Early and ancient times
As early as 30,000 BC The first Stone Age people settled in the numerous caves and grottoes ( abris ) of the Vézère valley; The rock paintings of Lascaux , which are classified as a world cultural heritage , testify to this today . Modern man was also called Cro-Magnon man after the Grotto of Cro-Magnon .
The Allée couverte de Blanc is one of the best preserved megalithic structures in the region.
In ancient times the area was part of Celtic Gaul before it was conquered by the Romans and incorporated into the province of Gallia Aquitania . Remains of Roman culture and buildings can still be found as ruins in the city of Périgueux. In the course of the Great Migration , the Franks conquered the area.
middle Ages
The county of Périgord was founded as early as 866 , which in turn gave fiefs to four barons. They built their castles in Mareuil on the border with the Angoumois , in Biron on the border with the Quercy , in Beynac and in Bourdeilles . The choice of location was shaped by military strategy and the family seats were therefore extensive, almost impregnable fortresses. Politically, too, the barons enjoyed extensive freedoms and, as military leaders, were indispensable for the counts in centuries marked by the Franco-English conflict. During the Middle Ages, the Périgord was fought over for a long time between the French and the English: after Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henri Plantagenêt married , the French south-west fell to England as a fief for 300 years or more . During the Hundred Years War , the front line stretched across the Périgord, with the Dordogne for a long time the power of the French in the north and the English in the south. Politically, the county remained practically insignificant, because it repeatedly got caught between the fronts of both interests and the regents were equipped with too little political talent to capitalize on it. On the contrary, the counts had to ensure the loyalty of their powerful barons, often fighting on different sides, just as much as they had to ward off the territorial desires of the kings. They succeeded less and less as the war progressed.
After leading places had placed themselves under the protection of the French king from 1204, he began with the systematic fortification of strategically important places and the rebuilding of numerous, systematically laid out fortified villages ( bastides ), the residents of which were attracted with, in some cases, far-reaching privileges. The same development began in the English domain; During this conflict-ridden time, a large number of Romanesque fortified churches were built , which could serve as refuge for the village population and in some cases even had elements of fortifications. This building craze has made the Périgord a heartland of Romanesque architecture. The decisive Battle of Castillon in 1454, which finally drove the English from mainland France, actually took place near Lamothe-Montravel in Périgord.
Modern times
Almost a century of peace and prosperity followed, in which a cultural flowering and civic creativity ensured a boost in development. The economic boom began when the Atlantic sea trade was fully developed. Rich in natural resources such as wood and iron as well as agricultural products (especially the then famous regional wine ), the region strengthened sustainably. Michel de Montaigne , temporarily mayor of Bordeaux , and Étienne de la Boétie were literary and philosophical greats of their time. Almost all medieval castles were also converted into elegant residences, in which the new architectural style of the Renaissance was reflected. In cities like Périgueux and Sarlat-la-Canéda you can still marvel at magnificently ornamented town houses. The Renaissance also saw the construction of many castles and country estates, so that today the Périgord is also known as the “land of 1000 castles”.
In the wake of the Reformation, however, the next unrest was already on the horizon: The religious conflicts that began in 1540 hit the Périgord hard. Périgueux remained loyal to the Catholic Church, while Bergerac joined the Reformation. As a result, there were repeated massacres, committed alternately by Catholics and Huguenots . It was not until the Edict of Tolerance of Nantes in 1598, which placed many Protestant places under royal protection, that slowly calmed down. At the same time, however, the social tensions increased: The economic upswing benefited the bourgeoisie and the local nobles, while the rural population suffered from oppressive tax burdens, indebtedness and livelihoods. As a result, revolts flared up again and again during the 17th and 18th centuries. These were by no means limited to spontaneous unrest: the insurgents, who called themselves croquants , raised regular armies and took cities several times . The merciless reaction of the nobles, however, put an end to such uprisings - albeit often only after years of fighting - with extreme violence. The repeal of the Edict of Tolerance by Louis XIV in 1685 was a catastrophe for the Périgord: a large number of Protestants left the country, which was thus robbed of its economic elite and sank into poverty and insignificance.
With the French Revolution, the Périgordins also freed themselves from the tutelage of the nobility and decided in 1790 to give their department the name Périgord, whose capital was originally intended to alternate between the larger cities. The old county was transferred to this department almost in its original boundaries, giving up areas in the south and east, but gaining some areas in the north. In the same year the French central government decreed to rename the name "Dordogne" and to firmly establish the prefecture in Périgueux.
The industrialization began in Périgord, a late and scanty, so the area economically underdeveloped remained. At the same time, the phylloxera infestation ruined almost all of the viticulture from the 1860s onwards. As a result, another economic decline was noted, from which the region has not yet recovered. Massive rural exodus and emigration were the result; Even today there are fewer people living in the Dordogne department than in 1800 . Some publicly funded large settlements mitigated the effects, such as the establishment of a repair shop for the state railway company SNCF in Périgueux, through which thousands of jobs were created.
During the Second World War, the region was one of the main areas of activity of the Resistance . In the west, the demarcation line ran between the German occupation and Vichy France, to which most of the Périgord belonged. A large number of goods, including weapons and explosives, were smuggled across this border, and refugees and those politically persecuted were also moved back and forth. The often densely forested, sparsely populated area offered the maquis areas of refuge from which the resists could operate. In contrast to neighboring Limousin, however, there were far fewer spectacular attacks, revenge campaigns and massacres.
More recently, the Périgord has become aware of its long history and tradition, but especially of its tourist quality. Today, many vacant or decaying mansions, farms, mills and castles are acquired by foreigners who renovate them and set up their summer or even permanent domicile. The English are leading here , but the Dutch and Germans are also increasingly interested in the region as the center of their lives.
See also list of the Counts of Périgord
population
The Périgourdins are essentially rural and proud of it. They are characterized by hospitality, openness and drive. This may be one reason why the region has also developed relatively well in terms of tourism.
Originally, the inhabitants did not feel like French - the idea of the French nation state as a community of ideas only developed with the French Revolution. At the same time, the centrally controlled bureaucracy began to force the use of the French language. This tendency was intensified with the introduction of compulsory schooling in 1871, so that today the Périgourdins almost without exception speak standard French. Previously, a dialect similar to French was spoken in only a very small area in the far west; the rest of the region used an Occitan dialect with a limousine stamp. This has recently been rediscovered and is now being taken care of again. It remains to be seen whether this reconsideration can save the dialect from extinction.
Population structure
As in many rural regions, the Périgord is characterized by the consequences of emigration and a lack of infrastructure . As a result, the population tends to be over-aged, especially outside the metropolitan areas, and the income level is relatively low. The ethnic composition is quite homogeneous and the proportion of migrants is low. There is only a significant proportion of foreigners if one takes into account the resident Europeans with second homes.
Population development
Overall, as in many rural areas of France, the population has steadily decreased in the 19th and 20th centuries. An opposite trend has only been observed since 1990. The peripheral regions suffered particularly in this regard: the north and the north-east suffered the greatest decrease in population. In the almost 80 years between 1921 and 1999, individual cantons gave up up to two thirds of their residents. In the same period of time, the villages in the rest of the Périgord have usually lost between 20 and 60 percent of the population. The winners are the catchment areas of Périgueux and Bergerac, the (often congruent) development axes along the national roads and river valleys as well as smaller centers such as Sarlat and Terrasson.
politics
The political consciousness of the Périgordins is shaped by numerous peculiarities, as they are typical for the French southwest:
Political liberalism has always had a strong position here, as in the whole of the Southwest. This is partly due to the self-confidence that the region gained through its consistent focus on foreign trade during the economic boom in the 18th century. A historical example is the faction of the Girondins , who defended human and civil rights during the French Revolution, but also advocated liberalism in economic issues such as the protection of property and freedom of trade. This political orientation has been palpable since the Reformation movement , when an above-average number of Huguenot communities emerged in the south-west of France . In the 20th century, the Périgord was the home country of the Parti Radical , a liberal party that split up several times in the course of its history and whose remnants survive as a left-liberal splinter group under the name Parti radical de gauche . The Christian Democratic-Liberal UDF also achieved good results in the Périgord.
In the southwest, the population prides itself on a political tradition of tolerance and openness. This is impressively demonstrated by the consistently meager results of the right-wing extremists of the Front National , who almost never get more than 10 percent of the vote in this area (with a national average of up to 20 percent). However, Marine Le Pen achieved 35.73 percent of the vote in the second ballot in the 2017 presidential elections in the Dordogne department, which is above the French result of 33.9 percent.
The communist party ( Parti communiste français ) found a loyal electorate in the milieu of the small farmers and farm workers of the Périgord, the region thus belonged to the rural-agaric structured parts of France in which the PCF was able to establish itself outside the industrial cities. Even if the proportion of votes is still well above the national average, it has recently been established - also due to structural change - that the Périgord no longer has the same importance as the stronghold of the PCF.
The southwest and thus also the Périgord are home to several small and micro parties, the most famous of which is the Chasse, pêche, nature, traditions (CPNT). This one-sidedly advocates the interests of hunters and anglers, acts as a protest party and seems to address the right-wing potential in this area, which the FN rejects. The proportion of votes in European elections occasionally exceeded 7 percent.
In view of this situation, as is customary in France, parties often form electoral alliances . As a rule, the electoral list of the moderate left spectrum makes up most of the MPs in the Dordogne department and in the city councils. The political majorities are distributed differently within the Périgord: while Périgueux has been a safe bank for the conservatives for decades, in Bergerac people tend to vote in a socialist way.
In the 2007 and 2012 presidential elections , the Dordogne department, which is virtually identical to the historic Périgord, voted for the socialist candidates Ségolène Royal and François Hollande by a majority .
religion
The population is over 90% Catholic. Protestant communities, which were formed in the course of the Reformation movement, especially in the southern Périgord, are rare today and no longer play a role in public life. In the suburbs of Périgueux and Bergerac , where a certain proportion of the population has a migrant background , Islam also plays a role. At the end of the 20th century, a Buddhist community with several hundred members established itself near Sarlat.
economy
Agriculture
The Périgord is an agricultural area. Even today, the proportion of people employed in the agricultural sector is well above the national average. The focus of agriculture in the north and in the middle is maize , fruit and animal husbandry . At the border with the Limousin, a high proportion is accounted for by cattle breeding and the cultivation of apples , cereals and forage crops , while the limestone surfaces and river valleys in the central and southeastern Périgord are well suited for maize cultivation and poultry breeding , especially ducks and geese . In the area around Vergt, south of Périgueux, strawberries are intensively grown and exported to all of Europe.
In the southwest, in the Bergeracois, viticulture is predominant. The wine in the Bergerac area has its own designation of origin, including Bergerac Sec , which is available in red, white and recently also as rosé. Also known are the Pécharmant (a dry red, sometimes white wine) and Monbazillac (a noble sweet, liqueur-like white wine). Even if the Bergerac does not reach the quality of the neighboring Bordeaux wines , it is enjoying increasing popularity, also because of the very good price-performance ratio. Wines that do not meet the strict requirements of the Controlée appellation are sold as Vin de Pays d'Oc . In addition to wine, tobacco is an important economic factor in Périgord pourpre . Originally cultivated throughout the region, cultivation has concentrated on the area on both sides of the Dordogne, where the quality is highest. While brown tobacco was mainly grown in the 1970s, blonde varieties are now predominant.
The Périgord offers special agricultural products for the highest demands: The truffles from the Périgord ( Perigord truffle ) are famous and appreciated worldwide, but porcini mushrooms and chanterelles also enjoy a worldwide reputation. One specialty is walnuts , from which high-quality nut oil is made - often using traditional methods. The foie gras ( foie gras ) , which is marketed globally, enjoys an excellent reputation.
Forestry plays an important role , because almost half of the Périgord is covered by forest, the oaks, pines and chestnuts of which can be processed in a variety of ways. The fish farming plays a certain role.
Industry
An industrial focus is on metal processing , which has a long tradition in the Périgord and is operated by medium-sized companies. The manufacture of knives and blades is particularly anchored in the north of the region. Another industrial sector with a long tradition is the woodworking industry (especially furniture ). Even the once prosperous shoe industry was able to survive in remnants despite globalization. The most important role, however, is played by the food industry , which has specialized in high-quality products such as foie gras , confit (pickled meat, especially from duck and goose), sauces, wine and mushrooms.
The special quality of the limestone, which is extracted from the extensive plateaus of the central Périgord, is the reason for a large number of quarries . The stone is primarily used for the construction and renovation of natural stone houses and for facing facades. Customers can be found throughout France and abroad.
Services
The service sector is mainly characterized by tourism , which specializes in individual travelers with higher incomes and a high level of education. You will find numerous smaller hotels, which are often set up in old country estates or even castles, and a large number of holiday homes , restaurants and even holiday clubs for special interests. The Périgord also has a leading position in France in agricultural tourism . The main focus of the tourist infrastructure is in the south-east, in the Périgord noir.
In addition, the craft in the Périgord has a strong base: blacksmiths, carpenters, interior decorators and small construction companies have often specialized in the restoration or renovation of historic buildings. Local and foreign customers are increasingly asking for the original and traditional restoration of an authentic living environment. This also means that dry stone walls are often built from field stones to enclose private gardens and the bories , typical rural small buildings made of natural stone, are built as shelters, sheds or decorative elements in front gardens and parks.
Economic structure
The Périgord does not have a regional center. Economic centers are the only major cities of Périgueux and Bergerac , between which there is some rivalry. The administrative, spiritual and cultural center of Périgueux is increasingly being eclipsed economically by its more dynamic competitor Bergerac. The radiance of these metropolitan areas is sufficient for the surrounding area, but cannot compete with the enormous catchment area of Bordeaux. The north also turns towards Limoges , the east towards Brive, the south partly towards Agen , provided that these cities can be reached more quickly than these two centers.
traffic
For a long time, the Périgord was poorly developed because it was off the great trade and traffic routes. The A 20 motorway was only completed in the 1990s, guaranteeing a connection to Paris, but just bypassing the Périgord. A motorway in east-west direction (A 89) has been crossing the Périgord south of Périgueux from Bordeaux to the junction with the A 20 (Paris-Toulouse) since spring 2008. It continues to Clermont-Ferrand, where there is a connection to Lyon. The national roads 21 and 89 were until then the only supraregional traffic arteries and were considered to be congested and dangerous. The road safety is a major political issue in the Périgord, as there are still very high numbers of victims are to be deplored. In addition to the infrastructure, this is also due to the behavior of the drivers, who often take the wheel while drunk. Since the 1990s, controls have been tightened and the high number of road fatalities has been drawn attention with dissuasive messages.
There are train lines between the larger cities, but there is no TGV connection. The SNCF's plans to abandon the Bordeaux-Lyon route sparked lively protests in 2005.
The shipping traffic on the rivers Dordogne and Isle no longer has any economic importance and is only used for tourist purposes.
The Bergerac regional airport has been experiencing a boom in recent years, while Périgueux has had to close its airport to passenger traffic. This is only used for private aircraft and military purposes.
Culture and sights
Nature and culture
The Périgord is an example of a landscape that has been inhabited by humans since the earliest times and thus also culturally influenced and transformed. In the river valleys in particular, the connection of spectacular natural formations such as caves and rocks with human cultural achievements such as prehistoric paintings, villages, churches or castles has entered into a unique connection. Particularly noteworthy here is the Vézère valley with its rocky outcrops and rather dry caves, which offer a great variety of prehistoric cultural achievements. The stalactite caves in Villars and Rouffignac also show human traces.
The Dordogne valley shows to an even more impressive extent that the river valleys, cut deep into the limestone surfaces, offered a wealth of opportunities for trade and communication and at the same time offered refuge in places of refuge that were difficult to access. A large number of castles carved into the rock or integrated into the slopes as well as fortified villages have been preserved here, which have made protection and modest prosperity possible since the barbarian invasions in the early Middle Ages.
The Périgord is also rich in parks that have seen some of the most outstanding examples of French gardening art since the Renaissance . Most of these belong to mansions and castles (such as the famous Hautefort Castle Park ), but even in recent times new spectacular facilities have emerged, such as the Jardins de l'Imaginaire near Terrasson , which existed from the 1960s .
Architecture and cityscapes
The Périgord is rich in architectural heritage from almost every historical period. The number of castles and palaces stands out in particular, most of which date back to the early and high Middle Ages, but have repeatedly changed their face over the centuries and in many cases were redesigned into luxurious residences during the Renaissance. In general, the architectural wealth is by no means limited to the few cities: Almost every village has an old structural core, there are also many fortified churches, defensive structures, but also special rural architecture such as dovecotes, covered markets and water mills.
The old town of Périgueux is considered to be one of the most beautiful closed ensembles in all of France. Dominant is the Saint-Front cathedral , built in the 12th century and alienatingly restored in the 19th century, with its mighty Romanesque domes. The city center with medieval streets, stairs and alleys stretches behind it. In some places there are lavish city palaces, most of which were built by wealthy aristocratic or patrician families during the Renaissance. Remnants of the former city fortifications have also been preserved. Périgueux is one of the few places where Roman traces can still be found, such as the ruins of the arenas and the so-called Tower of Vesunna .
Sarlat-la-Canéda is a small town with a closed historical core that is strongly influenced by the Renaissance. The city was renovated as an example in the 1970s and has since been considered the Rothenburg ob der Tauber of France - with the associated advantages and disadvantages.
Brantôme has a pretty old town opposite the ruins of a mighty monastery that is partly built into the rock.
A number of picturesque villages are also worth seeing, eight of which are listed as the “ Most Beautiful Villages in France ”: Some planned, medieval bastides have remained almost unchanged to this day, especially Monpazier in the extreme south and Domme on a rock above the Dordogne valley . In addition to these two municipalities, the villages of Saint-Jean-de-Côle near Thiviers as well as Limeuil , Belvès , Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère , Beynac-et-Cazenac and La Roque-Gageac , all in Périgord noir, are officially listed. The Briver Basin also has a number of such villages, which in the Périgord and its surroundings thus have the highest density in France.
The many stylistically and architecturally very interesting castles have achieved particular fame, not a few of which are regularly used as film sets (e.g. for the box office hit Jeanne d'Arc by Luc Besson or The Visitors by Jean-Marie Poiré ). The term "château" is used relatively generously in the region and also applies to smaller mansions, which were nevertheless often fortified in an impressive manner. The most interesting and most visited castles are the seats of the barons with preserved medieval elements, in particular the Beynac Castle , and the castles built or rebuilt during the Renaissance. The Monbazillac Castle in the southwest, Puyguilhem and Jumilhac-le-Grand in the north, the Losse Castle near Montignac or the Château des Bories near Périgueux bear witness to the elegance and sophistication of this period. A rather rare example of the classical period is the castle of Hautefort . The historic Périgord also includes the Pompadour Castle (Corrèze) with a famous stud and Bonaguil (Tarn-et-Garonne), the last of the medieval French castles, which no longer served a military purpose and was therefore never besieged.
Museums and archaeological sites
With the Museum of Art and Archeology of Périgord (French: Musée du Périgord ), Périgueux has a relatively large regional museum that is extremely interesting due to its prehistoric collection. Also worth seeing is the archaeological Gallo-Roman museum, dedicated to Roman history, about the ancient city of Vesunna , which was only built in 2005 as a state-of-the-art glass building over historical excavations and seems to float. The city also has an interesting military history museum.
The agricultural and industrial traditions are often presented in unique museums in the Périgord: while Bergerac has a large and nationally known tobacco museum, there is a small truffle museum in Sorges and a museum about foie gras in Thiviers . Nontron has a doll museum and, as a regional center for cutlery, also a museum about knives. Often old factories or industrial plants are rebuilt as museums, such as the forge in Savignac-Lédrier or the spinning mill in Savignac-les-Églises .
The highlight of archaeological interest is the Vézère river valley with a large number of Stone Age caves and settlement sites , the finds of which are exhibited in the Prehistoric Museum in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil . After the cave paintings were damaged by the breath of the visitors, Lascaux and Cro-Magnon were closed to the general public and were reproduced as duplicates in the 1980s. However, a number of prehistoric sites are still accessible, such as B. the site of La Madeleine , after which the Paleolithic Magdalenian epoch is named.
sport and freetime
The Périgord has a wide range of sporting activities, which include popular sports as well as offers tailored to tourists. The town of Trélissac in the agglomeration of Périgueux, which is also known as “Ville Sportive” due to its successful football and rugby teams and the good infrastructure for athletics and team sports, is particularly successful in regional comparison . Hunting and fishing are particularly widespread leisure activities among the population.
The excellently developed infrastructure for hikers is striking: the whole Périgord is criss-crossed by a network of hiking trails, all of which are signposted and some are indicated according to their level of difficulty. Many paths are integrated into long-distance routes. There are also many facilities for pilgrims, as one of the main routes of the Camino de Santiago leads through the region. There are also many water sports options: canoe, kayak and boat rentals can be found everywhere along the larger rivers, and sometimes rafting tours are also offered. There is a trolley track at Thiviers .
gastronomy
Due to the exceptional quality of its agricultural products, the Périgord has long been known for its cuisine, which is not among the most refined, but one of the tastiest in all of France. It is based on the use of duck and goose fat, herbs and spices used sparingly but effectively and the emphasis on the natural taste of the ingredients. The Pommes Sarladaises are typical of this kitchen philosophy : These are fried potatoes that are diced raw in goose fat and then cooked with the addition of porcini mushrooms, garlic and parsley . The intense aroma accompanies meat dishes from poultry, veal or even pork.
By far the most expensive and noble specialty of the Périgord are the Perigord truffles , which are used in every imaginable way in the kitchen - be it in a simple omelette , sliced as an addition to meat and liver patties, in sauces or grated on Meat and potato dishes. In view of the astronomical world market prices for Périgord truffles, the use of this "black gold" in the home kitchen has become more economical than in the past.
The forest also supplies the regional cuisine with other mushrooms that are considered delicacies such as porcini mushrooms , chanterelles , parasol mushrooms , morels or dead trumpets . In addition, the forest areas are very rich in game, so that many dishes are based in particular on roe deer , wild boar , stag , pheasant and partridge . Game is often marinated and cooked in red wine. In general, wine plays a major role in the gastronomy of Périgord. Until the middle of the 19th century it was cultivated practically all over the country, formed the basis of wine soups or meat sauces and, of course, was a daily companion at all meals.
There are also a number of poultry specialties, of which the confit and foie gras are the most important. The goose or duck liver is cooked or half cooked and served cold in slices, but also freshly fried.
Varia
The thirteen crime novels (as of 2020) by the author Martin Walker are set in the Périgord countryside. The protagonist Benoît Courrèges - known as Bruno - is investigating as a community policeman in the small town of Saint-Denis. The fictional place is located on the Vézère , a tributary of the Dordogne .
literature
- Suzanne Boireau-Tartarat, Denis Nidos, Bernard Dupuy: Périgord. Editions Déclics, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-84768-058-6 .
- Christine Bonneton (Ed.): Dordogne Périgord. Editions Bonneton, Paris 1993, ISBN 2-86253-145-6 .
- David Brabis, Nadia Bosquès et al .: Périgord Quercy. Edition des Voyages Michelin, Paris 2005, ISBN 2-06-037005-1 .
- Bernard Lachaise (Ed.): Histoire du Périgord. Editions Fanlac, Périgueux 2000, ISBN 2-86577-216-0 .
Web links
- Online travel guide in German about the Périgord.
- Tourist information in several languages, including German
- Very detailed description, unfortunately only about the Périgord Noir and only in French
- Detailed geography with a large collection of links. English version available.
- Losse Castle and Castle Park.
- Pronunciation of the word “Périgord” on Forvo.com
