Mérignac

History of Mérignac

Known to house Bordeaux International Airport today, Mérignac was already inhabited in the 1st century of our era. The Gallo-Roman village developed into a parish during the 6th century. Successively Norman-Angevin, English and French through the centuries depending on local dominations, the town is definitely attached to France in 1472, after the Battle of Castillon and the death of Charles de Valois Duke of Guyenne. The viticulture, already practiced in antiquity, is reinforced by the English: the production of wines of Graves remains the main activity of Mérignac during several centuries. At the end of the 18th century, the town of Mérignac is formed with the merger of the surrounding hamlets. Chartreuses, mansions and castles are built by the Bordeaux bourgeoisie at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The city becomes industrialized during the 19th century. It enters the history of aeronautics with the construction of the Marcel Issartier aerodrome in 1910, the installation of the Dassault factories in the decades that followed, then the development of the air base in international airport.

The must-haves of Mérignac 

Popular sector of the Bordeaux bourgeoisie in the 18th and 19th century, Mérignac is now rich in an important built heritage, between wine castles, Carthusian monasteries and noble houses. Large areas have given way to many parks and remarkable gardens. Among the must-see sites of the town are the Chartreuses de Foncastel, the Bourran castle and Fantaisie, the Maison Carrée d'Arlac, the 18th century cooler, the 12th century old Saint-Vincent church, the Arlac fountain, the Noble House of the Park, or the tower of Veyrines, former dungeon of the 14th century and only remnant of the medieval castle of Mérignac. Among the ten or so parks of the city, the 9000 m2 terrace of the Jardin de la Maison Carree, the 18 hectares and the water park of the Bourran Park, the 24 hectares of pine forest in the park of the Castle, are particularly noteworthy. Tenet's recent park located in the district of Arlac, and the park Vivier surrounding the town hall.

Living in Mérignac 

Ideally located in Bordeaux Métropole, just west of the city center and a few minutes from Caudéran, Parc Bordelais and universities, Mérignac benefits from an extremely well-developed public transport network thanks to its airport. The center of Bordeaux is quickly joined by the A tram line which then crosses the Garonne to rally the new districts of the right bank. Between the large auditorium of the Pin Galant, the media library, Mérignac-Ciné, the Krakatoa concert hall, the municipal conservatory or the old Saint-Vincent church transformed into an exhibition space, the cultural offer of the city is rich and varied. Families benefit from 16 kindergartens, 14 primary schools, 4 colleges and 2 high schools. As for sports, the SAM (Merignacais athletic sport) has more than thirty sections. Mérignac provides its inhabitants with many sports facilities and quality including 4 stadiums, 8 gymnasiums or sports halls, 2 tennis complexes and 4 squash rooms, a large water stadium, a racing circuit and several fitness trails installed in its public parks.