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[[File:Château des quatre fils Aymon.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Four Sons of Amon castle|alt=A stone plaque with carved inscriptions]]
[[File:Château des quatre fils Aymon.jpg|thumb|The remains of the Four Sons of Amon castle|alt=A stone plaque with carved inscriptions]]


At Cubzac, on the high rocky shoreline overlooking the Dordogne, and in the town centre, are the ruins of the castle "des Quatre fils Aymon" within ordinary houses. The entrance of the fortress is flanked by the remains of two towers. These few stones are however extraordinarily rich in history and legend. First off, the castle did not belong to the four sons of Aymon who lived, perhaps, the time of [[Charlemagne]]. It was built and rebuilt in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It was the seat of the lordship of Cubzaguais. In 1206, [[John Lackland]], the king of England and youngest son of [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], took revenge of the king of France [[Philippe Auguste]], who accused him of treason and deprived him of his fiefs, by engaging in miscellaneous abuses.<ref>[[Bar88|Bardeau 1988, p. 25]]</ref> He stormed the castle of Cubzac, and destroyed it. It is a brief English victory. The lordship returns to the French, and is attributed to [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]], son of the terrible and bloody winner of the [[Albigensian Crusade]].<ref>[[Bar88|Bardeau 1988, p. 26]]</ref> He built a new castle deemed impregnable, on behalf of the King of England, with double walls, and yet it is the one for which ruins remain. He was sacked by the Gascon barons revolted against Simon de Montfort.<ref>[[Bar88|Bardeau 1988, pp. 26-27]]</ref> Half sacked, it served as a stately home, until moving to the lordship Bouih. <ref>[[Bar88|Bardeau 1988, p. 30]]</ref> It then served as quarries for locals.{{fact|August 2010}} The legions days that the two mediaeval castles have erected on the site of a building dating from the Carolingian period, which nothing remains. The Four Sons of Amon castle is entered in the Inventory of Historic Monuments since August 31, 1938.{{fact|August 2010}}
At Cubzac, on the high rocky shoreline overlooking the Dordogne, and in the town centre, are the ruins of the castle "des Quatre fils Aymon" within ordinary houses. The entrance of the fortress is flanked by the remains of two towers. These few stones are however extraordinarily rich in history and legend. First off, the castle did not belong to the four sons of Aymon who lived, perhaps, the time of [[Charlemagne]]. It was built and rebuilt in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It was the seat of the lordship of Cubzaguais. In 1206, [[John Lackland]], the king of England and youngest son of [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]], took revenge of the king of France [[Philippe Auguste]], who accused him of treason and deprived him of his fiefs, by engaging in miscellaneous abuses.<ref>[[#Bar88|Bardeau 1988, p. 25]]</ref> He stormed the castle of Cubzac, and destroyed it. It is a brief English victory. The lordship returns to the French, and is attributed to [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]], son of the terrible and bloody winner of the [[Albigensian Crusade]].<ref>[[#Bar88|Bardeau 1988, p. 26]]</ref> He built a new castle deemed impregnable, on behalf of the King of England, with double walls, and yet it is the one for which ruins remain. He was sacked by the Gascon barons revolted against Simon de Montfort.<ref>[[#Bar88|Bardeau 1988, pp. 26-27]]</ref> Half sacked, it served as a stately home, until moving to the lordship Bouih. <ref>[[#Bar88|Bardeau 1988, p. 30]]</ref> It then served as quarries for locals.{{fact|August 2010}} The legions days that the two mediaeval castles have erected on the site of a building dating from the Carolingian period, which nothing remains. The Four Sons of Amon castle is entered in the Inventory of Historic Monuments since August 31, 1938.{{fact|August 2010}}


=== Terrefort castle ===
=== Terrefort castle ===

Revision as of 13:42, 19 August 2010

Cubzac-les-Ponts
The three bridges of Cubzac. From top: Eiffel bridge, Railway bridge, Motorway bridge.
The three bridges of Cubzac.
From top: Eiffel bridge, Railway bridge, Motorway bridge.
Coat of arms of Cubzac-les-Ponts
Coat of arms
Location of Cubzac-les-Ponts
Map
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentGironde
ArrondissementBlaye
CantonSaint-André-de-Cubzac
Government
 • Mayor (2008-2014) Alain Tabone
Area
1
8.9 km2 (3.4 sq mi)
Population
 (2007)
1,927
 • Density220/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
33143 /33240
Elevation1–42 m (3.3–137.8 ft)
Websitewww.mairie-cubzaclesponts.com
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Cubzac-les-Ponts, also referred to simply as Cubzac, is a commune in the French department of Gironde, in the south-western region of Aquitaine. Cubzac has approximately 2000 inhabitants, and the closest major city is Bordeaux, located 20 km south-west. A strategic crossing point of the river Dordogne for centuries, Cubzac now has three bridges, one of which was built by Gustave Eiffel. Part of the name Cubzac-les-Ponts derives from the bridges, the French "les ponts" meaning "the bridges".

During the Middle Ages, Cubzac served as an important watchtower through the Four Sons of Amon castle. Many means of crossing the river have existed in Cubzac, from pontoon bridges and horse-powered ferries to steal and concrete bridges. Part of an important wine region, Cubzac has its own wine castles, including the Terrefort castle, and has developed its own sparkling wine, in what is now called the Café de Paris. Quarries in Cubzac helped provide the limestone necessary for the construction of the typical white buildings found in Bordeaux and its region. Cubzac has two Monuments Historiques: one is a painting in a church, the other is the ruins of the Four Sons of Amon castle.

Geography

The river Dordogne is about 530 m wide near Cubzac.[1]

Administratively, Cubzac-les-Ponts a commune part of the Aquitaine region, the Gironde departement, the arrondissement of Blaye and the Saint-André-de-Cubzac canton.[2][3] It is located about 20 km North-East of Bordeaux, on the north riverbank of the Dordogne.[4] Important communications networks converge in Cubzac, including the A10 motorway, the N10 road and the railroad Bordeaux-Nantes. Also, the LGV Sud-Ouest, a high-speed railway line running between Tours and Bordeaux, is in the early stages of construction.[5] Cubzac has an elevation ranging from 1 m to 42 m, the highest points being limestone cliffs dating from the Oligocene epoch, some of which have been used as carries.[6][7] Cubzac's climate is oceanic and in the Dfb group of the Köppen climate classification. Over the centuries, the river has caused flooding. Though now protected by a dam, Cubzac is still exposed to flooding during high tides and strong winds. This occurred last in 1999 and 2010, during the Martin and Xynthia storms.[8]

Economy

In 2007, the average net taxable income in Cubzac was €21 593.[9] On January 1, 2010 there were no hotels and no camping sites in Cubzac.[10] Agriculture in Cubzac is mostly dedicated to vine and corn. In 2000, 244 ha of Cubzac's land was farmland, representing 25% of the total 987 ha.[11]

History

The first traces of settlements in Cubzac date back to the Magdalenian epoch.[12] Those were discovered in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with scrapers, chisels, nuclei, and harpoons found.[13] Cut and polished axes, arrowheads, scrapers, awls and flint strikers, and a few fragments of pottery from the Neolithic epoch are plentiful in Cubzac, especially on the mound of the "Four Sons of Amon".[14] A very large bronze deposit for making weapons was found from the time of the Bronze and Iron ages.[15] The town was mentioned in the Roman epoch as a surveillance post. Already, crossing the river Dordogne was done at Cubzac. The town has been reconverted through the centuries. The territory was occupied from the 6th century BC by a Bituriges Vivisques tribe. The village is occupied in 1250 by Simon of Montford. The centre of Cubzac is built on a small hill that dominates the Dordogne valley.

The village has developed from the domain of Cupitius, a wealthy landowner of the Gallo-Roman era, from which the name Cubzac derives.[16]

Ancient crossing methods

The first ferries crossing the Dordogne were flat-bottomed boats driven by oars or keelboats driven by a sail. The passage was very risky and accidents occurred, especially during high tides and storms.[17] From 1754, a cable ferry crossed the 550m wide river. The cable lied above the waters and stretched obliquely to the current.[18] In 1821, the cable ferry was replaced by a two-part ferry powered by a carousel of twelve horses. The horses set in motion gears which in turn powered a large paddle wheel. In good weather, the crossing time was improved to 30–45 min, but in bad weather the trip remained uncertain.[19]

A black and white sketch showing a suspension bridge.
A 1841 sketch of the suspension bridge.

The decision to establish a bridge in Cubzac is taken by Napoleon Bonaparte on 30 January 1812 and February 3, 1813. The bridge was originally to be completed in 1820.[20] However, Cubzac's first bridge was a suspension bridge for which construction works started in 1834, under Louis-Philippe I.[21] Works lasted four years, and public inauguration occurred on August 17, 1839 by the Duc and Duchesse of Orleans.[22] The bridge had cost an estimated 3 million gold francs, was 545 m long and had 5 bays.[23] Shortly after its construction, the pillars sank about one meter.[24] During its 30 years of existence, it withstood storms despite the large amplitude oscillations caused.[25] However, on March 2, 1869 a large storm, causing oscillations of more than two meters, partially destroyed the bridge and rendered it useless.[26] Ancient methods to cross the Dordogne where reinstated. At first, barges and steamboats were used. Then, starting from October 1870, a large steam tub was used,[27] measuring 21 m by 13 m.[28] To cover the expensive construction costs, a toll was levied for the first 27 years.[29]


Current bridges

Eiffel bridge

Stone arches reminiscent of a Gothic cathedral.
The arches under the Eiffel bridge resemble those of a cathedral.[30]

When the suspension bridge fell in 1869, the idea of a new bridge was discussed for many years.[31] The initial project dates from October 19, 1875 and a new bridge, with accompanying rail tracks, was to be built using scaffolding on the foundations of the previous suspension bridge. Actually, given the height of the bridge and the river's depth and current, scaffolding is almost technically impossible.[32] In the final project from 1878, a jetting alternative was offered, but very few companies mastered the technique at the time.[33] The problem of fitting rail tracks, which was later abandoned, delayed the project.[34]

A two-lane road caged in intertwined steal bars, in a style reminiscent of the Eiffel tower.
A view of the Eiffel bridge from inside.

In November 1873, masonry works had started on the right bank.[35] In 1879, Gustave Eiffel, who had waited more than ten years for a positive response to his project, took in hand the large undertaking in Cubzac, which finished in 1883.[36] Designing the bridge, Eiffel innovates by combining the methods of jetting from both sides and of cantilever for the central core.[citation needed] The Cubzac bridge is the most important roadwork by the Eiffel company.[37] It necessitated 3284 tonnes of metal,[38] measures 552 m, and is divided in eight bays.[39] The parapet consists of iron braces rather than solid walls than alleviate the structure.[40] The metal pieces were provided by the same company than for the famous Eiffel tower.[41]

As the Allies landed in Normandie, the German troupes, in their escape, partially destroyed the Eiffel bridge using explosives.[42] Starting from August 21, 1944, all traffic on the bridge was restricted for the retirement of the German troupes.[43] On 28 August 1944, as the last soldiers passed, German engineers arrived in bicycles and fitted explosives which detonated at 9:20pm.[44] Three of the eight bays had fallen in the waters and the North abutment was seriously damaged.[45] The delicate repair works where operated by the company Anciens Ets Eiffel with the help of the Entreprise Générale Industrielle du Sud-Ouest, which coincidentally was directed by Jacques Eiffel, the grand son of Gustave Eiffel.[46] For this reason, the bridge is sometimes called "the twice Eiffel bridge".[47]

The bridge is now part of the Route nationale 10 which runs between Hendaye and Paris.[48] Both viaducts to the bridge date from 1839 and each measures approximately 250 m.[49] Over time, large settlements occurred, causing serious disturbances in the masonry and requiring the replacement of many vaults in 1880, 1903 and 1934.[50]

Railway bridge

A railway bridge.
The style of the railway bridge is reminiscent of the Eiffel tower.

The rail bridge was constructed by Lebrun, Dayde and Pile by the compagnie Deyle et Pillet.[51] Its style resembles that of the adjacent Eiffel bridge.[52] It was commissioned by the Chemins de Fer de l'État for the Chartres-Bordeaux line, and the construction lasted from 1884 to 1885. Inaugurated in 1886, its 561,60m long above the Dordogne are divided in 8 bays. The rails are 21.80m above the highest waters. The bridge is made of iron pillars fitted in braces. Despite being younger than the Eiffel bridge, the construction necessitated more founds and effort. The constructions hidden under water and earth make up the bulk of the value and volume of materials used. Foundations only total to 57 800 cubic meters. Even though less damaged than the Eiffel bridge, it also sustained damage from German bombing on the same day. The reconstruction works ended June 15, 1946, taking less than two years to complete.

Motorway bridge

In 1957 it was decided to study the implementation of a bridge to relieve the old Eiffel bridge which allowed only one lane per direction, and cutback on traffic jams. From 1957 to 1963 various solutions where studies. In 1971 the construction works were tendered and given to the company Campenon-Bernard-Europe. The works should have lasted only two years but where completed in 1974. The new motorway bridge made of reinforced concrete, having relieved the traffic jams, was celebrated on radio, and by the song "Ne partez pas en vacances, ne partez pas!" (Do not, do not go on holiday!) by Pierre Perret.[53] In 2000, the bridge was doubled to 2x3 lanes.[54]

Monuments

Saint-Julien church

The front of a church
The church of Cubzac.

The Saint-Julien church is made of limestone.[citation needed] Most of its modifications date from the 19th century, but its façade contains Roman remains. For example, the steeple was reconstructed at the beginning of the 19th century.[citation needed] The interior of the church has a Baptism of Christ painting from the 18th century that was classified Monument Historique on October 20, 1913.[55] Julien is a legendary saint, and patron of Cubzac. He was told by a deer that he would kill his parents, and fled to escape his destiny. The prediction realized nonetheless, and he became a hermit, helping people cross a river. One day, the Christ arrived to announce his pardon.[citation needed] From the Middle Ages to the French Revolution, the town would have been called Saint-Julien-de-Cubzac.[56]

The church is surrounded by a cemetery which was excavated in August 1978 by archaeologists under the direction of Richard Boudet.[57] Coins dating from Francis I, Henry III, Henry IV, Louis XIII, Napoleon III and Victor Emmanuel were uncovered.[58] A gold Merovingian signet ring bearing the Christian symbol Ichthys was also discovered under many potsherds.[59]

Four Sons of Amon castle

A stone plaque with carved inscriptions
The remains of the Four Sons of Amon castle

At Cubzac, on the high rocky shoreline overlooking the Dordogne, and in the town centre, are the ruins of the castle "des Quatre fils Aymon" within ordinary houses. The entrance of the fortress is flanked by the remains of two towers. These few stones are however extraordinarily rich in history and legend. First off, the castle did not belong to the four sons of Aymon who lived, perhaps, the time of Charlemagne. It was built and rebuilt in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It was the seat of the lordship of Cubzaguais. In 1206, John Lackland, the king of England and youngest son of Eleanor of Aquitaine, took revenge of the king of France Philippe Auguste, who accused him of treason and deprived him of his fiefs, by engaging in miscellaneous abuses.[60] He stormed the castle of Cubzac, and destroyed it. It is a brief English victory. The lordship returns to the French, and is attributed to Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, son of the terrible and bloody winner of the Albigensian Crusade.[61] He built a new castle deemed impregnable, on behalf of the King of England, with double walls, and yet it is the one for which ruins remain. He was sacked by the Gascon barons revolted against Simon de Montfort.[62] Half sacked, it served as a stately home, until moving to the lordship Bouih. [63] It then served as quarries for locals.[citation needed] The legions days that the two mediaeval castles have erected on the site of a building dating from the Carolingian period, which nothing remains. The Four Sons of Amon castle is entered in the Inventory of Historic Monuments since August 31, 1938.[citation needed]

Terrefort castle

Vines
Vineyard of the Terrefort castle.

In 1708, the Terrefort fief was bought by Jean Chaperon, from Libourne. The castle is composed of a long narrow rectangular multi-storey body of living area. The castle belonged to the Terrefort family before it was transmitted by marriage to Laurent de Lafaurie de Monbadon. Built in the sixteenth century by a noble family in Bordeaux, it belonged during the Révolution aux Demoiselles de Terrefort to the Earl of Monbadon Lafaurie, Peer of France, who aided the construction of the Eiffel bridge. It was later passed by marriage. The castle has an old horse wash. The horses were cleaned there about thrice annually to remove mud, kill vermin, and relieve from heat waves. It is 1,5m deep and allowed for horses to be immersed to the withers.

Wine caves

Excavations in limestone, near the current Café de Paris
An old stone quarry

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the mound of Cubzac was slashed all around to provide the stones for the construction of Bordeaux and the ballast of some banks, creating deep excavations in the limestone.[64] In 1898, André Cousteau, uncle of the famous Jacques Cousteau, had the idea to use the caves to make a sparkling wine using techniques from the wine region of Champagne.[65] The wine, treated in a closed tank, bottled, and kept neck down many months at constant temperature became bubbly and had its impurities accumulate near the cap.[66] This deposit once removed, the bottles were resealed by force, and the corks muzzled.[67] In 1920, the Cousteau property was sold to the Société Anonyme Gay-Mousse.[68] In 1966, the caves where entrusted to Monsieur Lateyron who, one year later, created the Café de Paris.[69]

List of Cubzac mayors from 1801 to present
Years Name Profession Party
1801 1808 Joseph Jean-Jacques Lamaletie
1808 1810 Jean Lompuy
1810 1810 Broussouzes
1810 1817 Joseph Jean-Jacques Lamaletie
1817 1830 Jean-René Lavarie de Lompuy
1830 1831 A. Pailhas Agent
1831 1832 Ramat Agent
1832 1832 François Martin
1832 1832 A. Pailhas
1832 1834 Louis Milhade
1834 1837 Jean Ribetter
1837 1848 Pierre-Jacques Tinturier
1848 1852 Bruno Milhade
1852 1865 Pierre-Jean Mallac
1865 1880 Pierre Lestrade Baker
1880 1881 Arneaud Milhade
1881 1892 Bernard Chambonneau
1892 1919 Jean Quancard Aîné
1919 1939 Jean Rousselet Lawyer
1939 1941 Jean Bouillat Winegrower
1941 1945 Joseph Pigeanne Innkeeper
1947 1977 Marcel Lagarde Winegrower
1977 2008 Guy Lagarde Winegrower Parti Socialiste
March 2008 2014 Alain Tabone Winegrower Parti Socialiste
Historical populations from 1962 to 2007
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1962 884—    
1968 987+11.7%
1975 1,115+13.0%
1982 1,398+25.4%
1990 1,701+21.7%
1999 1,788+5.1%
2006 1,910+6.8%
2007 1,927+0.9%

Notes

  1. ^ Reigniez 2009, p. 38
  2. ^ INSEE
  3. ^ Idrac 2006
  4. ^ Google Maps
  5. ^ Réseau ferré de France
  6. ^ Haute-Gironde.com
  7. ^ Dufaure 1970, p.5
  8. ^ prim.net
  9. ^ INSEE statistiques, p. 9
  10. ^ INSEE statistiques, p. 17
  11. ^ INSEE statistiques locales, p.16
  12. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 11
  13. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 11
  14. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 12
  15. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 12
  16. ^ Cassagne 2001
  17. ^ art-et-histoire.com
  18. ^ Bardeau 1980, p. 25
  19. ^ art-et-histoire.com
  20. ^ art-et-histoire.com
  21. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 45
  22. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.46
  23. ^ art-et-histoire.com
  24. ^ art-et-histoire.com
  25. ^ art-et-histoire.com
  26. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 47
  27. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 49
  28. ^ Bardeau 1980, p. 25
  29. ^ Bardeau 1988, pp. 46-47
  30. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 71
  31. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 159
  32. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 160
  33. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 160
  34. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 161
  35. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.49
  36. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.49
  37. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 158
  38. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 158
  39. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 160
  40. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 160
  41. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 162
  42. ^ Bardeau 1988, pp. 52-53
  43. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 53
  44. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 53
  45. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 53
  46. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 55
  47. ^ Carmona 2002, p. 168
  48. ^ Centre d'Études Techniques de l'Équipement, p.1
  49. ^ Centre d'Études Techniques de l'Équipement, p.1
  50. ^ Centre d'Études Techniques de l'Équipement, p.1
  51. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.52
  52. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.52
  53. ^ Bardeau 1980, p. 33
  54. ^ Meynard
  55. ^ Patrimoine de France
  56. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.73
  57. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.71
  58. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.71
  59. ^ Bardeau 1988, p.71
  60. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 25
  61. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 26
  62. ^ Bardeau 1988, pp. 26-27
  63. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 30
  64. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 67
  65. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 67
  66. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 67
  67. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 67
  68. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 67
  69. ^ Bardeau 1988, p. 69

References

Note: All the references are in French.

Books

Cited
  • Bardeau, Claude (1988). Cubzac... l'ignorée. Bordeaux, France: self-published.
  • Bardeau, Gérard; Bardeau, Claude (1980). Saint-André-de-Cubzac notre pays. self-published.
  • Cassagne, Jean-Marie; Korsak, Mariola (2001). Origine des noms de villes et villages. Jean-Michel Bordessoules. p. 92. ISBN 2-913471-40-4.
  • Carmona, Michel (2002). Eiffel. Fayard. pp. 158–168. ISBN 2-213-61204-8.
  • Dufaure, Michel. Gironde terre occitane: le cadre géographique. Ostau Occitan. pp. 2–12.
  • Reigniez, Pascal (2009). Cubzac et le château des Quatre Fils Aymon. Indes savantes.
Not cited
  • Actes de l'Académie des Sciences, Belles Lettres et des Arts de Bordeaux. Vol. 38. 1876.
  • Boudet, Richard (1978). Informations Archéologiques Cubzaguaises AOL.
  • Gaillard, E. (1899). Histoire du Cubzaguais.
  • Goujas, A. (1928). Le Cubzaguais historique et pittoresque.
  • Montens, Serge. Les plus beaux ponts de France. p. 98. ISBN 2862532754.
  • Petit, D. (1954). Saint-André-de-Cubzac et Cubzac-les-Ponts. Éditions Jean-Lacoste.
  • Prade, Marcel. Ponts et viaducs au XIXème siècle. pp. 285–287.
  • Teycheney (1834). La Gironde, revue de Bordeaux: littérature, science, beaux-arts. Vol. 1. pp. 172–179. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |First= ignored (|first= suggested) (help)

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