Brive-la-Gaillarde (;

Limousin dialect Limousin (French name, ; , ) is a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the three departments of Limousin, parts of Charente and the Dordogne in the southwest of France. The first Occitan documents are in an early form of this dialect, pa ...

of ), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is a

sub-prefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...

and the largest city of the

Corrèze Corrèze (; ) is a département in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, on the bo ...

department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the

agglomeration Agglomeration may refer to: * Urban agglomeration, in standard English * Megalopolis, in Chinese English, as defined in China's ''Standard for basic terminology of urban planning'' (GB/T 50280—98). Also known as "city cluster". * Economies of agg ...

was 75,579 in 2019. Although it is by far the biggest commune in Corrèze, the capital is

Tulle Tulle (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in central France. It is the third-largest town in the former region of Limousin and is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Corrèze, in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle- ...

. In French popular culture, the town is associated with a song by

Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; ; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and ...

History

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 The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

a second wall was built. These fortifications no longer exist and have been replaced by boulevards. The Hôtel de Ville was commissioned as the Collège des Doctrinaires (College of Doctrinaires) and completed in 1671. The commune was named "Brive" until 1919, when it was renamed "Brive-la-Gaillarde". The word "Gaillarde" (still used in current

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

) 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 Malemort (; ) is a commune in the Corrèze department of southern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 and consists of the former communes of Malemort-sur-Corrèze and Venarsal.Ussac. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 The Communist Party of Belgium (, , abbr. PCB) is a communist party in Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is border ...

'' (or "United Movements of the Resistance"). Brive-la-Gaillarde was the first city of

Occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

to liberate itself by its own means, on 15 August 1944. For this, the city received the "''

Croix de guerre 1939–1945 Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort d ...

''" military decoration. The medieval centre is mainly a commercial district with retail shops and various

cafés A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile ...

. 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 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

Climate

Administration

The most recent mayors of Brive-la-Gaillarde were: * 1966–1995: Jean Charbonnel * 1995–2008: Bernard Murat * 2008–present: Philippe Nauche

Population

Transport

Brive-la-Gaillarde railway station offers connections to

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

Périgueux Périgueux (, ; or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is also the seat of ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

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

The city is home to a

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

team,

CA Brive Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive () or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze, Corrèze department. Brive is a historical member of French rugby un ...

. It also hosted the 2009 Junior World Rowing Championships.

Notable inhabitants

Guillaume Dubois Guillaume Dubois (; 6 September 1656 – 10 August 1723) was a French cardinal and statesman. Life and government Early years Dubois, the third of the four great Cardinal-Ministers ( Richelieu, Mazarin, Dubois, and Fleury), was born in Brive-l ...

(1656–1723),

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

and statesman * Jean-Baptiste Treilhard (born 3 January 1742 in Brive-la-Gaillarde – died December 1810 in

) was a French jurist and politician at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. * Nicolas Ernault des Bruslys, born on 7 August 1757 in Brive-la-Gaillarde and died on 25 September 1809 in Reunion, is a French general of the Revolution and the Empire. *

Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoology, zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained hi ...

(1762–1833),

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

Guillaume Marie Anne Brune Guillaume Brune, 1st Count Brune (, 13 March 1764 – 2 August 1815) was a French military commander, Marshal of the Empire, and political figure who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Early life Brune was b ...

(1763–1815),

marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

Alceste De Ambris Alceste De Ambris (15 September 1874 – 9 December 1934) was an Italian journalist, socialist activist and syndicalist, considered one of the greatest representatives of revolutionary syndicalism in Italy. Early life and involvement with soc ...

(born 15 September 1874 to Licciana Nardi, and died December 9, 1934, in Brive-la-Gaillard), an Italian politician and syndicalist. *

Edmond Michelet Edmond Michelet (; 8 October 1899 – 9 October 1970) was a French politician. He is the father of the writer Claude Michelet. On 17 June 1940, he distributed tracts calling to continue the war in all Brive-la-Gaillarde's mailboxes. It is cons ...

(1899–1970), politician, leader of the Movement Combat Limousin; arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

in Brive in February 1943; died in the village of Marcillac, the town of Brive. *

Louis Néel Louis Eugène Félix Néel (; 22 November 1904 – 17 November 2000) was a French physicist born in Lyon who received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1970 for his studies of the magnetic properties of solids. Biography Néel studied at the Lyc ...

(1904–2000), physicist, Nobel Prize 1970, died in Brive *

Robert Margerit Robert Margerit (25 January 1910 in Brive-la-Gaillarde – 27 June 1988 in Isle, Haute-Vienne) was a French journalist and writer. Biography He completed high school in Limoges; he was a journalist in Limoges in 1931. From 1948, he was edi ...

(1910–1988), writer. *

Michel Labrousse Michel Labrousse (25 December 1912, Brive-la-Gaillarde – 1988) was a 20th-century French historian. A student at the École normale supérieure in Paris from 1931 to 1935, Michel Labrousse obtained there his agrégation of history and geography ...

(1912–1988), scholar of Roman history *

David Feuerwerker David Feuerwerker (October 2, 1912 – June 20, 1980) was a French Jewish rabbi and professor of Jewish history who was effective in the resistance to German occupation the Second World War. He was completely unsuspected until six months before ...

(1912–1980) was a rabbi and professor of French Jewish history (Geneva, 2 October 1912 – Montreal, 20 June 1980). *

Antoinette Feuerwerker Antoinette Feuerwerker (24 November 1912 – 10 February 2003) was a French jurist and an active fighter in the French Resistance during the Second World War. Early years Antoinette (Antonia, Toni, Toibe Rochel) Gluck was born in Antwerp (Borg ...

(1912–2003) Belgian lawyer and educator, wife of David Feuerwerker; Member of the Combat movement in Limousin alongside Edmond Michelet. * Patrick Sebastien (born 1953), imitator, actor, singer, television host. * Xavier Patier (1958– ), civil servant and writer *

Cédric Villani Cédric Patrice Thierry Villani (; born 5 October 1973) is a French politician and mathematician working primarily on partial differential equations, Riemannian geometry and mathematical physics. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 2010, and he ...

(1973– ), mathematician;

Fields Medalist The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place every four years. The name of the award ho ...

in 2010 * Cédric Heymans (1978– ), French international

player *

Dimitri Yachvili Dimitri Yachvili Markarian (born 19 September 1980) is a French former rugby union footballer who played as a scrum-half for Biarritz and France. He played for France from 2002 to 2012, earning 61 caps and scoring 373 points. With them he playe ...

(1980– ), French international

player *

Marine Serre Marine Serre (born December 13, 1991) is a French fashion designer and sustainability advocate. She won the 2017 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. Early life Serre was born in Brive-la-Gaillarde near Corrèze, France. She studied in Marse ...

(1991– ), French fashion designer *

Damian Penaud Damian Penaud (born 25 September 1996) is a French professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for Top 14 club Bordeaux Bègles and the France national team. Club career Penaud played for the Clermont Academy side and was selected for ...

(1996– ), French international

player

Twin towns – sister cities

Brive-la-Gaillarde is twinned with: *

Guimarães Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved ...

, Portugal *

Joliette Joliette () is a city in southwest Quebec, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Montreal, on the L'Assomption River and is the seat of the Regional County Municipality of Joliette. It is considered to be a part of the North Shore of G ...

, Canada *

Lauf an der Pegnitz Lauf an der Pegnitz (, ; Northern Bavarian: ''Lauf an da Pegnitz'') is a town east of Nuremberg, Germany. It is the capital of the Nürnberger Land district in Bavaria. It is in the Pegnitz river valley, which flows through the town. In 2009, ...

, Germany *

Melitopol Melitopol is a city and municipality in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southeastern Ukraine. It is situated on the Molochna River, which flows through the eastern edge of the city into the Molochnyi Lyman estuary. Melitopol is the second-largest city ...

, Ukraine *

Sikasso Sikasso ( Bambara: ߛߌߞߊߛߏ tr. Sikaso) is a city in the south of Mali and the capital of the Sikasso Cercle and the Sikasso Region. It is Mali's second largest city with 225,753 residents in the 2009 census. History Sikasso was a small ...

, Mali

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brivelagaillarde Communes of Corrèze Subprefectures in France Lemovices Limousin Corrèze communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia