A must visit for this capital of wine, the Vinorama is a museum of the
history of wine in the Bordeaux
region. Created by local artists and craftsmen, this museum depicts the history
of wine in the Bordeaux region
since Roman times to the 19th Century. The exhibits include costumed
performers in reconstituted scenes. There are audio tours in a variety of
languages. Wine can be purchased on the premises.
Cathédrale Saint-André
This cathedral has quite some history attached to it. In 1137, the future
King Louis VII married Eleanor of Aquitaine here. The exterior wall of the nave
dates right back to 1096; most of the rest of the structure was built in the
13th and 14th centuries. This monumental church combines Roman and Gothic
styles. The interior, reached via the newly cleaned north portal, is much more
attractive than the stained, crumbling exterior. The interior houses numerous
treasures including Spanish and Italian paintings and illuminations In
accordance with local tradition, the 15th century bell tower stands separate
from the church offering an impressive panoramic view of the city
Musée des Beaux-Arts
This museum occupies two wings of the Hôtel de Ville complex, built in the
1770s. Founded in 1801, the museum has a large collection of paintings,
including Flemish, Dutch and Italian works from the 17th century. The new south wing
exhibits 16th to 18th century French and European collections, including
Brueghel de Velours, Titien, Magnasco, and Rubens. The north gallery is
dedicated to nineteenth and twentieth century works, including Delacroix,
Corot, etc. Three first class Bordeaux painters, Odilon Redon,
Albert Marquet and Andre Lhotem are duly represented.
Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Installed in the magnificent Hôtel de Lalande, built in 1779, the Museum of
Decorative Arts contains a fantastic collection of faïence, porcelain,
silverwork, glasswork, furniture, weapons and the like, dating mainly from the
18th- and 19th-centuries. Each room of the mansion has been faithfully restored
in the refined decor of the Louis XV and XVI period. On the first floor, five
salons have been filled with Louis XV and Louis XVI style pieces collected at
the beginning of the twentieth century from a number of the old mansions in Bordeaux. Also on display are mahogany
furniture from Cuba
and Enlightenment-era coffee-machines.