Châteaubernard

Château Bernard is a southwestern French village with 3727 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Charente in the south of Poitou -Charentes region.

Location

The community Château Bernard is located at about 27 meters above sea level. inst and is about 3.5 km ( driving distance ) in a northerly direction from the center of Cognac separately. The remarkable neighboring Gensac la Pallue is located about 6.5 kilometers to the southeast.

Demographics

In the first census in France in 1793, the city had 252 inhabitants; End of the 19th century, there were around 1,000. Only after the Second World War, the population increased significantly.

Economy

The agriculture and especially the wine played in the villages of the Charente always been an important role. While cereals, vegetables and oilseeds (sunflower ) were mainly cultivated for its own needs, you could earn with the wine (and later brandy ) export to England, Scotland and other northern European countries good money, however with the winemakers lower with the had to settle for some of the credit. Today, the south bank of the Charente heard at Château Bernard on the situation of the Grande Champagne within the large -growing region of Cognac wines. The construction of the air base Cognac Chateau Bernard (BA 709 ) and the designation of an industrial zone ( zone industriel ) and two industrial parks ( zones commerciales ) the economic power of the church in recent decades has become more of relocated there.

History

Prehistoric and Roman remains have been discovered on the territory of the municipality. In medieval times - perhaps in Gallo-Roman period - the area was sparsely populated, as evidenced built in the 12th century Commandery of Knights Templar; of a church building, however, nothing is known. During the French Revolution the place was called - to any memory of the hated feudal period to pay off - Bernard de Champagne.

Attractions

• The Pierre levée called Dolmen is likely to be attributable to the period around 3500 BC. It consists of only two supporting stones ( orthostat ) and a capstone; the right bearing stone seems to be upset, so that the cover plate fell into an inclined position. Whether this is part of the megalithic Neolithic building was formerly larger, is not known.
• The present parish church of the village was formerly the tower and apse loose sacral space of a Templar of the 12th century; only a double lancet bell gable inflated the otherwise completely decor loose west facade. Similarly as in the neighboring Salles- d'Angles comes the Romanesque building from the mid 12th century and was - after that of King Philip IV operated destruction of the Knights Templar by three papal bulls of Clement V from the years 1307 to 1312 - on transfer the Order of St. John; at least since the 16th century it is used as a parish church and received a sacristy cultivation of smaller and roughly hewn stone.

Partner communities

• Oñate, Guipuzcoa, Basque Country (Spain )
• Durbach, Ortenaukreis, Baden- Württemberg ( Germany )