Bourges is a historic city in the Loire basin, which is known primarily for its magnificent medieval monuments. The cathedral of Bourges modeled on the Paris Notre Dame is on the UNESCO list.
In Roman times, Bourges was for some time the capital of Aquitaine. Christianity arrived here in the first centuries of our era, and from the third century there was a bishopric founded by Saint. Ursyna. The five-nave Cathedral is the most important monument and testimony of the city's power in the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, a cathedral tower was added to it, which can now be visited. You can also go down to the Crypt of the Cathedral, where the original Romanesque walls of the 12th century have been preserved.
The Old Town of Bourges has its origins in a Roman street grid. However, the most important of them was marked out later in the Middle Ages. On Moyenne Street, now turned into a promenade, you can find numerous shops and artisan workshops as well as restaurants. In its vicinity there are two other pedestrian streets marked out in Roman times, Auron street and Mirebeau street.
The cathedral is not the only historic temple in Bourges. In the Old Town you can also see the Gothic church of St. Peter's, Notre Dame Church and Saint-Bonnet Church. All of them were built in the 13th century and Gothic decorative elements have been preserved in them.
Bourges is also known for its museums. Many of them are located in historic tenement houses and palaces located in the Old Town. The most important include the Jacques-Coeur Palace, the Berry Museum with an art collection belonging to the local princely family, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Esteve Museum presenting the works of this outstanding graphic artist and drawer, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the Best Workers of France and the School Museum in Bourges.
