Pessac Explained

Pessac
Commune Status:	Commune
Image Flag:	Ville_de_Pessac_2020.svg
Image Coat Of Arms:	Blason ville fr Pessac (Gironde).svg
Arrondissement:	Bordeaux
Canton:	Pessac-1 and 2
Intercommunality:	Bordeaux Métropole
Mayor:	Franck Raynal^[1]
Term:	2020 - 2026
Coordinates:	44.8067°N -0.6311°W
Elevation Min M:	12
Elevation Max M:	56
Area Km2:	38.82
Insee:	33318
Postal Code:	33600

Pessac (in French pronounced as /pɛsak/;) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a member of the metropolis of Bordeaux, being the second-largest suburb of Bordeaux and located just southwest of it. Pessac is also home to Bordeaux Montaigne University and the Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux.

Geography

Pessac is located in the south of the Bordeaux metro area and is surrounded by Bordeaux, Talence, Gradignan, Canéjan, Cestas, Saint-Jean-d'Illac and Mérignac.

The western part of the commune is part of the Landes de Bordeaux.

History

Early in World War II (June 22, 1940), the town was the scene of a quadruple execution on the firing range of Verthamon. Four communists militants, one of whom, Roger Rambaud, was not yet 17, were among the escapees from the military prison in Paris, were killed in the utmost secrecy by soldiers of the Third Republic. This case, classified "Secret Defense" for 70 years, has recently been revealed by the historian Jacky Tronel in the history magazine Arkheia.^[2]

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods of Pessac :^[3]

Verthamon
Les échoppes
Brivazac - Candau
Noës
Pessac-bourg
Casino
Sardine
Chiquet
Compostelle - La Paillère
Le Monteil
CCLAPS - La Chataigneraie
Saige - Formanoir
3 M (Macédo, Mirante, Monbalon)
France - L'Alouette
Cap de Bos
Magonty - Romainville
Toctoucau

Heritage

Wineries

Located on the Pessac-Léognan appellation, there are several wineries, including the oldest of the Bordeaux wine regions, château Haut-Brion.

Cité Frugès

See main article: Cité Frugès de Pessac.

Built by Le Corbusier in 1926, the district is an experimental housing for workers. This is one of the 17 architectural works of Le Corbusier listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016.^[4]

Casino district

Quarter built in the 1900s with a resort city architecture.

Others

Education

9 Kindergartens

15 Grade schools

5 Middle schools

Collège Alouette^[5]
Collège François Mitterrand (Ladonne)
Collège Gérard Philipe^[6]
Collège Pessac (Noès)^[7]
Collège Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc Assomption^[8]

3 High schools

:^[9] financed by the French government, "Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine" and "Bordeaux Métropole"; was presented as the high school of the year 2000. It was inaugurated on 9 July 1987 by Jacques Chirac, then Prime Minister. Its initial capacity was 1,100 students including 900 "demi-pensionnaires". It was expanded in 1990 and now holds 1,475 students.
Lycée Sans Frontière
Lycée professionnel Philadelphe de Gerde^[10]

Transportation

Pessac has a railway station on the westbound line from Bordeaux, Gare de Pessac. Pessac is also served by the urban transport network of the Bordeaux agglomeration, Transports Bordeaux Métropole (TBM).

Pessac is located on line B of the Tramway de Bordeaux.