Bacalan: the story of a district between past and future

Now in full revival, the up-and-coming district of Bacalan attracts locals and visitors alike: a “market-restaurant” food hall, trendy bars, nightclubs, rock venues and burger joints set up in boats and in the old warehouses of the Quai Armand Lalande.

Located north of the Chartrons and bounded to the south by the wet docks, three “totem” buildings are both its architectural landmarks and its visual boundaries.
First, the submarine base, built during the Second World War, which today serves as a screen and showcase for sound-and-light art shows, under a concept called “Bassins de Lumières”, as well as a variety of concerts.

Then, of course, the unmissable Cité du Vin, a modern museum whose architecture now features on the city's postcards and which welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Not forgetting the Pont Chaban-Delmas, the highest vertical-lift bridge in Europe and the latest crossing of the Garonne.

But do you know the history of this working-class district, home to 18,000 people at the start of the 20th century? Where does its name come from? What activities was it the centre of? What were the challenges of bringing a city within the city back to life? And what was at stake?

That is what this hour-and-a-half themed tour invites you to discover; an opportunity to evoke the not-so-distant past of a district which, almost as much as its illustrious neighbour, made the wealth of Bordeaux and contributed greatly to its industrial and commercial influence 🙂