Rive Droite

History of the Right Bank  

The city of Bordeaux, its suburbs and its urban agglomeration have long invested only the left bank of the Garonne. On the other bank lay swamps and uncultivated lands of the villages of Floirac and Cenon-la-Bastide. The Napoleonic bridge called "stone bridge", commissioned in 1822, accelerated the urbanization of the right bank around the future Place Stalingrad (then Place du Pont) and the new avenue of Paris. The city of Bordeaux annexes the urbanized part of Cenon-la-Bastide in 1864 and part of the lower Floirac. The district will have an industrial vocation until the end of the 20th century, while the villages of the urban area of Bordeaux of the right bank generally retain their rural face. The economic crisis of the 1970s hit hard the companies, industries and shipyards of the annexed territories of the right bank, which leave room for a large area brownfields. The Grands Moulins de Paris is one of the only sites to have survived the crisis and still be active on the right bank. Entry into the 21st century marks a new turning point for the sector, since changing rapidly. A new district is born, connected by the tramway, with new housing, large schools and school groups, a multiplex cinema. It hosts the new municipal botanical garden. The Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge, inaugurated in 2013, connects the districts of Bacalan and La Bastide. The Simone-Veil bridge will span the Garonne in 2021 to connect Bordeaux and Bègles to Bouliac.

The essentials of the right bank

The late urbanization of the right bank has allowed the preservation of vast natural spaces and the choice of constructions conceived in a sustainable perspective: eco-neighborhoods, enhancement of green spaces, innovative and responsible architectures. In full development, the sector of the right bank is already endowed with essential sites. Place Stalingrad is the point of arrival on the shore by the tramway that crosses the stone bridge from the city center of Bordeaux. Its shops, terraces and blue lion sculpture make it a lively and welcoming place. The Bastide district is home to the botanical garden, composed of 6 different landscapes, Mediterranean greenhouses and a beautiful water garden. Innovative site today emblematic of the right bank, Darwin ecosystem is an alternative place installed in an old barracks, including the largest organic store in France, workshops, an urban farm, street art works. Right next to this friendly and responsible place of life, the former shipyard is now home to the nautical club Sailors of the Moon. The Megarama cinema benefits from the charm of the former terminal station of the Paris-Orléans train. The wild banks of the Garonne, classed Natura 2000 area, offer a place for a relaxing walk, exotic by its contrast to the quays of the left bank bordered by sumptuous 18th buildings.

Live on the right bank

Tout à la fois dépaysante, moderne, inspirante et ressourçante, la rive droite à Bordeaux est le secteur de tous les projets : les anciennes friches industrielles y sont réinvesties dans une dynamique verte et solidaire, les architectures contemporaines innovantes y côtoient de monumentales œuvres de street art, la nature y est respectée et intégrée aux projets urbains. Longtemps délaissée, la rive droite s’impose comme un nouveau lieu de culture, porteur d’idées nouvelles. Des écoquartiers sortent de terre, comprenant résidences d’habitation, mais aussi lieux de culture et espaces inspirants de coworking. La berge de la Garonne, classée, a vocation à rester sauvage. L’implantation du jardin botanique dans le quartier tout jeune de la Bastide est un signal fort envoyé dans ce sens. Rapidement, la ville laisse place à la campagne, aux vignes et aux charmants villages de l’Entre Deux Mers, qui ont conservé leur âme, leur autonomie et leur charme à quelques minutes du cœur de Bordeaux. Les prestigieuses AOC de la région viticole Entre-Deux-Mers y sont produites.

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