Bourg-en-Bresse

Sister cities

• El Kef
• San Severo
• Bad Kreuznach
• Parma
• Brzeg
• Aylesbury
• Yinchuan
• Meknes
• Namur

History

Roman remains have been discovered at Bourg, but little is known of its early history. It was probably pillaged by Goths in Late Antiquity. Raised to the rank of a free town in 1250, it was at the beginning of the 15th century the capital of the dukes of Savoy in the province of Bresse. In February 1535 it was conquered by France during a full-scale invasion of Savoy, but was restored to Duke Philibert Emmanuel in 1559, when he married Henry II's sister Marguerite. The duke later built a strong citadel, which afterwards withstood a six-months' siege by the soldiers of Henry IV during the Franco-Savoyard War of 1600–1601. The town was finally ceded to France in 1601. In 1814, the inhabitants, in spite of the defenseless condition of their town, offered resistance to the Austrians, who put the place to pillage.

Geography

Bourg-en-Bresse is located at the western base of the Jura Mountains, on the left bank of the Reyssouze, a tributary of the Saône. It lies northeast of Lyon and south-southwest of Lons-le-Saunier.

Most-observed species

• Gudgeon

  Gobio gobio (Linnaeus, 1758) · Animalia
  949
• European chub

  Squalius cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Animalia
  871
• Topmouth Gudgeon

  Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) · Animalia
  798
• Roach

  Rutilus rutilus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Animalia
  736
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  512
• Stone Loach

  Barbatula barbatula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Animalia
  494
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  455
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  403

Most recent

• M 3.3 — 2025-05-06
  8 km W of Chapareillan, France
• M 4.5 — 2022-03-12
  3 km S of Faverges, France
• M 4.1 — 2016-12-03
  2 km SE of Damparis, France
• M 3.4 — 2013-04-06
  1 km SSW of Poisy, France
• M 2.8 — 2008-10-31
  5 km NE of Boëge, France
• M 2.5 — 2008-08-30
  2 km NNE of Saint-Martin-Bellevue, France