Bourges - Etablissements Aubrun

Bourges had the Latin name Avaricum in ancient times. Here Caesar was victorious in 52 BC. against the rebellious Gauls under Vercingetorix in the Battle of Avaricum. The place was conquered, plundered and burned down after a lengthy siege. The then rebuilt town developed to the central place of the province of Aquitania. Belonging to the kingdom of the Visigoths since 478, Bourges passed into the possession of the Franks in 507. In 583 Bourges was conquered by Chilperic's armies and almost completely burned.

Rebuilt under the Carolingians, Bourges was the seat of the County of Bourges from the 8th century. In 1101 Eudes Herpin mortgaged the Viscountship to King Philip I of France. As a result, Bourges became part of the French crown domain. From the 14th century it was the capital of the Duchy of Berry.

1412 took place in Bourges a comparison between King Charles VI. and the Duke John the Fearless of Burgundy. In 1464 Louis XI founded the University of Bourges. In 1562, during the Huguenot Wars, Montgomery conquered Bourges for the Huguenots, but had to vacate it again to the Duke of Guise.

In 1836, Sylvain Aubrun bought a store, which was gradually expanded with a series of neighboring stores until it finally reached an area of 950 m² with houses, gardens and courtyards. The complex was demolished in 1928 to build a department store between 1928 and 1929. The building was arranged around a hall lit by a glass ceiling that formed a light well. The entire building was covered with decorative geometric friezes. Each level formed a circular gallery. In 1959, the light well was removed.

I have already uploaded many photos from previous visits. Now I only add a few.