Pessac (French pronunciation: [pɛsak] ; Occitan: Peçac) 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 home to Bordeaux Montaigne University, the Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux, and the main production facility of the Monnaie de Paris. It is also in the Pessac-Léognan wine region.
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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
The Hôtel de Ville was established in 1868.
Early in World War II (June 22, 1940), the town was the scene of a quadruple execution on the firing range of Verthamon. Four communist militants, one of whom, Roger Rambaud, was 17-years-old, were among the escapees from the military prison in Paris, were killed secretly by soldiers of the Third Republic. This case, classified "Secret Defense" for 70 years, was revealed by historian Jacky Tronel, in a 2010 article in the history journal Arkheia, which focuses on the history of the French Great South-West region.
In 1973, the main production facility of the Monnaie de Paris moved to Pessac.
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods of Pessac :
Heritage
Wineries
Located on the Pessac-Léognan appellation, there are several wineries, including Château Haut-Brion.
Cité Frugès
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.
Casino district
Quarter built in the 1900s with a resort city architecture.
Education
9 Kindergartens
15 Grade schools
5 Middle schools
Collège Alouette
Collège François Mitterrand (Ladonne)
Collège Gérard Philipe
Collège Pessac (Noès)
Collège Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc Assomption
3 High schools
Lycée Pape-Clément: 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
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.
Personalities
1929: Yvette Roudy, socialist minister
1938: Jean Eustache, film actor and director (d. 1981)
1953: Patrice Brun, historian
1979: Myriam Korfanty, handball player, Olympian
Twin towns and sister cities
Pessac is twinned with: