Créon

GEOGRAPHY
Créon, the administrative centre of the administrative district of the Gironde department and an arrondissement of Bordeaux, is located in the middle of Entre-Deux-Mers, a territory delimited by the Garonne at the South and the Dordogne at the North. It owes its name to the tide which comes in the two rivers as a powerful wave: the tidal bore.
Créon is located on a 109 meters-high plateau. It is part of a lively rural setting, in which History has shaped a varied landscape, helped by the variations of the relief. It is a landscape of fields, vineyards and woods whose colours change with the seasons.
Créon is a small town of 4019 inhabitants which spreads on 806 hectares.

HISTORY:
Aquitaine has been attached to England since 1152, thanks to the marriage of Aliénore d'Aquitaine and Henri Plantagenêt. In 1312, Amaury III of Craon, the seneschal, decided to create a fortified town in the middle of the forests spread over the region, at the crossroads of the lanes which lead from Bordeaux to Sauveterre-de-Guyenne and from Libourne to Cadillac. The surface was small but it was a real town on the verge of enjoying an economic dynamism with the weekly market and the fairs (six per year).
It was a real town in the country which had been created to attract craftsmen, jurists, farmers... Until the Revolution, Créon was the seat of the Great Royal Provostship of Entre-Deux-Mers and 48 surrounding parishes were within its jurisdiction.

HERITAGE:
Créon is a fortified town which is characteristic for its layout of square or rectangular blocks delimited by the streets whose corners draw right angles, around a village square with arches.
The town hall:
It was built in 1907 where was the previous Royal Provostship of Entre-Deux-Mers. The current building which has been renovated was inaugurated on August, 30th in 2008.
The Notre Dame Church:
Built in the 16th century, it displays a unique Gothic nave, with five spans covered with ribs. The steeple is a big tower topped by a little steeple on which the leopard of Aquitaine serves as a wind vane.
You should also take a look at:
The medieval statue of the Virgin Mary with the Child;
The altar built in 1976 ;
The very big Spanish style wooden Christ from the 17th century;
The stained glass windows with warm colours representing the four evangelists and their symbols;
The organ was built in 1878 by Georges Wenner for the church St Martin in Blanquefort. The restauration work was entrusted with Gérard BANCELLS, postman of organs at Rabastens near Toulouse. Its restauration lasted two years. The result of this masterpiece is worth the efforts of all the members and the generous donators who contributed to its achievement.

The train station:
The place of the previous train station became the first bike stop in France. The building of the old train station was renovated and has become the tourist information office at Créon since March, 6th in 2004.
The statue of the Rosière:
You can see it at the roundabout of the Entre-deux-Mers Avenue. This statue is an homage to the young virtuous girls of Créon.

Economy:
There are traditional activities like viticulture, shopping and more and more green tourism (for instance, bicycle touring).
There are commercial activities like the wine. Since the oldest times, the Entre-deux-Mers has produced wines, both red and white ones. But the labeling "Entre-deux-Mers" is only for white dry wines produced on 1700 hectares by 240 winemakers who are fond of their lands.

Markets and fairs:
The fortified towns of Gironde were given by the king the privilege to organize the markets and the fairs. Since 1315, Créon has always welcomed these meetings on its arched village square where smells, flavours and colours blend together for the greatest pleasure of thousands of regular customers.

Country market: Wednesday morning from 8 a.m to 1 p.m
Small market: Saturday morning
Art market: Saturday morning in July and August
Celebration label: second weekend of November
Christmas market: second weekend of December.
Special events:
Celebration of the young virtuous girls since 1907
The road under the stars (on the bicycle path)
Summer stages
"Open the way" (on the green path)
Celebration neighbourhoods (the neighbourhood of the train station is at the origin of a celebration at which the inhabitants gathered around the snails (the "cagouille") –whose slow motions reminded them the train which circulated at that time- which were numerous along the train rails. The cooks competed with one another to create the best recipe to enjoy this gastropod).
The "brotherhood of the cagouille" is there to perpetuate this tradition. The snail, a symbol of the longevity of solid and lasting social relationships, patiently built, has fiercely come back in the regional identity of Créon.
Créon, the town where life is sweet
Créon has been the bike town for twelve years (it was the first bike stop in France).
It got the label of sustainable development from 2010 to 2014.
It was the first Summer bike College in July 2012.
It is a place of encounters downtown where pedestrians come first. The speed of cars cannot exceed 20 km/h.
There is a temporary control of the car traffic around the primary school.
The children can go to school on foot (Pedibus), by bike (vélobus), by horse-drawn carriage (équibus) and this year, thanks to the implement of the event "Vélo lib", the children can borrow a bike to go to school and to go back home.
There are hiking tours.
It is a town which does not use chemical weed killers.
It is a town with short retailing circuits AMAP biological products
It is a town which saves energy (electricity, water)
The fields are cultivated without GMO.

Could you also add Cittaslow contacts for CREON:
MAYOR OF CREON :
pierregachet@mairie-creon.fr

Tél :05 57 34 54 57

DEPUTY MAYOR OF CREON:
Angélique Rodriguez 
angelique.rodriguez@cegetel.net 
n. telefono:05 56 23 32 69

PERMANENT DELEGATE OF CITTASLOW:
Ivana GRENIER
ivanachirico@yahoo.it
n. telefono:06 48 89 42 21