View source for Dordogne

{{Short description|Department of France in Nouvelle-Aquitaine}}
{{About|the French department}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Dordogne
| native_name             = {{native name|oc|Dordonha}}
| native_name_lang        = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| type                    = [[Departments of France|Department]]
| image_skyline           = {{Photomontage|position=center
   | photo1a = Périgueux préfecture (2).JPG
   | photo3a = La Roque Gageac 1.jpg
   | photo2a = Castelnaud d5.jpg
   | photo2b = Landscape château Hautefort 32.jpg
   | size = 270
   | spacing = 2
   | color = #FFFFFF
   | border = 0
   | foot_montage = }}
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = From top down, left to right: [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] building in [[Périgueux]], [[Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle]], river [[Lourde (river)|Lourde]] and [[La Roque-Gageac]]
| image_flag              = File:Drapeau fr département Dordogne.svg
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Blason département fr Dordogne.svg
| shield_alt              = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| image_map               = Dordogne-Position.svg
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = Location of Dordogne in France
| pushpin_map             = 
| pushpin_label_position  = 
| pushpin_map_alt         = 
| pushpin_map_caption     = 
| coordinates             = {{Coord|45|0|N|0|40|E|region:FR-24_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = France
| subdivision_type1       = [[Regions of France|Region]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]]
| established_title       = 
| established_date        = 
| founder                 = 
| seat_type               = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]]
| seat                    = [[Périgueux]]
| parts_type              = [[Subprefectures in France|Subprefectures]]
| parts_style             = para
| p1                      = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bergerac, Dordogne|Bergerac]]
* [[Nontron]]
* [[Sarlat-la-Canéda]]
}}
| government_footnotes    = 
| leader_party            = [[Socialist Party (France)|PS]]
| leader_title            = [[President of the Departmental Council]]
| leader_name             = [[Germinal Peiro]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/601ef073-d986-4582-8e1a-ed14dc857fba|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=4 May 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_magnitude          = 
| area_footnotes          = {{ref|area|1}}
| area_total_km2          = 9060
| area_note               = 
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_m             = 
| elevation_min_m         = 
| elevation_max_m         = 
| population_total        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
| population_as_of        = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
| population_footnotes    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes2}}
| population_rank         = [[List of French departments by population|60th]]
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      = 
| population_note         = 
| blank_name_sec1         = [[Departments of France|Department number]]
| blank_info_sec1         = 24
| blank_name_sec2         = [[Arrondissements of France|Arrondissements]]
| blank_info_sec2         = [[Arrondissements of the Dordogne department|4]]
| blank1_name_sec2        = [[Cantons of France|Cantons]]
| blank1_info_sec2        = [[Cantons of the Dordogne department|25]]
| blank2_name_sec2        = [[Communes of France|Communes]]
| blank2_info_sec2        = [[Communes of the Dordogne department|503]]
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| postal_code_type        = 
| postal_code             = 
| area_code_type          = 
| area_code               = 
| iso_code                = FR-24
| website                 = 
| footnotes               = {{note|area|1}} French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries and lakes, ponds and glaciers larger than 1&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>
}}

'''Dordogne''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|d|ɔːr|ˈ|d|ɔɪ|n}} {{respell|dor|DOYN}}, {{IPAc-en|US|d|ɔːr|ˈ|d|oʊ|n}} {{respell|dor|DOHN}} <small>or</small> {{IPAc-en|d|ɔːr|ˈ|d|ɔː|n|j|ə}} {{respell|dor|DAWN|yə}};<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180903013532/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/dordogne "Dordogne"] (US) and {{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Dordogne |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730015013/https://www.lexico.com/definition/dordogne |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-07-30 |title=Dordogne |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Dordogne|access-date=2 September 2018}}</ref> {{IPA|fr|dɔʁdɔɲ|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-GrandCelinien-Dordogne.wav}}; {{langx|oc|Dordonha}} {{IPA|oc|duɾˈduɲɔ|}}) is a large rural [[departments of France|department]] in southwest [[France]], with its [[Prefectures in France|prefecture]] in [[Périgueux]]. Located in the [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]] region roughly half-way between the [[Loire Valley]] and the [[Pyrenees]], it is named after the river [[Dordogne (river)|Dordogne]], which runs through it. It corresponds roughly to the ancient county of [[Périgord]]. In January 2023, Dordogne had a population of 417,614.<ref name="pophist" />

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2013}}

The county of [[Périgord]] dates back to when the area was inhabited by ancient celtic [[Gauls|Gaulish tribes]]. It was originally home to four tribes, and since "four tribes" in the [[Gaulish language]] is "Petrocore", the area eventually became known as the county of Le Périgord. Its inhabitants became known as the Périgordins (or Périgourdins), and there are four Périgords in the Dordogne.

* Périgord Vert (Green Périgord), with its main town of [[Nontron]], consists of verdant valleys in a region crossed by many rivers and streams.
* Périgord Blanc (White Périgord), situated around the department's capital of [[Périgueux]], is a region of [[limestone]] plateaux, wide valleys, and meadows.
* Périgord Pourpre (Purple Périgord) with its capital of [[Bergerac, Dordogne|Bergerac]], is a [[wine]] region.
* Périgord Noir ([[Périgord noir|Black Périgord]]) surrounding the administrative center of [[Sarlat]], overlooks the valleys of the [[Vézère]] and the Dordogne, and takes its name from the nearby oak and pine forests.

[[File:Stcypriendordogne.jpg|thumb|left]]
[[File:Dordogne 2.jpg|thumb|left|220px|The river [[Dordogne (river)|Dordogne]] near [[Castelnaud-la-Chapelle]]]]

The Petrocores took part in the resistance against the Roman occupation of Gaul. Concentrated in a few major sites are the vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period – the gigantic ruined tower and arenas in Périgueux (formerly Vesone), the Périgord museum's archaeological collections, villa remains in [[Montcaret]], and the Roman tower of La Rigale Castle in [[Villetoureix]]. The earliest ''cluzeaux'' (artificial caves either above or below ground) can be found throughout the Dordogne. These subterranean refuges and lookout huts were large enough to shelter entire local populations. According to [[Julius Caesar]], the [[Gauls]] took refuge in these caves during the resistance.

After [[Guienne]] province was transferred to the English Crown under the [[Plantagenets]] following the remarriage of [[Eleanor of Aquitaine]] in 1152, Perigord was transferred to English suzerainty. Being situated at the boundaries of influence of the monarchies of France and England, it oscillated between the two dynasties for more than three hundred years of struggle until the end of the [[Hundred Years' War]] in 1453.  The county was torn apart, which modeled its physiognomy.

During the calmer periods of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Castillon plain on the banks of the Dordogne saw developments in urban architecture. Fine Gothic and Renaissance residences were constructed in Périgueux, Bergerac, and Sarlat. In the countryside, the nobility erected the majority of more than 1200 chateaux, manors and country houses. In the second half of the 16th century, however, as war waged in the region, attacks, pillaging, and fires of the [[Wars of Religion (France)|Wars of Religion]] reached a pinnacle of violence, which was partly focused on Périgord. At the time, [[Bergerac, Dordogne|Bergerac]] was one of the most powerful [[Huguenot]] strongholds, along with [[La Rochelle]]. Following these wars, Périgord, fief of Henry of Navarre, was to return to the Crown for good and would continue to suffer from the various political changes of the French nation, from the Revolution to the dark days of the [[French Resistance]].

Associated with the region are several important literary figures: [[Arnaut Daniel]], [[Bertran de Born]], [[Michel de Montaigne]], [[Étienne de La Boétie]], [[Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme|Brantôme]], [[Fénelon]], [[Maine de Biran]], Eugene Le Roy, and [[André Maurois]]; as well as [[Talleyrand]], [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|Saint-Exupéry]] and [[Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron|Biron]].

In addition to its castles, chateaux, churches, [[bastide]]s, and cave fortresses, the Périgord region has preserved a number of ancient villages which retain their market halls, dovecotes, bories (stone huts), and abbeys. [[Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère]], [[Connezac]], [[Saint-Jean-de-Côle]], [[La Roque-Gageac]], and many others contain important and visually interesting architectural examples. The old quarters of Périgueux or Bergerac have been restored and developed into pedestrian areas. A number of small towns, such as [[Brantôme, Dordogne|Brantôme]], [[Issigeac]], [[Eymet]] and [[Mareuil, Dordogne|Mareuil]], have withstood the changes of modern times. A special mention should be made in this respect to [[Sarlat]] and its Black Périgord area.

Dordogne is one of the original 83 departments created on 4 March 1790 during the [[French Revolution]]. It was created from the [[Provinces of France|former province]] of [[Périgord]], the [[county of Périgord]]. Its borders continued to change over subsequent decades.

In 1793 the communes of [[Boisseuilh]], [[Coubjours]], [[Génis]], [[Payzac, Dordogne|Payzac]], [[Saint-Cyr-les-Champagnes]], [[Saint-Mesmin, Dordogne|Saint-Mesmin]], [[Salagnac]], [[Savignac-Lédrier|Savignac]], [[Sainte-Trie|Saint-Trié]] and [[Teillots]] were transferred from [[Corrèze]] to Dordogne.

In 1794 Dordogne ceded [[Cavarc]] to [[Lot-et-Garonne]]. Later in 1794 (albeit during the subsequent year under the [[French Republican Calendar|Republican Calendar]] in use at the time), Dordogne gained [[Parcoul]] from [[Charente-Inférieure]].

Following the restoration, in 1819, the commune of Bonrepos was suppressed and merged with the adjacent commune of [[Souillac, Lot|Souillac]] in [[Lot (department)|Lot]].

In 1870 the region was witness to the tragic [[The Hautefaye case|Hautefaye incident]], which occurred shortly after France's declaration of war against [[Prussia]]. A young aristocrat named Alain de Monéys was brutally tortured and then burned alive, by a crowd of between 300 and 800 people on 16 August in a public square in the village of [[Hautefaye]] in the north-west region of the department. Details of the incident are gruesome, but remain unclear: the leading participants appear to have been drunk. Additionally, since the incident occurred prior to the introduction of mass education, most of the witnesses would have been unable (and possibly unwilling) to write down what they had seen. But at some stage the victim died, and following a trial four individuals identified as culpable were in turn condemned to die by [[guillotine]]. The sentence was carried out in the same public square on 13 February 1871.

It was suggested that the victim had reported some (bad) news regarding the ongoing war in a way that implied support for the enemy, although subsequently it became clear that his patriotic credentials were beyond reproach. It was also suggested that the mob had been antagonized when he called out, "Vive la République!" (Long live the republic) at a time when the patriotic villagers valued the [[Second French Empire|imperial regime]], which Parisian revolutionaries were in the process of destroying. This incident has been studied by historian Alain Corbin,<ref>Corbin Alain, Le village des "cannibales", Paris, Aubier, 1990, 204 p.</ref> among others.

==Geography==
The department is part of the [[Regions of France|region]] of [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]] and is surrounded by the six départements of [[Haute-Vienne]], [[Corrèze]], [[Lot (department)|Lot]], [[Lot-et-Garonne]], [[Gironde]], [[Charente-Maritime]], and [[Charente]]. Dordogne is the third-largest department of metropolitan France, as well as the largest landlocked department in the country. In total area, it is larger than [[Cyprus]] and smaller than [[Cape Verde]].

===Principal towns===
The most populous commune is [[Périgueux]], the prefecture. As of 2023 there are nine communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:<ref name=pop2023>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/8680694/dep24.pdf Populations de référence 2023: 24 Dordogne], INSEE</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2023)
|-
| [[Périgueux]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 29,055
|-
| [[Bergerac, Dordogne|Bergerac]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 27,110
|-
| [[Boulazac Isle Manoire]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 10,759
|-
| [[Sarlat-la-Canéda]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 8,763
|-
| [[Coulounieix-Chamiers]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 7,832
|-
| [[Trélissac]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 7,372
|-
| [[Terrasson-Lavilledieu]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 6,218
|-
| [[Montpon-Ménestérol]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 5,866
|-
| [[Saint-Astier, Dordogne|Saint-Astier]]
| style="text-align: center;" | 5,376
|}

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|cols=2
|align=none
|percentages=pagr
|graph-pos=bottom
|1791 |433,343
|1801 |409,475
|1806 |424,113
|1821 |453,136
|1831 |482,750
|1841 |490,263
|1851 |505,789
|1861 |501,687
|1872 |480,141
|1881 |495,037
|1891 |478,471
|1901 |452,951
|1911 |437,432
|1921 |396,742
|1931 |383,720
|1936 |386,963
|1946 |387,643
|1954 |377,870
|1962 |375,455
|1968 |374073
|1975 |373179
|1982 |377356
|1990 |386365
|1999 |388293
|2007 |406793
|2012 |416384
|2017 |413606
|2023 |417614
|footnote=Sources:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://splaf.free.fr/24his.html |title=Historique de la Dordogne |website=Le SPLAF}}</ref><ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8643952?geo=DEP-24#tableau-POPREF_G1 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023], INSEE</ref>
}}

The population peaked at 505,789 in 1851 according to that year's census. After that the population declined to 373,000 by 1975. This reflected the long term population decline observed in many of the rural departments resulting from changes in agriculture and the lure of higher industrial wages available in more urbanized regions.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=The Dordogne
 |publisher=Le Mas France
 |url=https://lemasfrance.com/the-dordogne/
 |access-date=2025-12-26
}}
{{cite web
 |title=D’une France rurale à une France urbaine : les mutations démographiques
 |publisher=Observatoire des Territoires (Gouvernement français)
 |url=https://www.observatoire-des-territoires.gouv.fr/kiosque/2021-2022-rapport-cahier-1-demo-chap-01-03-dune-france-rurale-une-france-urbaine-les
 |access-date=2025-12-26
}}
{{cite report
 |title=Rural Exodus and Structural Change in Europe
 |publisher=Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
 |url=https://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2019-005.pdf
 |year=2019
}}</ref> After 1975, the population increased again, reaching 417,000 by 2023.<ref name=pophist/>

Dordogne has a [[British people|British]] immigrant community. The region has between 5,000 and 10,000 British residents{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} and 800 British entrepreneurs, drawn by the French lifestyle, warm climate, and lower cost of living. The village of [[Eymet]] is at the heart of the trend, with 200 British families among 2,600 inhabitants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/features/From-Dordogneshire-to-Normandy-Brits-race-for-French-office_170691.html|title=From 'Dordogneshire' to Normandy, Brits race for French office|date=7 March 2008|access-date=2 January 2016|archive-date=10 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010233043/https://www.expatica.com/fr/uncategorized/from-dordogneshire-to-normandy-brits-race-for-french-office-110771/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Politics==
{{See also|Departmental Council of Dordogne}}

The President of the Departmental Council is [[Germinal Peiro]] of the [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]].

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! colspan="2" | Party || Seats
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Socialist Party (France)}}" |<span style="color:#fff; font-size:140%;">•</span>
|[[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]] || align="right" | 25
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|French Communist Party}}" |<span style="color:#fff; font-size:140%;">•</span>
|[[French Communist Party]] || align="right" | 2
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Miscellaneous right}}" |
|[[Miscellaneous right]] || align="right" | 7
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Union for a Popular Movement}}" |
|[[The Republicans (France)|The Republicans]] || align="right" | 5
|-
! style="background-color: {{party color|Sans étiquette}}" |<span style="color:#fff; font-size:140%;">•</span>
|''[[Sans étiquette]]'' || align="right" | 4
|}

===Current National Assembly Representatives===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/|title=Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français|first=Assemblée|last=Nationale|website=Assemblée nationale}}</ref>!!Party
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|National Rally}}" |
| [[Dordogne's 1st constituency]]
| [[Nadine Lechon]]
| [[National Rally]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|National Rally}}" |
| [[Dordogne's 2nd constituency]]
| [[Serge Muller]]
| [[National Rally]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|National Rally}}" |
| [[Dordogne's 3rd constituency]]
| [[Florence Joubert]]
| [[National Rally]]
|-
|style="background-color: {{party color|The Ecologists (France)}}" |
| [[Dordogne's 4th constituency]]
| [[Jacqueline Dubois]]
| [[The Ecologists (France)|The Ecologists]]
|}

==Tourism==
* [[Château de Mauriac (Douzillac)]]
* [[Maison forte de Reignac]]

<gallery widths=200 heights=200>
File:Perigueux Cathedrale Saint Front.jpg|[[Périgueux]]
Image:Beynac chateau 1.jpg|[[Château de Beynac]]
File:Lascaux, horse.JPG|[[Lascaux]]
File:Canoe Dordogne.jpg|Canoeing on the [[Dordogne River]]
File:La Roque-Gageac Dordogne.jpg|[[La Roque-Gageac]]
File:Cabanes du Breuil 1.jpg|[[Cabanes du Breuil]]
</gallery>

There are more than 1,500 castles in Dordogne, making it "The Other Chateau Country",<ref>{{cite book | title=The Other Chateau Country; the Feudal Land of the Dordogne | publisher=John Lane The Bodley Head | last=Woods | first=Katherine | year=1931}}</ref> including:

{{div col begin|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Château de Beynac|Beynac]]
* [[Château de Biron|Biron]]
* [[Manoir de la Borie-Fricart]]
* [[Château de Bourdeilles|Bourdeilles]]
* [[Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle|Castelnaud-la-Chapelle]]
* [[Château de Chantérac|Chantérac]]
* [[Manoir du Chatenet|Chatenet]]
* [[Château de Commarque|Commarque]]
* [[Château de Hautefort|Hautefort]]
* [[Manoir de Jaillac]]
* [[Château de Jaurias|Jaurias]]
* [[Château de La Besse|La Besse]]
* [[Château de la Mothe|La Mothe]]
* [[Château de la Petite Filolie|La Petite Filolie]]
* [[Château de la Renaudie (Saint-Front-la-Rivière)|La Renaudie]]
* [[Château de la Roche (Annesse-et-Beaulieu)|La Roche]]
* [[Château de la Roque|La Roque]]
* [[Manoir de Mitonias]]
* [[Château des Milandes|Milandes]]
* [[Monbazillac]]
* [[Manoir de Grézignac]]
* [[Manoir de la Vermondie]]
* [[Manoir des Pautis]]
* [[Pécany]]
* [[Château de Puymartin|Puymartin]]
* [[Château Saulnier|Saulnier]]
{{div col end}}

The famous caves of [[Lascaux]] have been closed to the public, but a replica of Lascaux II is open to visitors and is a major tourist attraction. Périgueux has important [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] ruins, including an arena which is still visible inside a public park located near the town centre.

Dordogne is particularly popular with Britons as well as people from a variety of other countries, as a location for second homes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dare Hall |first1=Zoe |title=Why Dordogne property seduces British buyers |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e4626af2-8388-11e9-a7f0-77d3101896ec |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/e4626af2-8388-11e9-a7f0-77d3101896ec |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |work=Financial Times |date=5 June 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Arrondissements of the Dordogne department]] 
* [[Cantons of the Dordogne department]]
* [[Communes of the Dordogne department]]
* [[Coderc Plaza]]
* [[Le Monument vivant de Biron]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [https://www.dordogne.gouv.fr/ Préfecture website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.dordogne.fr/ Departmental Council website] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Departments of France}}
{{Constituencies of Dordogne}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dordogne| ]]
[[Category:1790 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Departments of Nouvelle-Aquitaine]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1790]]