La Bachellerie

La Bachellerie is situated at the intersection of the Rd 6089 (from Bordeaux to Lyon) and the Departmental Road 704 (from Limoges to Sarlat), nearly at an equal distance from Brive to Périgueux. Since 2004 it has been one of the entrances to the Périgord Noir on Highway 89, through the so-called “Thenon” off-ramp.

The name « la Bachellerie » appeared in 1466 after the Hundred Years’ War.A “bachellerie” was the fiefdom granted to a young, underprivileged nobleman (a “bachelier”) to allow him to become a knight.

The village, settled on the Cern river banks, at the intersection of two lanes leading from Limoges to Cahors and from Bordeaux to Lyon, was burned during the Hundred Years’ War and reconstructed at a higher level. From the tops of its hills you can admire the Cern valley, which joins the river Vézère to the east, but also its extraordinary landmarks: fountains, wash houses, bread ovens, and the most remarkable of all, the castle of Rastignac, which you can visit by taking one of the many footpaths. This castle, a private property which cannot be visited, is a scale reproduction of the White House in the United States. Fully equipped, well shaded picnic areas await you on the banks of the Cern, at the Monteyx hamlet, at the Gouverneur Général Cournarie square, and at the fountain in the centre of town, where you can relax in the calm and picturesque greenness of our countryside.