Bourges, a Gaulish city conquered by Caesar, preserves many remains from the Roman era.
Attached to the royal estate in 1100, the city became an important strategic place. Saint-Etienne Cathedral started in 1195, affirms the prestige of the king of France in front of the estates of his rival Plantagenet.
It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.
In the middle of the 15th century, Jacques Coeur, the silversmith of Charles VII, built a private hotel, a rare example of a civilian residence of that time. At the end of the Middle Ages and at the Renaissance, the suburbs of the city were occupied by craftsmen and traders who lived in wood-paned houses, some 400 of which remained today.
The museums of the city of Bourges are located in the beautiful hotels from the 15th to the 17th century: the Berry Museum (Cujas Hotel), the Estève Museum (former Echevins Hotel), the Museum of Decorative Arts (Lallemant Hotel).
The archbishop's former palace now houses the Musée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France.
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