that links the town centre to the southern bank of the Garonne river. The architect responsible for its design was Gustave Eiffel, at the time a still little known public servant. The population in 1906 was 3,469. By the year 2000, inhabitants numbered around 4,200. Economy According to the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911): The town is the centre of. the district in which the well-known breed of Bazadais cattle is reared. It is an agricultural market and carries on trade in the wine of the region together with liqueur distillery and the manufacture of casks, rope, brooms, etc. As the 20th century progressed, La Réole played the role of a regional economic centre, second to Bordeaux. More recently, the administrative responsibility has moved to nearby Langon. La Réole now is an important town centre in the Entre deux mers wine region of the Bordeaux classifications and has concentrated on tourism to stimulate the town economy. Twin towns La Réole is twinned with: Oliveira do Douro, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, since 1992 Sacile, Italy, since 2000 Sport La Réole has an International Motorcycle circuit Grasstrack circuit. It has hosted many European Championship meeting as well as the World 1000cc Sidecar Final in 2010. See also Communes of the Gironde department References Brochure issued by the La Réole Office de Tourisme (1995) Cantegrel, F (1992) Visiter La Réole Bordeaux : Editions Sud Ouest Communes of Gironde Guyenne