Indre-et-Loire
Encyclopedia
Indre-et-Loire is a department in west-central France
named after the Indre
and the Loire rivers.
on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province
of Touraine
.
Tours
, the departmental prefecture, was a center of learning in the early Middle Ages
.
After the creation of the department it remained politically conservative, as Honoré de Balzac
recorded in several of his novels. Conservative Tours refused to welcome the railways which instead were obliged to route their lines by way of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps
on the city's eastern edge. The moderate temper of the department's politics remained apparent after the trauma
of 1870: sentiment remained pro-royalist during the early years of the Third Republic
.
For most of the nineteenth century Indre-et-Loire was a rural department, but pockets of heavy-duty industrialisation began to appear towards century's end, accompanied by left-wing politics. 1920 saw the birth of the French Communist Party
at the Congress of Tours
. By 1920 Saint-Pierre-des-Corps
had become a major railway junction and a centre of railway workshops: it had also acquired a reputation as a bastion of working class solidarity.
and is surrounded by the départements of Loir-et-Cher
, Indre
, Vienne
, Maine-et-Loire
, and Sarthe
.
of the Socialist Party
.
x that are open to the public, among them are the following:
Official tourist website of Touraine Loire Valley
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
named after the Indre
Indre River
The Indre is a river in central France, left tributary to the river Loire.Its source is in the département Cher, near Préveranges. It flows through the départements Cher, Indre and Indre-et-Loire...
and the Loire rivers.
History
Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 départements created during the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
of Touraine
Touraine
The Touraine is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher and Indre.-Geography:...
.
Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, the departmental prefecture, was a center of learning in the early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
After the creation of the department it remained politically conservative, as Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon....
recorded in several of his novels. Conservative Tours refused to welcome the railways which instead were obliged to route their lines by way of Saint-Pierre-des-Corps
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.Located on the eastern edge of Tours, it is a major nodal point in the French railway network, thanks to the station, which is an en route terminus for the LGV Atlantique, used by High speed trains traveling...
on the city's eastern edge. The moderate temper of the department's politics remained apparent after the trauma
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870: sentiment remained pro-royalist during the early years of the Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
.
For most of the nineteenth century Indre-et-Loire was a rural department, but pockets of heavy-duty industrialisation began to appear towards century's end, accompanied by left-wing politics. 1920 saw the birth of the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
at the Congress of Tours
Tours Congress
The Tours Congress was the 18th National Congress of the French Section of the Workers' International, or SFIO, which took place in Tours on 25—30 December 1920...
. By 1920 Saint-Pierre-des-Corps
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.Located on the eastern edge of Tours, it is a major nodal point in the French railway network, thanks to the station, which is an en route terminus for the LGV Atlantique, used by High speed trains traveling...
had become a major railway junction and a centre of railway workshops: it had also acquired a reputation as a bastion of working class solidarity.
Geography
Indre-et-Loire is part of the current region of Centre (Val de Loire)Centre (France)
Centre is one of the 27 regions of France, located towards the northwest of the actual centre of the country, around the Loire Valley. Its capital is Orléans, although its largest city is Tours.-Features:...
and is surrounded by the départements of Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher
Loir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
, Indre
Indre
Indre is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.-History:Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
, Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire
Maine-et-Loire is a department in west-central France, in the Pays de la Loire region.- History :Maine-et-Loire is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. Originally it was called Mayenne-et-Loire, but its name was changed to Maine-et-Loire in 1791....
, and Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
.
Politics
The President of the General Council is Marisol TouraineMarisol Touraine
Marisol Touraine is a member of the National Assembly of France. She represents the Indre-et-Loire department, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche....
of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
.
| Party | seats | |
|---|---|---|
| • | Socialist Party Socialist Party (France) The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement... |
18 |
| Miscellaneous Right Miscellaneous Right Miscellaneous Right in France refers to right-wing candidates that are not member of any large party. They either include small right-wing parties, dissidents expelled from their parties for running against their party's candidate, as well as candidates who were never formal members of a party... |
8 | |
| Union for a Popular Movement Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party... |
5 | |
| • | Miscellaneous Left Miscellaneous Left Miscellaneous Left in France refers to left-wing candidates that are not member of any large party. They either include small left-wing parties or dissidents expelled from their parties for running against their party's candidate. Numerous DVG candidates are elected at a local level, and a smaller... |
2 |
| New Centre New Centre New Centre , also known as the European Social Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in France, formed by the members of the Union for French Democracy – including a majority of former parliamentarians – who did not agree with François Bayrou's... |
2 | |
| • | French Communist Party French Communist Party The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French... |
1 |
Tourism
Indre-et-Loire is home to numerous outstanding châteauChâteau
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
x that are open to the public, among them are the following:
- Château d'AmboiseChâteau d'AmboiseThe royal Château at Amboise is a château located in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France.-Origins and royal residence:...
- Château of Azay-le-RideauChâteau of Azay-le-RideauThe Château of Azay-le-Rideau was built from 1515 to 1527, one of the earliest French Renaissance châteaux. Built on an island in the Indre River at Azay-le-Rideau, its foundations rise straight out of the water.-History of the château:...
- Château de la BourdaisièreChâteau de la BourdaisièreThe Château de la Bourdaisière is a castle in the countryside in the Commune of Montlouis-sur-Loire, in the Indre-et-Loire département of France.Its origins date back to the 14th century when it was a fortress belonging to Jean Meingre...
- Château de ChenonceauChâteau de ChenonceauThe Château de Chenonceau is a manor house near the small village of Chenonceaux, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France. It was built on the site of an old mill on the River Cher, sometime before its first mention in writing in the 11th century...
- Château de Chinon
- Château de la GuercheChâteau de la GuercheChâteau de la Guerche is a castle in La Guerche, in Indre-et-Loire, a département in France. Among his famous owners, the Lords of Rougé used it as their residence between 1351 and 1416....
- Château de LangeaisChâteau de LangeaisThe Château de Langeais is a castle in Indre-et-Loire, France, built on a promontory created by the small valley of the Roumer River at the opening to the Val de Loire...
- Château de LochesChâteau de LochesThe Château de Loches is a castle located in the département of Indre-et-Loire in the Loire Valley in France; it was constructed in the 9th century...
- Château de Marçay
- Château de MontpouponChâteau de MontpouponThe Château de Montpoupon is a castle in the commune of Céré-la-Ronde in the Indre-et-Loire département of France. It is situated to the east of Tours, 10 km south of Montrichard in a picturesque valley in the heart of a forest.-History:...
- Château de Plessis-lez-ToursChâteau de Plessis-lez-ToursThe Château de Plessis-lez-Tours is a Renaissance château located in the town of La Riche in the Indre-et-Loire department, in the Loire Valley of France.It was the favorite residence of King Louis XI of France, who died there on 30 August 1483...
- Château du RivauChâteau du RivauLe Rivau is a castle-palace in Lémeré , in the Touraine region, France. In Rabelais' Gargantua, it was given to captain Tolmere as a reward for his victories in the Picrocholean Wars....
- Château de ToursChâteau de ToursThe Château de Tours, is a castle located in Tours, Indre-et-Loire, France.Built in the 11th century, the building displayed an architecture of the Carolingian period, and was the residence of the Lords of France....
- Château de VillandryChâteau de VillandryThe Château de Villandry is a castle-palace located in Villandry, in the département of Indre-et-Loire, France.The lands where an ancient fortress once stood were known as Colombier until the 17th century...
See also
- Cantons of the Indre-et-Loire department
- Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department
- Arrondissements of the Indre-et-Loire department
External links
Prefecture website General Council websiteOfficial tourist website of Touraine Loire Valley