INDRE-ET-LOIRE INFORMATION
INDRE-ET-LOIRE Geography
Indre-et-Loire is part of the current region of Centre (Val de Loire) and is surrounded by the departments of Loir-et-Cher, Indre, in the region of Poitou-Charentes the department of Vienne, in the region of Pays de la Loire the departments of Maine-et-Loire and Sarthe.
INDRE-ET-LOIRE History
Indre-et-Loire is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of Touraine.
Tours was a center of learning in the early Middle Ages.
INDRE-ET-LOIRE Tourism
Indre-et-Loire is home to numerous outstanding châteaux that are open to the public, among them are the following:
- Château d'Amboise
- Azay-le-Rideau
- Château de la Bourdaisière
- Château de Chenonceau
- Château de Plessis-lez-Tours
- Chinon
- Courcelles-de-Touraine
- Château de Langeais
- Marcay
- Montpoupon
- Tours
- Château de Villandry
- Château du Rivau
Château d'Amboise :
Built on a promontory overlooking the Loire River to control a strategic ford[1] that was replaced in the Middle Ages by a bridge, the château began its life in the eleventh century, when the notorious Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, rebuilt the stronghold in stone.
Expanded and improved over time, on 4 September 1434 it was seized by Charles VII of France, after its owner, Louis d'Amboise, was convicted of plotting against Louis XI and condemned to be executed in 1431. However, the king pardoned him but took his chateau at Amboise (from brochue at Chateau Royale d' Amboise, 2007). Once in royal hands, the château became a favourite of French kings; Charles VIII decided to rebuild it extensively, beginning in 1492 at first in the French late Gothic Flamboyant style and then after 1495 employing two Italian mason-builders, Domenico da Cortona and Fra Giocondo, who provided at Amboise some of the first Renaissance decorative motifs seen in French architecture. The names of three French builders are preserved in the documents: Colin Biart, Guillaume Senault and Louis Armangeart.
Azay-le-Rideau :
Gilles Berthelot, Treasurer-General of the Finances of France under King Francis I and mayor of Tours, began reconstructing Azay-le-Rideau's earlier medieval castle, that was part of his wife's inheritance. However, it was his wife, Philippe Lesbahy, who directed the course of the works, including its central internal staircase (escalier d'honneur) that is Azay's greatest most remarkable feature, inspired by the staircase at Châteaudun.
When Berthelot was suspected of collusion in embezzlement he was forced to flee from incomplete Azay-le-Rideau in 1528; he never saw the château again. Instead, the king confiscated the property and gave it as a reward to one of his high-ranking soldiers.
Over the centuries, it changed hands several times until the early part of the twentieth century, when it was purchased by the French government and restored. The interior was completely refurbished with a collection of Renaissance pieces. Today, the château is open to public visits, and is operated by the Centre des monuments nationaux.
INDRE-ET-LOIRE Rivers
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. It flows generally northwest, through the cities La Châtre, Châteauroux and Loches.
It joins the river Loire near the site of the nuclear power plant of Chinon, north of Avoine.
Its main tributary is the Indrois, which joins at Azay-sur-Indre.
The Loire is the longest river in France. With a length of 1,013 kilometres (629 mi), it drains an area of 117,000 km2 (45,000 sq mi), which represents more than a fifth of France's land area. It rises in the Cévennes in the département of Ardèche at 1,350 m (4,430 ft) near Mont Gerbier de Jonc, and flows for over 1,000 km (620 mi) north through Nevers to Orléans, then west through Tours and Nantes until it reaches the Bay of Biscay at St Nazaire. Its main tributaries include the Maine, Nièvre and the Erdre rivers on its right bank, and the Allier, Cher, Indre, Vienne, and the Sèvre Nantaise rivers on the left bank. The Loire gives its name to six départements: Loire, Haute-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and Saône-et-Loire in the Burgundy region. The central part of the Loire Valley was added to the World Heritage Sites list of UNESCO on December 2, 2000. The banks are characterized by vineyards and chateaux in the Loire Valley.
INDRE-ET-LOIRE Administration
Department number : 37
Region : Centre
Prefecture : Tours
Subprefectures : Chinon, Loches
Arrondissements : 3
Cantons : 37
Communes : 277
INDRE-ET-LOIRE HOLIDAY RENTALS in CENTRE Region
MORE THAN 10.000 B&B in all France
MORE THAN 10.000 Gîtes in all France
with our portal Dream French Property.eu