LOIR-ET-CHER INFORMATION
LOIR-ET-CHER Geography
Loir-et-Cher is part of the modern region of Centre. Adjacent departments are Eure-et-Loir to the north, Loiret to the north-east, Cher to the south-east, Indre to the south, Indre-et-Loire to the south-west and in the region of Pays de la Loire by the department of Sarthe to the west.
The department comprises 6,314 km2, which makes it the 31st largest of the French departments in terms of area. The line of the river Loire traverses the land, ensuring easy communication between its own capital, Blois, and the vibrant cultural and commercial centres of Tours to the west and the fringes of the Seine-Paris basin at Orléans to the east.
Its main rivers are the Loire, on which its prefecture (capital) Blois is situated, the Loir and the Cher.
Loir River: The Loir is a river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe River. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir département, north of Illiers-Combray. It joins the river Sarthe in Briollay, north of the city Angers.
Cher River: The Cher is a river in central France, left tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Creuse département, north-east of Crocq, in the region of Limousin. It joins the river Loire in Villandry, west of Tours.
The river suffered a devastating flood in 1940, which damaged Château de Chenonceau, which spans the river, and other structures along the banks.
LOIR-ET-CHER Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called Loir-et-Chériens.
LOIR-ET-CHER Tourism
Loir-et-Cher has a number of historic castles, including the following:
- Château de Blois
- Château de Chambord
- Château de Chaumont
- Château de Cheverny
Château de Bois: The Royal Château de Blois is located in the Loir-et-Cher département in the Loire Valley, in France. The residence of several French kings, it is also the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orléans.
Built in the middle of the town that it effectively controlled, the château of Blois comprises several buildings constructed from the 13th to the 17th century around the main courtyard. Its most famous piece of architecture is the magnificent spiral staircase in the Francis I wing.
In 1841, under the direction of King Louis-Philippe, the Château de Blois was classified as a historic monument. It was restored under the direction of the architect Felix Duban, to whom is due the painted decoration on walls and beamed ceilings. The château was turned into a museum. On view for visitors are the supposed poison cabinets of Catherine de' Medici. Most likely this room, the "chamber of secrets," had a much more banal purpose: exhibiting precious objects for guests.
Today, the château is owned by the town of Blois and is a tourist attraction.
Château de Chambord: The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture that blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Italian structures.
The building, which was never completed, was constructed by King François I in part to be near to his mistress the Comtesse de Thoury, Claude Rohan, wife of Julien de Clermont, a member of a very important family of France, whose domaine, the château de Muides, was adjacent. Her arms figure in the carved decor of the chateau.
Chambord is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, but was built to serve only as a hunting lodge for François I, who maintained his royal residences at Château de Blois and at Château d'Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with several doubts, to Domenico da Cortona, whose wooden model for the design survived long enough to be drawn by André Félibien in the seventeenth century. Some authors, though, claim that the French Renaissance architect Philibert Delorme had a considerable role in the Château's design. Chambord was altered considerably during the twenty years of its construction, (1519-1547), during which it was overseen on-site by Pierre Nepveu. In 1913 Marcel Reymond first suggested[ that Leonardo da Vinci, a guest of François at Clos Lucé near Amboise, was responsible for the original design, which reflects Leonardo's plans for a château at Romorantin for the King's mother, and his interests in central planning and double helical staircases; the discussion has not yet concluded. With the château nearing completion, François showed off his enormous symbol of wealth and power by hosting at Chambord his old archnemesis, Emperor Charles V.
LOIR-ET-CHER Administration
Department number : 41
Region : Centre
Prefecture : Blois
Subprefectures : Romorantin-Lanthenay, Vendôme
Arrondissements: 3
Cantons : 30
Communes : 291
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