Châteauroux

Châteauroux (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; Template:IPA; Template:Langx) is the capital city of the French department of Indre,<ref name=EB1911>Template:Cite EB1911</ref> central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussins (Template:IPA) in French.

Climate

Châteauroux temperatures range from an average February low of Template:Convert to an average July and August high of Template:Convert.

History

File:Châteauroux - Town hall - 1.jpg

The Hôtel de Ville

The old town, close to the river, forms a nucleus around which a newer and more extensive quarter, bordered by boulevards, has grown up. The suburbs of St. Christophe and Déols lie on the right bank of the Indre. The castle from which the city takes its name was built in the latter part of the 10th century by Raoul, prince of Déols.<ref name=EB1911/>

From 920 to 1008, the Norman raids forced the monks of the abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, founded in Brittany by Saint Gildas, to bring his relics to the abbey of Saint-Gildas of Châteauroux that they founded under the protection of the prince Ebbes of Déols, father of Raoul. During the Middle Ages, it was the seat of a seigniory. It was passed to the Chauvigny from 1207 to 1473. It was raised to the rank of countship in 1497 for Jean V d'Aumont.<ref name=EB1911/>

In 1616, when it was held by Henry II, Prince of Condé, it was raised to the rank of duchy. In 1736, it returned to the crown. It was given to Marie Anne de Mailly-Nesle, duchess of Châteauroux, by Louis XV in 1744.<ref name=EB1911/> The present Template:Ill housing the préfecture offices dates from the 15th century.

The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1977.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

Châteauroux is one of the communes awarded the grand prize by the Concours National des Villes et Villages Fleuris, a beautification initiative begun in 1959.

Monuments

• Château Raoul, 15th century<ref>Template:Base Mérimée</ref>
• Church of St. André, 19th century<ref>Template:Base Mérimée</ref>
• Church of St. Martial, 12th-16th century<ref>Template:Base Mérimée</ref>
• Église Notre-Dame, 19th century<ref>Template:Base Mérimée</ref>
• Convent of the Cordeliers, 13th century<ref>Template:Base Mérimée</ref>
• Équinoxe
• La Prairie St. Gildas
• Le Parc de loisirs de Belle-Isle
• Le Tarmac
• Musée Bertrand
• Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires
• Musée du Compagnonnage
• Public Garden and the Jardins des Cordeliers
• Quartier St. Christophe

Sports

Football

La Berrichonne de Châteauroux is the town's football club based in Châteauroux, founded in 1883. The team currently plays in National, the third division of French football, and played only one season in Ligue 1 in 1997–98. Châteauroux reached the final of the 2003–04 Coupe de France, where they were defeated 1–0 by Paris Saint-Germain, qualifying for the following season's UEFA Cup. The team plays its home fixtures at the 17,173-capacity Stade Gaston Petit.

As Chateauroux was an Air Force base from 1952 until 1967, American football was played in Chateauroux by a team called Sabres. "Sabres" was one of the best European military teams, playing against other French and German teams. Local French people created a football club in the French American football championship. The name chosen is "Sabres", to celebrate the pioneers, to pay homage to the Americans who were the first.

Tour de France

Châteauroux has been host to the Tour de France multiple times. The most successful cyclist at Châteauroux is Mark Cavendish with three stage wins, leading up to the final straight being labeled "Avenue Cavendish".<ref name="Avenue Cavendish">Template:Cite web</ref>

Year	Stage	Start of stage	Distance (km)	Stage winner
1998	5	Cholet	228.5	Template:Flagathlete
2008	5	Cholet	232.0	Template:Flagathlete
2011	7	Le Mans	218.0	Template:Flagathlete
2021	6	Tours	160.6	Template:Flagathlete
2025	9	Chinon	174.1	Template:Flagathlete

Paris 2024

The National Shooting Centre at Châteauroux hosted the shooting events for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.<ref name="Paris 2024">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Festivals

• Bals'arts
• Festival Country Good Old Days Châteauroux
• Festival de théâtre "les Nocthalies"
• Festival Multirythmes
• Festival Populaire du Folklore
• Forum des associations
• La Biennale de Céramique contemporaine
• La Châteauroux Classic d'Indre Trophée Fenioux
• Les Litztomanias
• Rock à Belle-Isle
• Salon du livre de Châteauroux
• Stage festival de danse de Châteauroux (DARC)
• Vendredi...Musique

Transport

Direct services from Châteauroux railway station connect Paris, Orléans, Limoges, Toulouse, and several other regional destinations. The A20 motorway connects Châteauroux with Vierzon, Brive-la-Gaillarde, and Toulouse.

The city offers free public transportation since 2001.<ref name="TheAtlantic">Template:Cite web</ref> Total ridership is up 208% between 2001 and 2012.<ref name="HORIZON, LE RÉSEAU DETRANSPORTEN COMMUNGRATUIT">Template:Cite web</ref>

The city is served by Châteauroux-Centre "Marcel Dassault" Airport, which is in the commune of Déols to the North. The airport is used mainly for cargo, maintenance, training, and light aviation but also serves seasonal charter services. However, there are no schedule passenger flights to and from the airport. The nearest airport is Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport, located Template:Convert south east of Châteauroux.

Notable people

Born in Châteauroux

• Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand (1773–1844), general of Napoleon's army
• Albert Aurier (1865–1892), symbolist poet, writer and art critic
• Marcel Boussac (1889–1980), entrepreneur and horse breeder
• Robert Falcucci (1900-1989), illustrator
• Template:Ill (born 1943), author, City Councilor of Lésigny (France), initiator of Lésigny-Leingarten twinning, founder and first President of Rencontres Franco Allemandes, Annecy (Annecy-Bayreuth twinning)
• Gérard Depardieu (born 1948), actor and businessman
• Dean Brown (born 1955), jazz guitarist
• Mardi Jacquet (born 1960), playmate
• Estelle Touzet (born 1981), chef sommelier.
• Gilles Sunu (born 1991), footballer

Others associated with the area

• Template:Ill (1560–1620), poet
• Pierre Leroux (1797–1871), philosopher and politician
• Template:Ill (1807–1865), publisher
• Template:Ill (1859–1939), writer
• Fernand Maillaud (1862–1948), painter
• Bernard Naudin (1876–1946), painter and designer
• Ernest Nivet (1871–1948), sculptor
• Émile Goué (1904–1946), composer
• Édouard Ramonet (1909–1980), politician
• Jean Fourton (1934-), writer, humanist, painter, and psychoanalyst. Former town councilor of Châteauroux (1957 to 1967).

International relations

Template:See also Châteauroux is twinned with:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Template:Flagicon Gütersloh, Germany, since 1977
• Template:Flagicon Bittou, Burkina Faso, since 1985
• Template:Flagicon Olsztyn, Poland, since 1991
• Template:Flagicon Fresno, United States, since 2016
• Template:Flagicon Jinhua, China, since 2019

See also

• Berrichonne de Châteauroux
• Châteauroux-Déols "Marcel Dassault" Airport
• Communes of the Indre department
• Counts and Dukes of Châteauroux
• Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle duchess de Châteauroux
• Saint-Benoît-du-Sault

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20080327174957/http://www.villes-et-villages-fleuris.com/chateaur.htm
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External links

• City of Châteauroux Official Website Template:Webarchive