Blois

Blois is a common French, located in the department of Loir-et-Cher and the area of the Center.

Its inhabitants is called Blésois; not to confuse with the Blaisois which is the area in the neighborhoods of Blois. Since 2001, Nicolas Perruchot, deputy and mayor, are with the head of the City. It is at the origin of a vast project of Urban renovation aiming at restructuring the districts North of the City. A great project of downtown area is also in hand in order to extend the pedestrian precinct and redynamiser the district.

Geography

The city is located on the the Loire halfway between Tours and Orleans. Extending on two banks from the last wild river from Europe, it delimits and links Petite Beauce (Right Bank/northern) and the the Sologne (southern left bank/).

History

The great work of town planning started into 1959 made it possible to discover vestiges attesting the presence of one habitat at the end of Gallic independence and an urban center at the time Gallo-Roman. The city crossed at the time Roman by the way connecting Chartres to Bourges. .

Blois appears for the first time in 410 when it is conquered by the Breton chief Iuomadus which expels the " of it; consul" Odo, probably of Germanic origin. It founds a autonomous or semi-autonomous state there which will last until the catch of the city by Clovis in 491.

In 851, Blois is plundered by the chief Viking Hasting. Another source indicates that the city was plundered by twice into 854 then towards 856-857.

In 1171, Blois was one of the first towns of Europe with to show its Jews ritual crime following the unexplained disappearance of a Christian child. Thirty with thirty-five Jews (on a community of approximately 130 people) were burned alives on May 26th, 1171 close to the forks patibulaires. Blois was with the Moyen-âge the seat of a county whose dynasty also had the Champagne before going up on the throne of Navarre. Charles of Blois was an unfortunate candidate with the Duché of Brittany and was béatifié.

July 4th, 1562, as Beaugency, the city is taken and plundered, but by the catholics of the marshal of Saint-Andrew, and just like with Beaugency the violated women

February 7th, 1568, the Protestants of the Boucard captain plunder and set fire to the city, raping and killing the catholics. Cordeliers are thrown in the well of their convent. The churches are ruined.

In 1588 - 1589, the General states meet in Blois. The 23 and December 24th 1588, Henri III make assassinate the duke of Own way in his castle of Blois.

After the departure of the kings towards Paris, Blois loses its character of royal residence, with ostentation and the economic activity which accompanied the Court. Henri IV transfers to Fontainebleau the rich person library blésoise.

See also: List of the counts de Blois

Contemporary time

Before the years 2000, Blois was the theater of violent riots except those of 2005, of the more or less regular riots will last during one year and half of 1999 to 2000. Several districts were touched of which: Cross-knight, Kennedy, Coty, Marcel Doret, Dumont d' Urville and Quiniere.

On the whole more than 141 vehicles will be burned, the additional police station located in the middle of Dumont d' Urville was attacked in full day by an group of youth, they attacked a bus by throwing out of the bus the driver to put at it fire and consequently to embed it in the appendix of the police station it will be destroyed and moved apart from the ZUS for safety reasons, on the whole several CRS, police officers and gendarmes were wounded and of many buildings were devastated.

Today, the ZUP is in the middle of a great project of Urban renovation. Many buildings HLM were destroyed and of new housing are in the course of construction.

The ZUP of Blois east under video surveillance since 2003,8 cameras supervises the zones touched by drug, violence and by the poverty of which 2 are in Coty, 2 in Kennedy and the remainder are in the districts: Cross-knight, Marcel Doret and Dumont d' Urville.

Safety by the video surveillance is very present in Blois in particular in transport in commun runs, Center-commercial and the Downtown area.

Partly thanks to the video surveillance the delinquency with dropped considerably and the number of burned automobiles per annum passed from 145 to less than one forty.

7 turns of 15 stages, 6 bars of more than 10 stages and several building-bars from 4 to 7 floors were destroyed in particular in Kennedy, Cross-Knight and Dumont d' Urville.

Heraldic

The blazon of the town of Blois is a flower of gold lily on bottom azure (conceded by Louis XII, king of origin blésoise wanting to pay homage to the services rendered by Blésois). The blazon is held by a Porc-épic (emblem of the city) and by a salamander. (Nb: And not a wolf as indicated before, confusion due to the fact that certain sources affirm that the name of Blois would come from the Celt bleiz (the wolf)).

Economy

  • Automobile;
  • historical Seat of the chocolates Foal;
  • pharmaceutical Industry .
  • Sushi : Blois is the first European center of manufacture and conditioning of sushis frozen

Blois is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Loir-et-Cher.

Administration

Blois is Chef-lieu:
  • of the Department of Loir-et-Cher;
  • of the District of Blois;
  • of five cantons: 1 {{er}} canton, 2 {{E}} canton, 3 {{E}} canton, 4 {{E}} canton and 5 {{E}} canton.

In addition, Blois is member of the Communauté of agglomeration of Blois (known as “Agglopolys”), whose head office is on the territory of the commune.

Districts of Blois

    Southern
  • (more than 9.900 inhabitants):
Vienna, Drinking, Creusille, Low-River, Parks Industrial and Commercial.

  • Is (more than 6.000 inhabitants):

Hospital, Villejoint, Basilica, Cornillettes, Parks Industrial and Commercial.
  • Western

    (more than 9.800 inhabitants):

Grouets, Quiniere, St Georges, Foch, Cabochon.

  • Downtown area (more than 6.800 inhabitants):

Cathedral, Castle, Station, Place I with S XII (districts history)
  • Northern also said ZUP " nord" (more than 20.000 inhabitants):
Cross-knight, Kennedy, Coty, Marcel Doret, Mirabeau, Sarrazines, Villiersfins, Pinçonniere, Dumont d' Urville, Montgolfiers, Park of Arrou.

Famous characters

  • Louis XII (1462-1515) was born in Blois, it was king de France of 1498 with 1515.
  • Antoine Boesset (1587-1643), singer and type-setter, superintendent of the Music of Louis XIII
  • Gaston of Orleans uncle de Louis XIV
  • Florimond of Beaune, (1601-1652) lawyer, Adviser with the pPrésidial of Blois and mathematician
  • Denis Papin (1647-1712), physicist, mathematician and inventor.
  • the abbot Gregoire was bishop of Blois during the French revolution.
  • Augustin Thierry (1795-1856) was a French historian, born in Blois.
  • Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), magician.
  • Victor-Auguste Poulain (1825-1918), chocolate seller and creative éponyme in 1848 of the chocolate mark.
  • Rene Guénon (1886-1951), metaphysician.
  • Pierre Sudreau (1919-), Minister for the General de Gaulle (1958-1962) and mayor of Blois (1971-1989).
  • Jack Lang (1939-), 12 years minister (of the Culture and Education) of François Mitterrand, mayor of Blois (1989-2000). After having resigned in 2000, it tries to reconquer Blois in 2001 but is beaten little by UDF Nicolas Perruchot.

Monuments

Blois is classified Ville of Art and History.

Civil buildings and remarkable places

  • Town hall
  • Bridge Jacques Angel Gabriel
  • medicinal Botanical garden, created in 1981
  • Public garden Victor Hugo
  • Gardens of Evéché
  • Station of Blois

Religious heritage

  • Cathedral Saint-Louis
  • Church Saint Nicolas's Day
  • Church Saint-Vincent

Museums

  • Archaeological.
  • Beautiful of arts.
  • Of the object.
  • House of the magic.
  • Natural history museum of natural history.
  • Astrespace.
  • Of religious arts.
  • Of resistance.

Teaching

Twinnings

Administration

Demography

  • population in ZUS-ZUP: 19.547 inhabitants (more than one third of the population blésoise).

  • 1 inhabitant out of two speaks little or not the French.

  • unemployment rate has more than 17% of the population of the ZUP-ZUS.

Festivities

  • Festival All on the bridge , since 2003, devoted to the song.
  • Return of the history at the beginning of October, devoted to the history.
  • BDBoum mid-November devoted to the data base

See too

External bonds

  • Origins and history of Blois.
  • Official site of the town of Blois.
  • Plane of Blois on Mapquest.
  • Blois on the site of the National Geographical Institute.
  • Blois on the site of INSEE.
  • bishops of Blois and their armorial bearings

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