Dreux

Dreux is a common French, located in the department of Eure-et-Loir and the area Center. The inhabitants are called Drouais or Durocasses .

Geography

The site of Dreux corresponds to a basin with the confluence of the Blaise, Avre and the Eure. Between Normandy, Ile-de-France and Beauce, she affirmed herself at all times like a crossroads of exchanges and a crossing point between complementary areas of economies.

In the same way, today, the situation of the city corresponds to the crossroads between a national axis Paris-Alençon and an axis of skirting of the Rouen-Chartres-Orleans Paris region.

Dreux is thus served by the Trunk road 12 (with highway characteristics) which corresponds to the old road of the Pole (Paris-Mortagne-Alençon) towards Basse-Normandie and, soon, by a highway by-pass Rouen-Chartres in the course of completion.

Dreux has a accessible station, also, thanks to the rail link Paris-Montparnasse - Granville. The best links between Paris and Dreux are made in 40 minutes.

Dreux also has a Aérodrome.

History

Antiquity

The Middle Ages and modern Time

Frontier town between the royal field and the Duchy of Normandy, Dreux ordered the access to the kingdom a long time. That is worth to him to be a royal city, also, very often with the wire of the history, to be disputed. During wars of religion, Dreux was, in December 1562, the seat of a battle between the catholic and royal army of Catherine de Médicis, regent and countess of Dreux, and the Protestant troops of the prince Louis de Condé and of the Admiral de Coligny. The catholic gained the victory, but at the prices of 8.000 dead left over the battle field.

The city was the chief town of a famous county: it was set up into common towards 1108, by Louis the Large, or even, according to some, as of 1092. It was a fortified town, which supported various remarkable seats. Henri IV took it in 1593 and dismantled it. In its surroundings was delivered the Bataille of Dreux (1562), gained by the catholics on the prince of Protestant Condé and the .

Contemporary period

In 1816, the duchess of Orleans, only daughter of the duke of Penthièvre, and mother of Louis-Philippe IER, makes set up the Saint-Louis vault on the hill which dominates the city following the confusion of collegial Saint-Etienne whose his/her father had made his necropolis family.

Dreux is the heiress of an industrial long tradition: paper mill and printing works (Firmin-Didot family), drapery at the 18th century then metallurgy (Grosdemouge, Facel, Potez). The social concerns of the municipality of the time of Maurice Viollette leads to the creation of one of the very first companies of Dwelling at a cheap rate (HBM) in France. The concern hygienist is thus at the origin of a working habitat (small buildings and especially collective houses) which surrounds the old city. This industrial period, inspired by the family one, goes bankrupt starting from 1945 gradually.

As from the years 1960, a new generation of industry, delocalized since the Paris region (Radiotechnology, car, pharmacy), puts at unemployment the too qualified and syndicated workmen and makes come from the immigrant workers (the Maghreb, Portugal, sub-Saharan Africa). Cities in the north of the old city (Prudhomme) and in the South (Chamards) push in the old corn fields. On the whole, the population of the city doubles 1945 with 1975. The migratory policy is then perceived like a progress factor for the city and, especially, is thought as if the period of growth of the Glorious Thirty were to continue indefinitely.

The cradle of the National front

Dreux returns to the national attention in 1983 when the Front National gains its first electoral victory there, and manages jointly the city with the traditional line (RPR-UDF) following the municipal elections. List FN carried out by Jean-Pierre Stirbois carries out a score without precedent by exceeding 16% of the votes to the 1st turn of the poll. Between the two turns, list FN amalgamates with that carried out by Jean Hieaux (RPR) which will become mayor after the victory of this alliance. Jean Hieaux is not isolated and is supported by a very large local line majority which sees the FN like an auxiliary force making it possible to make return the town of Dreux on the right, carried by the left in 1977. Jacques Chirac will declare on the occasion: “Those which made alliance with the Communists are definitively disqualified to give lessons human right rules of democracy. (...) I would not have been constrained at all to vote for list RPR-FN with the second turn. That does not have any species of importance to have four pilgrims of the FN with Dreux compared to the four communist ministers at the Council of Ministers” .

This objective will be successful, Jean Hieaux will remain mayor of the city until 1995. Alliance with the FN is quickly consumed, as of the elections of 1989, the FN remakes band with share and will be marginalized more and more of election in election. This lose speed is due much to the accidental death of Jean-Pierre Stirbois in 1988. It is then his wife, Marie-France Stirbois which will incarnate the FN with Dreux, while being elected appointed in 1989 at the time of partial, then general adviser in 1992 (only one mandate), then appointed European and regional adviser before definitively leaving the city after the regional ones of 1998 (failure of alliance droite/FN at the District council of the Center), to join Nice and area PACA. The socialist mayor of 1977 with 1983, Francoise Gaspard, will write a book on his experiment, a small town in France . She will assume then publicly her Homosexualité, becoming thus one of the first French political personalities to do it and almost only as a woman.

Today, a priority: to change the image of the city

In 1995, Gerard Hamel (RPR then UMP) preserves the city on the right by carrying out a aggiornamento arranging in a voluntarist way at the row of the errors of last the possibility of an alliance droite/FN. Very marked by a strong unemployment due to a difficult reconversion of its industry (automobile, electronic), and by the delicate management of a strong immigration multiplying the communities all confronted with a very important social instability, Dreux tries to change its image which still puts back on a triptych “industrial Dormitory town, difficult districts, cradle of the FN”. It put on new economic dies (drug company) and on an ambitious cultural policy (creation of a large cultural pole, a center of contemporary art: the Odyssey). Hamel is re-elected in 2001.

The ousting of the FN of the Municipal council of Dreux randomly does not owe anything and all with the action the Harki S which constitute 6% of the population of the commune. Single case of a successful political implication of Harkis, those, taken along by Abd-el-Kader Hamiche, were combined with Jean Hieaux for the municipal elections of 1989, making it possible this one to remake a virginity while getting rid of Front National. The gradually marginalized FN, Marie-France Stirbois, despaired to succeed in being made there re-elect, gave him the death-blow while leaving for Nice.

With the municipal elections of 2001, after the scission with MNR and the departure of Marie-France Stirbois, the National front does not count enough any more of militants to draw up a list.

Three mosques were built since the end of influence FN in Dreux (of which one of the integrist community of the Tabligh). In addition, the city lost: 5000 inhabitants

Demography

Economy

The city has an antenna of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Eure-et-Loir.

Personalities related to the commune

Robert Ier was the fourth wire of the king Louis VI the Large. Count de Dreux, it was married three times and died in 1188. It had two children and it is Robert II which inherited the Comté of Dreux
Métézeau: drouaise big family, family of architects which contributed to develop the architectural richness of the city. One distinguishes:

Clement Ier (1479-1555)
Jean (1528-1600)
Thibault (1533-1596)
Clement II (1581-1652)
Louis (1562-1616)

Jean Rotrou: it goes down from a former middle-class family of the city. It was born in Dreux on August 21st, 1609. In 1639, after the death of Richelieu, it buys the load of civil and criminal particular lieutenant to the baillage of Dreux. In 1650, he dies at the time of an epidemic of fever crimson not to have wanted to leave the city and to put themselves safe from the epidemic. He dies on June 27th, 1650 at the 41 years age. He was buried in the cemetery of the parish church Saint Pierre.
Antoine Godeau, dead on April 21st, 1672, Easter Day, an attack of apoplexy.
François-Andre Danican-Philidor (born on September 7th, 1726 in Dreux - died on August 31st, 1795 with London) type-setter and player of failures French. Resulting from a dynasty of famous musicians of the 17eet 18th centuries, which carried all the nickname of Philidor. Oldest of between-them, Michel Danican, hautboïste virtuoso, had filled with enthusiasm Louis XIII, pointing out to him the talent of Italian Filidori. Raise Campra, its many light operas show its inventiveness. Today, its name remains associated with the set of failures because he was the best player in the world and published the Analysis of the play of the failures in 1749, at the 22 years age. Living pensions of the king, he died in London, not being able to return to France, regarded wrongly as emigrant.
Louis-Philippe Ier and some of its ascending and downward rests in the royal vault.
Francoise Gaspard, sociologist, writer, feminist and French political woman.
Patrick Vieira, Footballer world champion in 1998, champion of Europe in 2000, captain of the team of France of football. At summer laid off of the FC (football club) Drouais.

Twinnings

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Tally of life

flowered City: 3 flowers allotted by the National council of the Cities and Flowered Villages of France to the Contest of the cities and flowered villages.

See too

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