Pontchâteau

Pontchâteau is a common French, located in the department of the Loire-Atlantique and the area Pays of the Loire.

Its name in Gallo is Bridge-Chastèu.
Its name in Breton is Pontkastell-Keren .

Its inhabitants are the Pontchâtelains and Pontchâtelaines .

Geography

The commune of Pontchâteau is in the North-West of the Loire-Atlantique near the Morbihan. It is located at one interesting geographical crossroads (the axes Nantes-Valves and St Nazaire-Redon).

Infrastructures of communication

an road axis structuring Nantes-Valves in 2 X 2 ways (RN 165)
of the connections:

railway (TGV, Paris line/Quimper),
by bus (Nantes, Redon, St Nazaire, Valves)

to 40 km of the airport of the Nantes-Atlantic
to less than 20 mn of the future international airport of Notre Dame of the Moors

History

prehistory

As of prehistory, the area was inhabited as monuments attest it megalithic. “The Spindle of the Madeleine” is enormous a 5,65 height m block. To go there to leave, of PONT-CHATEAU by the road of CROSSAC (D16) to take a road on the right, which also leads to Bodio. By this same road (D16), but while following the first way on the left, during 3 km, one arrives at the Shaking Rock of Pimpenelle, impressive block of stone of 7 m but whose circumference does not exceed 1 Mr. Creation of the city

At the 11th century, giving up the site of the ECRIN, the lords of the Bridge facilitated the construction of residences not far from their castle, on the edges of Brivet. A bridge on the Brivet was kept by the castle of the Baron. It was probably on the right on the height. 2 Towers embedded in the dwellings tend to confirm it. To the foot of the Castle, the tradesmen come to shelter bandits their goods. The city is born, center of exchanges between the high country of the grounds of the plate and the Marais of the low country of the Brière: bridge and castle, core of origin, from where its name.

PONT-CHATEAU was, with the Middle Ages, on one of the roads of Saint-Jacques-with-Compostelle.

At the 18th century, it is the epopee of large the Missionnaire Grignion de Montfort which marks for a long time the soil pontchâtelain and surrounding.

A Leper-house and a Chapelle existed then in the forest of the Madeleine, to approximately 500 m of the current edge. Come to preach in the area, Saint Louis Oil cake of Montfort wanted to mark its passage by the erection of a Martyrdom. It chooses initially the site of the " Bises" rocks; with a few kilometers in the North-West of the borough of Campbon. Because of difficulties with the Count S of Coislin, lords of the place, it had to defer its choice on a site to the South of the forest of the Madeleine. The work started in 1709 was finished only fifteen months later. Louis XIV, perhaps badly informed, ordered the destruction of it. The Martyrdom, current was built during the 19th century. It includes/understands a way of cross with characters: an important group points out the Ascension; caves representing Bethlehem, the Anguish. Artificial hillock on which the Martyrdom itself rises, one makes a complete review setting ablaze the Brière, Brétesche, the Forêt of Gâvre and banks of the the Loire. This imposing unit is the Martyrdom more attended France. It is supplemented by a Scala Sancta going back to 1891.

During the Revolution

During the Revolution, Pontchâtelains, as skilful tradesmen, badly did not draw from the successive occupation of blue and the white. But what is Net, it is their attachment with the tracked priests, of which several paid of their life their pastoral service. In 1790 the first Mayor of Bridge-Castle is Mr. Jean-Baptiste Pellé of Quéral.

The chouans were made main of PONT-CHATEAU, during some time, during the “Great War”.

the Hundred Days

And during the Hundred Days, the Marquis of Coislin, local leader of the royalist Insurrection, had its general headquarter there. Radiating with its troop, it had some engagements with Campbon and Guérande with rejoined detachments with Napoleon.

Of 1820 to our days

1835 : Purchase of the first fire pump. Creation of the body of the firemen,
1856: Solemn inauguration of the renovated Martyrdom, in the presence of 10000 people,
1862: Arrival of the railroad: the Bridge-Lords of the manor see for the first time a train crossing their commune,
1897: Inauguration of the current town hall,
1902: Arrival of the telephone downtown,
1906: Arrival of electric lighting downtown,
1935: Arrival of the water service downtown,
1946: First edition of the festival of the boats flowered on the Brivet,

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

The wood of Coët-Rotz and celebrates for its beauty, its peace and to regularly accommodate great championships of cyclo cross-country race.

Monuments megalithic

. “ the Spindle of the Madeleine ” is enormous a 5,65 height m block. To go there to leave, of PONT-CHATEAU by the road of CROSSAC (D16) to take a road on the right, which also leads to Bodio.

By this same road (D16), but while following the first way on the left, during 3 km, one arrives at the Roche Shaking of Pimpenelle , impressive block of stone of 7 m but whose circumference does not exceed 1 Mr.

Personalities related to the commune

Pontchâteau is the town of origin of the scenario writer Jacques Demy whose library bears the name

now

Others

According to the area division Brittany makes by Erwan Valerie, Pontchâteau belongs to the traditional country of the Brière and the historical country of the Nantes Pays.

The commune is famous to have accommodated two Championships of the World of Cyclo-cross in 1989 and 2004. It also accommodated the Championships of Europe 2005.

Twinning

PontChâteau is twinned with:

Nassau On Lahn in Germany in the area of the Rhineland-Palatinat since the May 18th 1975

See too

Common of the Loire-Atlantique

External bonds

Internet site of the commune
Pontchâteau on the site of the national geographical Institute
Pontchâteau on the site of INSEE
Pontchâteau on the site of Quid
Localization of Pontchâteau on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Pontchâteau on Mapquest
History of PontChateau

Sources

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