Saumur is a common French, Sous-préfecture of the department of Maine-et-Loire in the area Pays of the Loire.

Geography

Close cities: Loudun (Vienna), Thouars (Two-Sevres), Angers and Wallow (Maine-et-Loire), Chinon and Turns (Indre-et-Loire). The municipality of Saumur includes/understands five common partners: Saumur-city, Bagneux, Dampierre on the Loire, Saint-Hilaire - Saint-Florent, Saint-Lambert of the Liftings. The town of Saumur counts six important bridges:

  • on the Loire: a railway bridge, the Cessart bridges and Juniors by Saumur, and the bridge of the Black edge
  • on Thouet the two Fouchard bridges and of the Lock.

History

The name comes from preceltic “the Sala , the marshy ground” and of “ murus , the fort”, according to the linguists of the school of Dauzat.
the word appears in 958, date which marks the beginning of the history of Saumur.
Another meaning gives for etymology the expression Latin E Salvus murus , the wall of the hello .

In 845, Saumur is plundered by the chief Viking Hasting.

In 1343, salt becomes a state monopoly by an ordinance of the king Philippe VI of Valois, which institutes the gabelle , the tax on salt. The Anjou belongs to the countries of " large gabelle" and includes/understands sixteen special courts or " attics with sel" , of which that of Saumur.

Seneschalsy of Saumur

In May 1544, by the Edict of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer, François 1st creates " the office of Seneshal of Evening gown in Saumur, to exert Justice in all civil actions and criminal " . The act is important, because it concretizes the old subdivisions of the Anjou and delimits the legal spring of the Sénéchaussée of Saumur (very wide by long outgrowths towards the East and the South), for two centuries and half (until the French revolution).

  • At the time of the French revolution, the Sénéchaussée of Saumur is represented by four deputies:

    • Representing Clergy: Mesnard.
    • Representing of the Nobility: Tool bags.
    • Representatives of the Third-State: Cigougne and Bizard.

  • For one millenium, the city has exerted five permanent functions :

The military capital

Born with the foot from a fortress established on the hill from the castle, sheltered behind an urban enclosure as from the 14th century, the city controls a passage very disputed on the Loire. It becomes the seat of a government military, ordered by Philippe Duplessis-Mornay of 1589 with 1621, and then seems one of the political capitals of French Protestantism.

Two brigades and the staff of a regiment of Carabinier S are installed there in 1763. The barracks built to lodge them receives in 1814 the École of instruction of the troops with horse which becomes the royal École of cavalry in 1825 become since the École of application of the armor-plated weapon cavalry. Its instructors of horsemanship give public resumptions of high school under the name of Cadre Noir. City of the horse, Saumur becomes, in 1972, the seat of the National school of horsemanship (E.N.E.).

The religious capital

Placed under the dependence of the abbey of Saint-Florent the Young person, Saumur builds with the Middle Ages of the churches of beautiful invoice; on the whole, it counts sixteen religious buildings classified among the historic buildings. Crowd of pilgrims converges towards the fountain and the statue of Our-Lady-of-Ardilliers the; a production of chains and objects of piety develop in the suburb of Fenet.
With the Protestant Academy teach considered professors, like Marc Duncan, Moïse Amyraut, Tanneguy the Boilerman, Louis Cappel or Josué of the Place. Many foreign students (whose William PEN) attends it until its closing in 1685. Vis-a-vis this Geneva news, the catholics mobilize and establish in the city seven communities religieuses.
The news of the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre reaches Angers on August 28th: the count de Montsoreau (death in 1575) there pitilessly made massacre the Protestants is repeated there.

The commercial capital

Navigation on the Loire and Thouet, the existence of a bridge as of 1162 support marketing activities and financial which radiate on a wide country Saumur-native and which explain a morphology of city-bridge, agglomeration stretching itself along an road axis perpendicular to the two rivers. The construction of the Cessart bridge of 1756 to 1770 fact of extending this urban axis more in the west. As from the years 1850, the new railways supplant the river traffic.

The agro-alimentary capital

During centuries, the city markets the agricultural produce of its rural periphery, in particular the wines, cereals, the fruits and hemp. More turned towards the tradition than towards the innovation, the Saumur-native agglomeration approaches the industrial era starting from its local bases. The old craft industry of the chain is transformed into manufactures of medals. The careers of Tuffeau appear favourable with making of effervescent wines according to the Champagne method, like with the culture of the Champignon S of layer.

The administrative capital

Under the Old Mode, the Seneschalsy of Saumur directed by a governor, manages a territory which includes Bourgueil until Gizeux in North, extends beyond Loudun, towards South-east until Mirebeau, to the East to the town of Richelieu, to the South until Face-Loretz and the West to the borders of the Mauges.

Legal center under the Old Mode, the city becomes in 1800, the seat of a sub-prefecture to the dominant tertiary functions. In addition to the courts, the hospital, the trade, Saumur accommodates many schools. A teaching post-baccalaureat develops to with it, gathering nearly 800 students to the re-entry of 2005.

External bond towards a detailed historical account.

Administration

Famous characters

The Middle Ages

XVIe century

XVIIe century

XVIIIe century

Revolution and Empire

  • Nicolas Beaurepaire, officer
  • Aristide Aubert Dupetit-Thouars, admiral
  • Aubert Aubert Dupetit-Thouars, naturalist
  • François Bontemps, general
  • Urbain Burden, surgeon

XIXe century

  • Jean Breton, general Baptist
  • Benjamin Delessert
  • Auguste Carayon, (1813-1874), writer
  • Charles Ernest Beule (1826-1874), archeologist and politician
  • Rene Allain-Targé, politician

XXe century

Demography

Economy

Saumur is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Saumur. It manages the Aéroport of Saumur Saint-Florent.

Tourist monuments and places

  • the dolmen of Bagneux
  • Castle of Saumur (XIVe-XIXe century)
  • the church Notre-Dame de Nantilly
  • the church Saint-Pierre (XIIe-XVIIe century) with the twisted Bell-tower.
  • the Notre-Dame vault of Ardilliers and the house of the Oratory
  • the School of cavalry, today School of application of the armor-plated weapon cavalry (ÉAABC), cradle of the Cadre Noir
  • the National school of founded horsemanship in 1814, current place of teaching of the Cadre Noir and centers French horsemanship.
  • the Town hall
  • the hotel Blancler
  • the temple protesting
  • the House of the queen of Sicily

  • hotels of the old district

  • the church of Saint-Lambert of the Liftings (XIIIe century)
  • the museum of the Horse
  • the museum of the Armor-plated
  • the museum of the Mushroom
  • the museum Stones and Lights

Twinnings

It is the first city to be itself twinned with Saumur on June 19th, 1967. This twinning falls under the history of the Franco-German relationships to the will to bring closer the populations and to create bonds of friendship. Verden is a City of the North of Germany (Lower Saxony), located on the Outward journey, chief town of the district, with 28.000 inhabitants. It is in Germany the capital of the horse
Ville of the south of England on the Avon river, is twinned with Saumur since March 19th, 1976. Warwick is the chief town of Warwickshire, with approximately 18.000 inhabitants.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, Havelberg maintains the privileged relations with Verden, city of the ex West Germany twinned in Saumur. It was thus natural that a pact of friendship with Havelberg is signed on September 21st, 1991.
Asheville is related to Saumur by a pact of friendship since March 21st, 1996. Asheville is a residential city of 50.000 inhabitants, located in an undulating area, with a castle built by the Vanderbilt family. The associative relations allow exchanges followed between Saumur and Asheville.
the town of Saumur, sponsors the town of Rusetu (5 000 inhabitants), located at 130 km of Bucharest in Romania, since July 3rd, 1989. Saumur initiated cooperation actions and of solidarity towards the inhabitants of this city.

Literature

Honore de Balzac locates at Saumur, during one time which goes from 1816 to 1827, its novel Eugenie Grandet, one of the masterpieces of the human Comedy published in (1834).

Music

  • the group of French hard rock Trust was interdict to occur in Saumur at the beginning of the Années 1980. In counterpart, the second album contains a named song Saumur, particularly severe for the city. (text of the song)

  • Ruda (in the past “Ruda Salska”) is an rock group/ska of Saumur (France) formed in 1993.

References

Hubert Landais (to dir.), History of Saumur , Toulouse: Privat, 1997

Sport

  • FOOTBALL: The club of Olympic of Saumur Football Club, dominates has Saumur. The city counted many clubs before fusion into 2000 the many ones of these clubs for only one and single.
The team first of Olympic of Saumur evolved/moved in championship of Division Of Honor, for season 2006/2007. The Resident of Saumur will finish first of their group, and reach thus, for the first time of their history, with the Championship of France Amateur 2 (CFA2), where they will évoluront for season 2007/2008. This saion, gràace with its large striker " krostopher" the Olympic one is 1st, but in 18 years because of an old striker called " trezécouette " because of a splendid penalty louper, the 18 year old teams are eliminated.

External bonds

  • Official site of the city
  • Site of the tourist bureau
  • History of Saumur

Other bonds

  • Saumur on the site of the national geographical Institute
  • Saumur on the site of INSEE
  • Saumur on the site of Quid
  • Localization of Saumur on a chart of France and communes bordering
  • Plane on Saumur on Mapquest
  • Site of the public college Honore de Balzac
  • the English " and French book; To travel in Saumur" by Catherine Taralon & Marc Broussard
  • Photographs of Saumur in '' Panoramio ''

Gallery

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