Eure-et-Loir

Eure-et-Loir (French pronunciation: ​[œʁelwaʁ]) is a French department, named after the Eure and Loir rivers.

Eure-et-Loir
Department
Hôtel de Ligneris (1795), Prefecture building of the Eure-et-Loir department, in Chartres
Flag
Coat of arms
Location of Eure-et-Loir in France
Coordinates: 48°20′N 01°25′E
CountryFrance
RegionCentre-Val de Loire
PrefectureChartres
SubprefecturesChâteaudun
Dreux
Nogent-le-Rotrou
Government
 • President of the General CouncilClaude Térouinard (UMP)
Area
 • Total5,880 km2 (2,270 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total433,929
 • Rank55th
 • Density74/km2 (190/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number28
Arrondissements4
Cantons15
Communes365
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

History

Eure-et-Loir is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 pursuant to the Act of December 22, 1789. It was created mainly from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais (Beauce) and Maine (Perche), but also parts of Île-de-France (Drouais, Thimerais, Valley of the Avre, Hurepoix).

The current department corresponds to the central part of the land of the Carnutes who had their capital at Autricum (Chartres). The Carnutes are known for their commitment, real or imagined, to the ancient Druidic religion. A holy place in the "Forest of the Carnutes" used to host the annual Druidic assembly. In the north of the department another pre-Roman people, the little-known Durocasses, had their capital at Dreux.

Geography

Eure-et-Loir comprises the main part of the region of Beauce, politically it belongs to the current region of Centre-Val de Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Essonne, Yvelines, Eure, Orne, and Sarthe.

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called Euréliens.

Economy

The Eure-et-Loir is a department of agricultural tradition (Beauce), but also at the forefront in three economic sectors :

Agriculture

The department is a major economic player in the production of grain and oilseed in France.[1] Its agricultural economy is still heavily dependent on the economic and regulatory environment of the markets for crops. The Eure-et-Loir region is the first grain producer of France. It is also the national leader in the production of rapeseed and peas. Wheat production is by far the most dominant in the area. Nearly 40% of all farmland is devoted to the cultivation of wheat, which has generated an average of 29% of the commercial agricultural production of the department over the last 5 years.

The "Pôle AgroDynamic also promotes agriculture in the department", a grouping of subsidiaries providing added values in different sectors: agro-energy, agribusiness, agricultural materials, Agrohealth.

Industries
  • The Cosmetic Valley cluster, around Chartres, which is the most important centre of the French beauty and well-being (perfumes/cosmetics) industry, with big names such as Guerlain, Paco Rabanne, Lolita Lempicka, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Jean-Paul Gaultier. The Cosmetic Valley represents 2.5 billion euros of turnover, includes 200 companies, collaborates with the Universities of Orleans and Paris and employs more than 30,000 employees.
  • The pharmaceutical industry, around Dreux and the Polepharma cluster. Created in 2002 under the leadership of CODEL[2] Polepharma is a cluster of French pharmaceutical production which includes companies like Ipsen, Novo Nordisk, Laboratoires Expanscience, LEO Pharma, Ethypharm Famar, Norgine, Nypro, Synerlab / Sophartex and Seratec. The cluster represents 50% of drug production in France and 30,000 jobs. The Pharma cluster is also one of the creators of the inter-regional alliance "Pharma Valley" that has partner networks: Polepharma, CBS and Grepic. This alliance represents 60% of the production sites located in France and 2.5 billion euros of turnover.
  • the agri-food industry, promoted by Agrodynamic (rural center of excellence), with two major companies in the sector: Ebly at Chateaudun and an Andros at Auneau.
  • woodcraft and furniture industry around the association Perchebois.
  • the rubber and plastics industry, through the cluster Elastopole.
  • the elevator manufacturer Octé has its head office in Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais [3]

Energy

The department also has the lead in renewable energy. Already ranked second nationally in terms of power generation through its wind farms located in particular in the Beauce region of Eure-et-Loir in 2012 will be the largest producer of electricity with photovoltaic French original creation on the airbase NATO disused Crucey-Villages near Brezolles in the region's natural Thymerais, the largest photovoltaic park in France. Given in February 2011 by the General Council to the operator, EDF Energies Nouvelles, the park will cover 245 ha of the military base and produce the equivalent output of 160 wind turbines.

Politics

The President of the Departmental council is Claude Térouinard of The Republicans.

Partyseats
• The Republicans, Union of Democrats and Independents, Miscellaneous right17
The Republicans11
Miscellaneous Left2

Current National Assembly Representatives
ConstituencyMember[4]Party
Eure-et-Loir's 1st constituency Guillaume Kasbarian La République En Marche!
Eure-et-Loir's 2nd constituency Olivier Marleix The Republicans
Eure-et-Loir's 3rd constituency Laure de La Raudière The Republicans
Eure-et-Loir's 4th constituency Philippe Vigier Union of Democrats and Independents

Tourism
  • The most important tourist attraction is the cathedral of Chartres, with its magnificent stained-glass windows.
  • Church: Saint-Pierre of Dreux, Saint-Denis (Toury)
  • Chapelle Royale of Dreux
  • Beffroi of Dreux
  • Bonneval Abbey
  • Castle of Anet, of Chateaudun, of Maillebois, of Maintenon, of Montigny (Cloyes-sur-Loir), of Montigny-sur-Avre, of Charbonnières (Authon-du-Perche), Castle Saint-John (Nogent-le-Rotrou), Castle of Villepion (Orgères-en-Beauce), Castle of Reverseaux (Voves)
  • Regional parc of the Perche

Notable people

Middle Ages
  • Hasting, viking chief who was Count of Chartres (882 - 892)
  • Hugues Capet (c. 939 – 996), King of the Franks, deceased near Voves
  • Fulbert de Chartres (952-970 – 1028), bishop founder of School of Chartres
  • Bernard of Tiron (1046 - 1117), founder of the monastic order of Tiron and of the abbey of Thiron-Gardais
  • John of Salisbury (1115 - 1180), student of Abélard and of Fulbert de Chartres. British intellectual, friend of Thomas Becket. Bishop of Chartres from 1176 to 1180.
  • Philippe VI of France (1293 – 1350), died at the Abbey of Notre-Dame of Coulombs, near Nogent-le-Roi
  • Jean II of France (1319 – 1364), who signed the Treaty of Brétigny during the Hundred Years War at Sours, a village near Chartres

Renaissance

19th and 20th century

Media

The media in Eure-et-Loir include the following:

  • Daily newspapers: L'Écho Républicain, La République du Centre
  • Weekly newspapers: Horizon (agricultural journal), L'Action Républicaine, Le Perche, L'Écho de Brou
  • Local radio and TV stations: Radio Intensité (Châteaudun), RTV (Dreux), Radio Grand Ciel

See also

References
  1. Agricultural chamber of Eure-et-Loir
  2. Codel: Eure-et-Loir economic development board
  3. http://shop.octe.eu/en/index.aspx?p_lang=1
  4. http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/
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