Summary
Montmorillon (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃mɔʁijɔ̃] ⓘ) is a commune in central-western France, in the Vienne department of which it is a sub-prefecture, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Its inhabitants are called Montmorillonnaises and Montmorillonnais.[3]
Montmorillon | |
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Subprefecture and commune | |
 View of the apse of the Notre Dame Church and Le Vieux-Pont | |
 Coat of arms | |
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| Coordinates: 46°25′37″N 0°52′18″E / 46.4269°N 0.8717°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Vienne |
| Arrondissement | Montmorillon |
| Canton | Montmorillon |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Bernard Blanchet[1] |
| Area 1 | 57 km2 (22 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 5,919 |
| • Density | 100/km2 (270/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 86165 /86500 |
| Elevation | 82–168 m (269–551 ft) (avg. 105 m or 344 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Montmorillon is a Book town and it is branded as the "City of Writing". The town has several writing-inspired museums and bookshops covering several genres.
History edit
The town was once known for paper making, but in the nineteenth century the mill and its plentiful supply of clean water was repurposed to making the "Beer of Montmorillon". The beer was made from 1848 and sold to discerning drinkers who rejected the usual drink of red wine. The family-run business continued to 1963, leaving several abandoned buildings.[4] In 2015, the brewery opened again.[5]
The clay mineral montmorillonite was named after Montmorillon after its discovery there in 1847.[6]
Montmorillon is branded as the "City of Writing" as it has had museums and bookshops with that theme since 2000.[7] The idea that Montmorillon should be a Book town came from Régine Deforges, a local councillor who was a successful, and controversial, author. The town had a history of paper-making, and her idea received local and international support. The old medieval quarter of the town attracted six million euros of funding.[8]
It is also known for its macarons, and there is another museum dedicated to that.[7] The museum was opened in 2003 by the Maison Rannou-Métivier[9] who are the oldest macaron bakery in Montmorillon, dating back to 1920.
The widely popular Coopération pédagogique range of educational posters were produced in Montmorillon, in the 1950s by Éditions Rossignol.[8]
On 31 March (Easter sunday) heavy rainfall lead to the severe flooding of the town.[10]
Le Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Montmorillon (MAHM) edit
The Museum of Art and History in Montmorillon was created in 1936. After closing for several years, the museum reopened in 2018. Located the right bank of the Gartempe, the museum was once a primary school.
The museum has a collection of regional paintings of the 19th and 20th century. This collection of paintings comprises works by Raoul Carré, Jehan Berjonneau, Alfred Plauzeau, Raoul-Félix Etève, Jeanne Harry-Lorne and Henri-Pierre Lejeune. The subjects depicted by the artists are varied. The majority are portraits but the landscape of the local area is strongly featured with the artists having drawn inspiration both from the landscape of the region and their wider travels.
As well as the painting there are a number of graphic documents, designs by Henri Plisson and water colours by Gratiant Emmanuel.
Population edit
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| Source: EHESS[11] and INSEE (1968-2017)[12] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sister cities edit
Wadern, Germany, since 1968
Medina del Campo, Spain, since 1994
Safané, Burkina Faso, since 1997
Gościno, Poland, since 2003
Putna, Romania, since 2013[13]
Notable people edit
- Étienne de Vignolles, called La Hire (1390-1443), French military commander during the Hundred Years' War
- Paul de Ladmirault (1808-1898) French general and senator,
- Joseph Carré (1870-1941), architect
- Régine Deforges (1935-2014), novelist and local councillor.[8]
- Simon Pagenaud (1984-), Champion Indycar Driver, 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Services publics Montmorillon". habitants.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-19.
- ^ "Saulgé (86) - Site officiel de la commune". www.saulge.fr. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ "Montmorillon - Bières et Limonades Artisanales, Bio et Made in France". bieresdemontmorillon.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-12-19.
- ^ Montmorillonite Archived 2012-05-24 at the Wayback Machine. Mindat.org
- ^ a b "Montmorillon: one of Vienne's prettiest historical cities | Saulgé.com". www.saulge.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ a b c Alex Johnson (5 April 2018). Book Towns. Frances Lincoln (White Lion 2). ISBN 978-1-78101-242-0.
- ^ "Press Book". museedumacaron.com. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
- ^ "Heavy rainfall causes severe flooding in French town". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Montmorillon, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ « Putna officiellement liée à Montmorillon », La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest, 15 octobre 2013.
External links edit
- Tourisme Montmorillon (in French)