Batz-sur-Mer
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Seaside in Batz-sur-Mer
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 Batz-sur-Mer
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Location within Pays de la Loire region
Batz-sur-Mer
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| Coordinates: 47°16′41″N 2°28′44″W / 47.2781°N 2.4789°WCoordinates: 47°16′41″N 2°28′44″W / 47.2781°N 2.4789°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Pays de la Loire | |
| Department | Loire-Atlantique | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Nazaire | |
| Canton | Le Croisic | |
| Intercommunality | Cap Atlantique | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Danielle Rival | |
| Area1 | 9.27 km2 (3.58 sq mi) | |
| Population (2009)2 | 3,089 | |
| • Density | 330/km2 (860/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 44010 /44740 | |
| Elevation | 0–21 m (0–69 ft) (avg. 12 m or 39 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Batz-sur-Mer (Breton: Bourc'h-Baz) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.
The commune is situated on a former island that, until around the 9th century, was separate from the mainland at Guérande and the neighboring island of Le Croisic. The territory of the commune is now part of the wild coast of Guérande Peninsula with rocky cliffs, sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean, and a extensive salt marshes to the northeast and east.
The town lies between the Bay of Biscay and its salt marshes and is a very Breton town of whitewashed granite houses.
In 945, Alan II, Duke of Brittany, founded a priory in Batz-sur-Mer, dedicated to St Winwaloe. Its Benedictine monks developed the local economy, and apart from religion they devoted themselves to agriculture and to the maintenance of salt ponds.
The historic church of Saint-Guénolé, or Winwaloe, largely dating from the 15th century, stands in the town centre. The church contains a 16th-century sculpture of the Madonna and Child, and its 17th-century belfry provides a significant local landmark. Climbing to the top of the tower gives a good view over the salt marshes and the Le Croisic peninsula.
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Wikipedia