Châteauroux | |||
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St. Andrew's Church
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Coordinates: 46°48′37″N 1°41′28″E / 46.8103°N 1.6911°ECoordinates: 46°48′37″N 1°41′28″E / 46.8103°N 1.6911°E | |||
Country | France | ||
Region | Centre-Val de Loire | ||
Department | Indre | ||
Arrondissement | Châteauroux | ||
Intercommunality | Castelroussine | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor (2008–2014) | Jean-François Mayet | ||
Area1 | 25.54 km2 (9.86 sq mi) | ||
Population (2012)2 | 44,960 | ||
• Density | 1,800/km2 (4,600/sq mi) | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
INSEE/Postal code | 36044 / 36000 | ||
Elevation | 132–164 m (433–538 ft) (avg. 154 m or 505 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. |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Châteauroux (French pronunciation: [ʃa.to.ru]) is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussins.
Châteauroux temperatures range from an average January low of 0.8 °C (33 °F) to an average August high of 25.1 °C (77 °F).
The old town, close to the river, forms a nucleus around which a newer and more extensive quarter, bordered by boulevards, has grown up; the suburbs of St. Christophe and Déols lie on the right bank of the Indre. The castle from which the city takes its name was built in the latter part of the 10th century by Raoul, prince of Déols. From 920 to 1008, the Norman raids forced the monks of the abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, founded in Britanny by Saint Gildas, to bring his relics to the abbey of Saint-Gildas of Châteauroux that they founded under the protection of the prince Ebbes of Déols, father of Raoul. During the Middle Ages it was the seat of a seigniory, which passed to the Chauvigny from 1207 to 1473 and was raised to the rank of countship in 1497 for Jean V d'Aumont. In 1616, when it was held by Henry II, Prince of Condé, it was raised to the rank of duchy. In 1736 it returned to the crown, and was given to Marie Anne de Mailly-Nesle, duchess of Châteauroux, by Louis XV in 1744. The present Château Raoul housing the préfecture offices dates from the 15th century.