Parthenay
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The west side of the Partenay citadel from the Saint-Paul Bridge over the River Thouet
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 Parthenay
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Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Parthenay
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| Coordinates: 46°38′46″N 0°14′52″W / 46.64620°N 0.247800°WCoordinates: 46°38′46″N 0°14′52″W / 46.64620°N 0.247800°W | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Deux-Sèvres | |
| Arrondissement | Parthenay | |
| Canton | Parthenay | |
| Intercommunality | Parthenay | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014–2020) | Xavier Argenton (NC) | |
| Area1 | 11.38 km2 (4.39 sq mi) | |
| Population (2014)2 | 10,367 | |
| • Density | 910/km2 (2,400/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 79202 / 79200 | |
| Elevation | 114–184 m (374–604 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.
Parthenay (pronounced: [paʁ.tɛn.ɛ]) is an ancient fortified town and commune in the Deux-Sèvres department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. It is sited on a rocky spur that is surrounded on two sides by the River Thouet, and is the sub-prefecture of the Parthenay arrondissement.
It is situated some 40 km (25 mi) north of Niort, 50 km (31 mi) west of Poitiers, 120 km (75 mi) south-east of Nantes, and 350 km (220 mi) south-west of Paris.
Each July, Parthenay hosts the Festival Ludique International de Parthenay, otherwise known as the Festival de Jeux or FLIP, in which the town's streets and squares are filled with games of many types. The shorter indoor FLIP d'hiver runs in November.
Legend has it that Parthenay was created with a wave of the fairy Melusine's wand. However the name of Parthenay first appears in written records at the beginning of the 11th century and there is no evidence of previous significant human occupation in the Middle Ages.
The castle, situated on an easily defended site at the tip of the rocky promontory surrounded by the loop of the river, was built in the 13th century. At the same time the outer fortifications protecting the citadel, and the town itself, were completed.
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