Angers

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Angers
Angers coat of arms
Angers (France)
Angers
region Pays de la Loire
Department Maine-et-Loire ( Prefecture )
Arrondissement Angers
Canton Angers-1 (main town)
Angers-2 (main town)
Angers-3 (main town)
Angers-4 (main town)
Angers-5 (main town)
Angers-6 (main town)
Angers-7 (main town)
Community association Angers Loire metropolis
Coordinates 47 ° 28 ′  N , 0 ° 33 ′  W Coordinates: 47 ° 28 ′  N , 0 ° 33 ′  W
height 12-64 m
surface 42.70 km 2
Residents 152,960 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 3,582 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 49000, 49100
INSEE code 49007
Website http://www.angers.fr/

View of Angers

Angers / ɑ̃ʒe / pronunciation ? / I is a town in the west of France and capital of the department of Maine-et-Loire in the region of Pays de la Loire . Angers was the capital of the former province of Anjou . Audio file / audio sample

Angers is the seat of the Community Plant Variety Office of the European Union .

geography

Angers lies on the Maine River , near its confluence with the Loire , and is on average 20 m above sea level. The community area is 4,270 hectares.

history

The Angers area has been populated since the Stone Age. A stone monument ( cairn ) from the Neolithic era was discovered in the area of ​​the later castle .

Celtic and Roman times

Since about the 5th century BC The Celtic Andes (also Andecavers), after whom the Anjou is named, settled here . They established an oppidum (early urban settlement), which was established after the Roman conquest of Gaul after 50 BC. Chr. Iuliomagus (market place of Julius Caesar ) and was designated as the administrative center of the Andecaver. During excavations, the city's thermal baths and several other buildings from Roman times were uncovered.

After the first barbarian invasions in 275, the city was given a wall for protection, which enclosed an area of ​​around 9 hectares. 372 Angers was first called the diocese of Angers .

In the course of the Great Migration , the city was fought over; in 469 there was fighting between Saxon looters and Gallo-Roman and Frankish troops, see Paulus (Comes) .

middle Ages

In the 6th century a monastery was built in the city on the initiative of Saint Germanus of Paris: Saint-Aubin, which was followed by another, Saint-Serge, in the 7th century. In 851 the town received a castle, which, however , could not prevent the attacks of the Loire Normans in the following time.

Around 929 Fulko takes on the title of Count of Anjou, Angers becomes the seat of the county of his ruling house, which played an important role in French history. Around 1175 the Saint-Jean Hospital was founded by King Henry II of England , Count of Anjou. From 1232 to 1242 the castle was built by Blanka of Castile and Louis IX . The University of Angers was founded in 1356, from 1373-1380 the "Tapestry of the Apocalypse " was created. One of the most important representatives of the Anjou dynasty was René I , Duke of Anjou , Count of Provence and King of Naples and Sicily (1409–1480).

Modern times

In 1598, Henry IV prepared the peace edict in Angers , which was signed in Nantes .

In 1793 Angers got caught up in the clashes of the Vendée uprising and was besieged in vain by the rebels on December 3rd and 4th (→ Siege of Angers ). In the age of industrialization in the 19th century a. a. the Bessonneau weaving mills. In 1850 soldiers marched in a storm - without stepping - over the Angers suspension bridge , the vibrations of which were nevertheless amplified to such an extent that it collapsed ( resonance catastrophe ).

After the German Wehrmacht attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 , the city granted asylum to the Polish government-in-exile in Pignerolle Castle and various hotels in the city the following day. Until June 1940 Angers was the center of the Polish resistance. After the German invasion of France in 1940, the Wehrmacht headquarters for Western France was set up in Angers . As early as 1941, on the initiative of Victor Chatenay, the resistance group "Honneur et Patrie" was formed. From 1942 Angers was a center of the Gestapo . The raids began. 60 people were killed on a firing range, 879 were deported to Auschwitz. In 1944 there were still 22 Jews living in the department.

In May 1944, Allied bombardments signaled the beginning of the liberation, which was costly: 418 dead, more than 360 wounded, 7,000 missing, 1,300 destroyed or non-habitable houses. On August 10, 1944, the city was liberated by the troops of General Patton . Michel Debré was acting head of the department until April 1945 .

Between 1957 and 1966, Jean Lurçat created the tapestry “The Song of the World”, which is now on display in the old Saint-Jean hospital.

Christophe Béchu has been the city's mayor since 2014.

Child abuse process

The city hit the headlines in 2005 when the Palace of Justice hosted the largest child abuse trial in judicial history. Sixty-six adults were accused of having assaulted 45 of their own children and those of other people's children and of running the prostitution business.

coat of arms

The place was once the center of the Gallic Andegawen, later the Roman city of Juliomagus, residence of the Counts of Anjou since the 9th century. In the city coat of arms a key can be seen as a symbol for the key military position of the city in the province of Anjou. The lilies in the head of the shield are the emblem of a good city in France.

population

  • Population: 152,960 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017)
  • Agglomeration area: 31 municipalities, a total of 270,000 inhabitants
  • Population density: 3,311 inhabitants / km²
  • Employment structure:
    • Workers: 11.7%
    • White-collar workers: 13.4%
    • Craftsmen, traders, operations managers: 2.4%
    • Employees in agriculture: 0.2%
    • Pensioners: 15%
    • Others without employment: 42.5%
    • 90,000 professionally active people in the agglomeration area, corresponds to an employment rate of 53.9%

economy

The main employers:

  • University Clinic: 4,500 employees,
  • Angers city and agglomeration: 3,353 employees,
  • Thomson Multimédia: 1,350 employees,
  • Nec Computer International: 1000 employees,
  • Valéo : 1000 employees,
  • Bosch France: 900 employees,
  • Scania : 700 employees

Every year Angers produces:

  • 800,000 televisions (Thomson)
  • 1.2 million personal computers,
  • 3.5 million headlights (Valéo)
  • 6 million vehicle brakes (Bosch)
  • 9,500 trucks (Scania)
  • 12 million bottles of Cointreau
  • 30,000 tons of slate

education

Culture

Attractions

House of Adam ( Maison d'Adam ), oldest building in the city

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Angers

UNESCO world cultural heritage

The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

Important medieval church buildings are the cathedral , the Abbey of Saint-Aubin and the church of Saint-Serge with a characteristic ribbed vault from the early 13th century, as is typical of the so-called “Angevin Gothic” of the “Plantagenet Style”. The Hôpital Saint-Jean, a three-aisled vaulted hospital ward with slender columns (see museums below), belongs to the time of King Henry II.

Château du Roi René , in the foreground the Maine river
Château du Roi René

The Angers Castle has its origins in the 11th century when the Count of Anjou her built palace here. It was completed in the 13th century and was part of the city wall. From the outside, it looks more like a fortress with its 17 towers, all of which have been trimmed except for the mill tower. The building materials are an architectural specialty: tuff stone (white) and slate (black). This shows that Angers lies on the border of the Paris basin and the Armorican massif.

A special work of art that is exhibited at Angers Castle is the tapestry of the " Apocalypse of Angers " (103 m long, 4.5 m high). It is a tapestry cycle that depicts the end of the world according to the Revelation of John. The tapestry is the oldest surviving tapestry of this size, was woven in the 14th century, and is a unique example of the tapestry art of the Middle Ages.

Museums

Jean Lurçat Museum
Jean Lurçat's contemporary tapestries (1957–1966) are on display in the 12th century building of the Saint-Jean hospital . He called this work "Chant du monde" ("Song of the World"). They are supposed to represent the apocalypse of modern times, the atomic bomb. There are also special exhibitions by young tapestry artists.
Musée des Beaux-arts
The art museum reopened in 2004 after five years of construction. After extensive renovation and enlargement, the building now contains two permanent exhibitions on 3,000 m². The Beaux-arts exhibition shows pictures and sculptures from the 14th to the 21st century. In Histoire d'Angers , archaeological finds are presented and the history of the city is described. Each room represents an era or an artistic movement. Approx. 20% of the art objects are shown (350 works). There are also temporary exhibitions that are more dedicated to modern and contemporary art (e.g. Niki de Saint-Phalle - 1930–2002, New Realism ).
The building is the former Logis or town house of the Barrault family, built in the 15th century. It has housed the Museum of the Arts for 200 years. The museum's collection is diverse and arose from donations, bequests and purchases.
David d'Angers Gallery
The Toussaint Abbey Church from the 13th century contains numerous works by the sculptor David d'Angers (1788-1856) from his creative period from 1806 until his death, which he bequeathed to his hometown.
This building has been neglected since the French Revolution . In the 80s the church was restored and given a glass roof. The museum was inaugurated in 1984 by the then President of the Republic , François Mitterrand .
The church and its cloister are integrated into the ensemble of the Museum of Fine Arts and its park. Concerts are often held in the Toussaint monastery in summer.
Musée Pincé
In the Renaissance building (1530–1535) objects from Greek and Roman antiquity as well as Egyptian, Japanese and Chinese art objects are presented.
Musée-Château de Villevêque
In the castle of Villevêque, 900 art objects from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are exhibited.
Musée du Génie Militaire
In the pioneer museum operated by the French army and affiliated with a training facility , the history of the French pioneer troop is presented from its beginnings to the present day. Models and historical plans offer an interesting impression of the development of this technical support force, and of course the work of its most famous representative, the fortress builder Vauban , is not missing .

Nature and leisure

Angers inland port

The island of Saint-Aubin is three kilometers from the city center, between the Mayenne and Sarthe rivers . It consists of river sediments and offers a rich flora and fauna . In addition to grazing, it is primarily used for local recreation. The island can be reached from the mainland via a small ferry and explored on foot or by bike. 10 km of paths are available for this.

The Lac de Maine recreational area covers 220 hectares, 100 hectares of which is water. A variety of recreational activities are available, including windsurfing , sailing , canoeing , pedal boating , swimming , tennis and orienteering . A youth hostel (150 beds) and a campsite (four stars, open from March to October) are located directly on the lake.

River tourism: Angers has 300 km of navigable waters, the Loire , Maine , Sarthe and Mayenne rivers . The section of the Loire from Sully-sur-Loire to Chalonnes-sur-Loire has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . The inland port of Angers is a good starting point, you can rent house and excursion boats there.

Sports

Angers is home to the football club SCO Angers , which has been back in Ligue 1 since 2015 .

traffic

The city is connected to the cities of Nantes , Le Mans and Tours by rail links (St. Laud station on the Tours – Saint-Nazaire railway line with TGV stop) and highways . 20 km northeast, in Marcé there is an airport with international air traffic.

Local transport is carried by several bus routes. A major improvement in the city's public transport system, which had a tram service from 1896 to 1949, is expected to be brought about by a tram line that opened on June 25, 2011.

The Angers Loire Airport , community Marcé was instead of the suburban airport in 1998 Angers-Avrillé opened by 1908th

Town twinning

Angers maintains city partnerships with

sons and daughters of the town

See also

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de Maine-et-Loire . Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-117-1 , pp. 79-173.

Web links

Commons : Angers  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ railwaygazette.com: Angers tram opens , June 29, 2011 Access 2 September 2011
  2. ↑ Angers website: Villes jumelles et partenaires ( Memento of October 24, 2011 in the Internet Archive )