Beauce (France)
The Beauce is a sparsely populated French Börden landscape that extends over parts of what is now the Eure-et-Loir , Loir-et-Cher and smaller parts of the Loiret , Essonne and Yvelines . The largest part is therefore in the administrative region Center-Val de Loire ; The main locations are (from north to south): Dreux (approx. 30,000), Maintenon (approx. 4,500), Chartres (approx. 40,000) and Étampes (approx. 25,000) located approx. 50 km to the east and Bonneval (approx. 5,000) and Châteaudun (approx. 13,000) in the south.
landscape
The Beauce is a largely tree and bushless limestone plain covered with a fertile clay cover with an average height of approx. 120 m ; the highest elevation is likely to be less than 200 m . The most important river is the Eure , flowing through Chartres and Maintenon ; The Blaise , a tributary of the Eure, flows through Dreux , and Bonneval and Châteaudun are on the banks of the Loir .
economy
The field economy dominates the landscape, which is characterized by extensive grain and sugar beet fields; Livestock farming takes place primarily in stables. Mainly wheat and maize are grown, but barley, oats, rye and sugar beet are also important. The Beauce is one of the most important grain-growing areas in France ("granary of Paris"). In the last decades of the 20th century potatoes and vegetables (beans, peas, etc.) were added.
history
Politically, the Beauce was not a uniform entity: In the early and high Middle Ages there was the county of Chartres , which in 1284 was purchased by the Crown domain ( Domaine royal ) . In the 10th century, the Vice- County of Châteaudun (later: County of Dunois ) was established in the south , which was closely linked to the County of Blois in the 13th century . There is consequently no uniform coat of arms for the Beauce. During the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) the region was devastated by the English in October and November of 1370.
Attractions
The main attractions of the Beauce are the city and the cathedral of Chartres . The castle Maintenon , the castle (château) of Châteaudun and the old town of Bonneval, which is surrounded by a canal, also deserve attention.
literature
- Michel Aubouin: Une Histoire de la Beauce. 2 vol., CLD 1995 and 1997
- Émile Zola : The Earth ( La terre , 1887). This novel, the 15th of the 20-volume Rougon-Macquart cycle , is set in a fictional Beauce village.
Web links
- Beauce, Tourism - Photos + Info (French)