Challans
| Challans | ||
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| region | Pays de la Loire | |
| Department | Vendée | |
| Arrondissement | Les Sables-d'Olonne | |
| Canton | Challans (main town) | |
| Community association | Challans-Gois Communauté | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 51 ′ N , 1 ° 53 ′ W | |
| height | 1-64 m | |
| surface | 64.84 km 2 | |
| Residents | 20,622 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 318 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 85300 | |
| INSEE code | 85047 | |
| Website | www.ville-challans.fr | |
 Commanderie de Coudrie |
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Challans is a French commune and with 20,622 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) the capital of the French canton of Challans . Challans is part of the Les Sables-d'Olonne arrondissement in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region .
location
Challans is located in the northwest of the Vendée on the edge of the Breton marshland ( marais breton ).
history
In the Middle Ages, Challans was under the rule of the Barons of Commequiers . In the period from around 1500, the development into an important regional trade fair city began. The foire des minées takes place every year in September as an exhibition of craft, industry and trade in the Vendée.
In the Vendée uprisings , Challans was the scene of armed conflict. In the 19th century, the city experienced an upswing in the age of industrialization thanks to its favorable location on the new railway line from Nantes to Saint-Gilles.
Demographics
In 50 years the population has tripled, making Challans the fourth largest town in the department today.
economy
Due to its location, the place can benefit from visitors to the seaside resorts of the Vendée. The local industry includes cabinet makers and a factory owned by the boat builder Bénéteau .
Attractions
See also: List of Monuments historiques in Challans
Challans Church has a Stations of the Cross known for its true-to-life representations. The local ducks are valued for other reasons and are also bought by Parisian gourmet restaurants as canards de Challans .
Sons and daughters of the church
- Jacqueline Auriol (1917–2000) pilot, the first woman to break the sound barrier, several times "fastest woman in the world"
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Vendée. Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-118-X , pp. 93-98.
