Culan
| Culan | ||
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| region | Center-Val de Loire | |
| Department | Cher | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Amand-Montrond | |
| Canton | Châteaumeillant | |
| Community association | Berry Grand Sud | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 33 ' N , 2 ° 21' E | |
| height | 220-332 m | |
| surface | 20.23 km 2 | |
| Residents | 715 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 35 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 18270 | |
| INSEE code | 18083 | |
Culan is a French commune in the department of Cher in the region Center-Val de Loire . The municipality belongs to the canton of Châteaumeillant in the arrondissement of Saint-Amand-Montrond . After the rural exodus began in the 1980s, the community only has 715 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017). However, the downward trend has been halted since 2000 by the influx of Dutch and British people.
The medieval castle Culan is worth seeing .
geography
Culan is about 30 kilometers from Montluçon (in the Allier department) and 63 kilometers from Châteauroux (in the Indre department) and is at the foot of the northern foothills of the Massif Central . Culan is a small town in a slightly hilly area. The climate is mild-continental due to oceanic influences. The Arnon flows through the municipality, which flows into the Cher and this in turn into the Loire . There is also a lake of about ten hectares (swimming is prohibited, fishing is allowed), a public campsite, a tourist office, a place for campers, good shopping and all medical professions. The Sidiailles reservoir is about ten kilometers away, in a picturesque, nature-protected landscape with swimming and water sports (no motor boats).
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
| Residents | 1359 | 1310 | 1164 | 1055 | 932 | 822 | 829 | 723 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
Attractions
The castle is a medieval fortification and the pride of the village. Erected on a rocky mountain ledge above the Arnon River (nature reserve), it was besieged and destroyed by Philipp Auguste (1188?) In the war against the English King Henri II Plantagenêt. The current building with Renaissance additions dates from the 15th century. Century. It belonged in particular to the Admiral de Culant (1360–1444), Sully (1599–1621) and the Prince de Condé. During the French Revolution the lands of the castle were divided among several families and the complex was sold as national property.
Several famous guests were stationed here: Jeanne d'Arc , Louis XI. , Sully , Madame de Sévigné , the writer George Sand , the composer Chopin .
The castle has been remarkably well renovated. Visits are possible every day from Easter to All Saints' Day. Nearby there are some beautiful medieval houses in the steep streets and the parish church of Notre-Dame, dedicated to Saint Vincent.
Also, Culan is to the south of the tourist route Jacques Coeur street , named after Charles VII's finance minister and companion Joan of Arc.
economy
As a rural market town, Culan organizes a big market festival on May 10th the next Sunday. Sheep herds and regional agricultural products are for sale there. However, cattle and sheep are mainly auctioned on the “watch face” in the neighboring town of Châteaumeillant . (It is a kind of electronic auction: the animals are presented on a ring, the bidder press a button hidden on their desk, the prices are displayed on a dial. Cattle are auctioned on Mondays and sheep every other Friday.). Sheep and Charolais cattle are raised in the region . In addition, grain cultivation (wheat, maize, rape). Since the 1990s, the company has returned to horse and donkey breeding for leisure activities.
In 1980 there were two shirt manufacturers in Culan with just under a hundred employees. These factories are closed today - like the entire textile industry, victims of international competition and the fight for cheap prices.
Attracted by the still low real estate prices and the proximity of the Clermont-Ferrand - Bourges motorway, many Europeans (Dutch, British and French) are currently buying houses and farms in the area as second homes.
Events
The “bridge festival” (fête du pont) in September with the “big bike price of the two bridges” the following day. Various clubs and associations: football, bicycles, senior citizens, library, philately, chess, ...
Education: Culan has a "kindergarten" and a primary school. The pupils go to Châteaumeillant for secondary school; to high school with boarding school in Saint-Amand-Montrond or in Montluçon. The closest university towns are Tours and Clermont-Ferrand .
Personalities
- Louis de Culan (Ludwig von Culan) (or Culant, depending on the spelling of the time): Companion Jeanne d'Arcs and King Charles VII. He was second in command in the French king's army during the occupation of Orléans by the English.
- Maurice Estève (1304–2001): artist and painter, master of abstraction. The French post office dedicated a stamp to him in 1986 (which is very rare) while he was still alive, depicting his paintings. He is one of the great painters of the 20th century.
literature
- Le Patrimoine des Communes du Cher. Flohic Editions, Volume 1, Paris 2001, ISBN 2-84234-088-4 , pp. 317-322.
