Fouras

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Fouras
Coat of arms of Fouras
Fouras (France)
Fouras
region Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement Rochefort
Canton Châtelaillon plague
Community association Rochefort Ocean
Coordinates 45 ° 59 ′  N , 1 ° 6 ′  W Coordinates: 45 ° 59 ′  N , 1 ° 6 ′  W
height 0-21 m
surface 9.51 km 2
Residents 4,006 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 421 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 17450
INSEE code
Website www.fouras.net

Fouras Town Hall

Fouras (also: Fouras-les-Bains ) is a French municipality with 4006 inhabitants (as of January 1 2017) in the department of Charente-Maritime in the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine . Fouras belongs to the arrondissement of Rochefort and the canton of Châtelaillon-Plage . The inhabitants are called Fourasin (e) s .

geography

View of the center of Fouras

Fouras lies with its five beaches on the Atlantic Ocean on a peninsula. Here the Charente river flows into the Atlantic. From Fouras ferries go to the offshore islands, i. H. to Fort Énet and the island of Aix . Fouras is surrounded by the neighboring communities of Yves in the north, Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée in the east and Port-des-Barques in the south.

history

As a strategically important place, Fouras has always been the subject of disputes. In order to protect themselves from the Vikings, the construction of fortifications began early on. During the wars of religion, Fouras was occupied by the Protestants. In 1809 there was a major sea battle off Fouras for the island of Aix. During the Second World War, Fouras was held by the Germans for a very long time.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2016
Residents 4121 3634 3612 3295 3238 3835 4024 4046

Attractions

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Fouras

  • Saint-Gaudens church, built in 1883 in the neo-Gothic style to replace the previous 11th century church
  • Fort de Fouras (also: Fort Vauban ), built by Philip IV at the beginning of the 14th century , rebuilt in 1672, used as a semaphore station, Monument historique since 1987
Fort de Fouras
  • Fort Énet , upstream island bulwark, built in the Napoleonic Wars (1809–1811), since 1994 Monument historique
  • Fortifications of Aiguille ( Redoutenanlage )
  • Fort Lapointe (also called Fort Vasou ), built in 1672 on the Charente estuary
  • Town hall, built in 1902
  • Bois-Vert Castle, built in 1870 as a neoclassical building
Bois-Vert Castle
  • Treuil-Bussac Castle from the 17th century
  • Villa La Jetée (also Château Bugeau ), built in 1903, monument historique since 2007
  • numerous beach villas
  • Aubier, Espérance and Soumard mills, mostly converted into residential buildings

Community partnerships

There is a partnership with the French commune of Riom-ès-Montagnes in the Cantal department, together with the commune of Île-d'Aix.

Personalities

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Charente-Maritime. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2002, ISBN 2-84234-129-5 , pp. 619-622.

Web links

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