Les Herbiers

Les Herbiers
region	Pays de la Loire
Department	Vendée
Arrondissement	La Roche-sur-Yon
Canton	Les Herbiers (main town)
Community association	Pays des Herbiers
Coordinates	46 ° 52 ′ N , 1 ° 1 ′ W Coordinates: 46 ° 52 ′ N , 1 ° 1 ′ W
height	69–245 m
surface	88.78 km 2
Residents	15,958 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	180 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	85500
INSEE code	85109
Website	http://www.lesherbiers.fr

Les Herbiers is a French commune with 15,958 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region . It belongs to the arrondissement of La Roche-sur-Yon , is the capital of the canton of Les Herbiers and the seat of the Pays des Herbiers municipal association .

geography

The municipality is located in western France, about 60 kilometers southeast of Nantes and about 75 kilometers from the Atlantic coast. The 88.78 km² municipality includes numerous districts and hamlets, including the Val de la Pellinière architectural project . In the northwest the 232 m high Mont des Alouettes rises . The Grande Maine , a tributary of the Sèvre Nantaise, has its source in Les Herbiers .

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2016
Residents	4916	9050	10,599	12,049	13,413	13,937	14,833	15,972
Source: Cassini and INSEE

History, culture and sights

On October 13, 1792, the place was burned down by the troops of the revolutionary general Antoine Marie Bard in the course of the uprising of the Vendée on their way to the battle of La Tremblaye .

The Benedictine abbey was founded in 1130; it was dissolved and sold during the French Revolution . Some of the buildings were demolished, others were used for other purposes. What was preserved was declared a monument historique in 1946 . In 1979 a small monastery community settled again.
The Château d'Ardelay was built in the 15th century.
The Château de l'Etenduère is only preserved as a ruin.
The Saint-Sauveur (Holy Redeemer) church was built in the 15th century and modified in the 19th century.
Every year at the end of October, Les Herbiers hosts the famous Chrono des Nations cycle race .