Vertou

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vertou
Vertou coat of arms
Vertou (France)
Vertou
region Pays de la Loire
Department Loire-Atlantique
Arrondissement Nantes
Canton Vertou (main town)
Community association Nantes metropolis
Coordinates 47 ° 10 ′  N , 1 ° 28 ′  W Coordinates: 47 ° 10 ′  N , 1 ° 28 ′  W
height 1-56 m
surface 35.68 km 2
Residents 24,219 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 679 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 44120
INSEE code 44215
Website http://www.vertou.fr/

The Château de Portillon ; in the foreground the Sèvre Nantaise

Vertou is a French municipality with 24,219 inhabitants (at January 1, 2017) in the department of Loire-Atlantique in the Region Pays de la Loire .

etymology

The name of the place is derived from the Latin vertavum . In the 18th century the place was also called Vrezou . The name is translated into Breton as Gwerzhav , but Breton was never spoken in Vertou.

location

The city is located about ten kilometers (driving distance) southeast of Nantes in the valley of the Sèvre Nantaise at a mean altitude of about 28 meters above sea level. d. M.

Demographics

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2008
Residents 11,100 12,089 13,853 15,631 18,235 20,261 21,422

The population increase in recent decades is largely due to the proximity to the city of Nantes and the comparatively low rents and land prices.

age structure

28 percent of the population are 19 years old or younger. Six percent of the population are 75 years of age or older.

economy

For centuries, the community was largely dominated by agriculture, but between 1979 and 1994 the area under cultivation fell from almost 1,300 to almost 800 hectares. Vertou is known for its Muscadet viticulture (600 hectares of cultivated land). Many garden markets offer lilies of the valley and other flowers from May 1st, because there is an annual competition in Vertou to encourage people to plant flowers in houses and gardens. In Vertou there is also the La Vertonne industrial park, which was founded forty years ago and has an area of 140 hectares with almost a hundred companies with more than three thousand jobs.

history

Findings indicate that the area has been inhabited by humans since ancient times. These include twenty stone axes and the remains of a grave in which not only human bones but also potsherds were found. Merovingian villas were discovered later, which suggests that Vertou was already a locality at that time. Around the year 600, Saint Martin of Vertou founded two monasteries in collaboration with or on behalf of the Bishop of Nantes . The first church was built in 576, the second was founded by monks in 840. The third church existed from 945 until it was destroyed on September 17, 1793. The current church dates from 1875–1887. The Chaussée des Moines dam, built by monks between 1470 and 1560, still regulates the Sèvre Nantaise today. During the reign of Louis XIV additional locks were built; it was opened on September 3, 1755. As early as 1830, 1639 ships passed the facility. The lock was restored in 2003.

Attractions

  • Because of their historical importance, the sparse remains of the former Saint-Martin Abbey have been recognized as a Monument historique since 1971 .
  • The three-aisled, neo-Gothic church Saint-Martin was built between 1875 and 1887.
  • Recycled ancient and Merovingian sarcophagi were discovered during excavation work.
  • There are several country estates from the 18th and 19th centuries, all of which are privately owned and cannot be visited.

  • Portal of the former Saint-Martin abbey.

  • Saint Martin Church

  • Interior of the Saint-Martin church

  • Figurative relief plate depicting the fall of man

Personalities

Town twinning

Since August 25, 1957, the municipality has been twinning with Morges in Switzerland (Canton of Vaud).

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Loire-Atlantique . Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Charenton-le-Pont 1999, ISBN 2-84234-040-X , pp. 1347-1357.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated July 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.toutes-les-villes.com
  2. ↑ http://www.calameo.com/read/0003042771193dd874e5d
  3. ↑ Abbaye Saint-Martin de Vertou in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)