Châteauroux

Châteauroux
Châteauroux
Prefecture and commune
	St. Andrew's Church
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of Châteauroux
	Châteauroux Châteauroux
	Coordinates: 46°48′37″N 1°41′28″E / 46.8103°N 1.6911°E
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Indre
Arrondissement	Châteauroux
Canton	Châteauroux-1, 2 and 3
Intercommunality	CA Châteauroux Métropole
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Gil Avérous
Area 1	25.54 km2 (9.86 sq mi)
Population (2021)	42,968
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	36044 /36008
Elevation	132–164 m (433–538 ft) ; (avg. 154 m or 505 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Châteauroux (/ˌʃætoʊˈruː/ SHAT-oh-ROO; French pronunciation: [ʃɑtoʁu] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre,^[3] central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussins (pronounced [kastɛlʁusɛ̃]) in French.

Climate

Châteauroux temperatures range from an average January low of 0.8 °C (33 °F) to an average August high of 25.1 °C (77 °F).

Climate data for Châteauroux (1981–2010 averages)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	18.5 (65.3)	22.9 (73.2)	28.0 (82.4)	31.5 (88.7)	34.5 (94.1)	37.7 (99.9)	40.8 (105.4)	40.5 (104.9)	38.0 (100.4)	30.3 (86.5)	24.5 (76.1)	20.5 (68.9)	40.8 (105.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	7.1 (44.8)	8.6 (47.5)	12.6 (54.7)	15.5 (59.9)	19.6 (67.3)	23.1 (73.6)	26.0 (78.8)	25.6 (78.1)	21.9 (71.4)	17.1 (62.8)	11.0 (51.8)	7.6 (45.7)	16.3 (61.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.3 (34.3)	1.3 (34.3)	3.5 (38.3)	5.3 (41.5)	9.2 (48.6)	12.4 (54.3)	14.4 (57.9)	14.3 (57.7)	11.2 (52.2)	8.5 (47.3)	4.1 (39.4)	1.8 (35.2)	7.3 (45.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−21.5 (−6.7)	−22.8 (−9.0)	−10.8 (12.6)	−4.2 (24.4)	−1.4 (29.5)	1.2 (34.2)	4.0 (39.2)	4.5 (40.1)	0.0 (32.0)	−5.2 (22.6)	−8.7 (16.3)	−17.0 (1.4)	−22.8 (−9.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	59.2 (2.33)	48.8 (1.92)	52.1 (2.05)	65.8 (2.59)	73.3 (2.89)	54.9 (2.16)	56.6 (2.23)	56.1 (2.21)	64.3 (2.53)	73.8 (2.91)	64.9 (2.56)	67.3 (2.65)	737.1 (29.02)
Average precipitation days	11.2	8.8	9.7	10.6	11.2	7.8	7.6	7.0	7.7	10.5	11.0	11.0	114.3
Average snowy days	3.3	3.4	1.9	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	2.7	13.4
Average relative humidity (%)	88	85	79	75	76	74	69	70	76	84	88	88	79.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours	72.1	91.9	155.6	178.5	208.6	210.4	231.7	235.5	189.5	128.3	79.6	59.0	1,840.6
Source 1: Météo France^[4]^[5]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)^[6]

History

The old town, close to the river, forms a nucleus around which a newer and more extensive quarter, bordered by boulevards, has grown up. The suburbs of St. Christophe and Déols lie on the right bank of the Indre. The castle from which the city takes its name was built in the latter part of the 10th century by Raoul, prince of Déols.^[3]

From 920 to 1008, the Norman raids forced the monks of the abbey of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, founded in Brittany by Saint Gildas, to bring his relics to the abbey of Saint-Gildas of Châteauroux that they founded under the protection of the prince Ebbes of Déols, father of Raoul. During the Middle Ages, it was the seat of a seigniory. It was passed to the Chauvigny from 1207 to 1473. It was raised to the rank of countship in 1497 for Jean V d'Aumont.^[3]

In 1616, when it was held by Henry II, Prince of Condé, it was raised to the rank of duchy. In 1736, it returned to the crown. It was given to Marie Anne de Mailly-Nesle, duchess of Châteauroux, by Louis XV in 1744.^[3] The present Château Raoul [fr] housing the préfecture offices dates from the 15th century.

Awards

Châteauroux is one of the communes awarded the grand prize by the Concours National des Villes et Villages Fleuris, a beautification initiative begun in 1959.

Monuments

Château Raoul, 15th century^[7]
Church of St. André, 19th century^[8]
Church of St. Martial, 12th-16th century^[9]
Église Notre-Dame, 19th century^[10]
Convent of the Cordeliers, 13th century^[11]
Equinoxe
La Prairie St. Gildas
Le Parc de loisirs de Belle-Isle
Le Tarmac
Musée Bertrand
Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires
Musée du Compagnonnage
Public Garden and the Jardins des Cordeliers
Quartier St. Christophe

Sports

La Berrichonne de Châteauroux is the town's football club based in Châteauroux, founded in 1883. The team currently plays in National, the third division of French football, and played only one season in Ligue 1 in 1997–98. Châteauroux reached the final of the 2003–04 Coupe de France, where they were defeated 1–0 by Paris Saint-Germain, qualifying for the following season's UEFA Cup. The team plays its home fixtures at the 17,173-capacity Stade Gaston Petit.

As Chateauroux was an Air Force base from 1952 until 1967, American football was played in Chateauroux by a team called Sabres. "Sabres" was one of the best European military teams, playing against other French and German teams. Local French people created a football club in the French American football championship. The name chosen is "Sabres", to celebrate the pioneers, to pay homage to the Americans who were the first.

The National Shooting Centre at Châteauroux hosted the shooting events for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.^[12]^[13]

Festivals

Bals'arts
Festival Country Good Old Days Châteauroux
Festival de théâtre "les Nocthalies"
Festival Multirythmes
Festival Populaire du Folklore
Forum des associations
La Biennale de Céramique contemporaine
La Châteauroux Classic d'Indre Trophée Fenioux
Les Litztomanias
Rock à Belle-Isle
Salon du livre de Châteauroux
Stage festival de danse de Châteauroux (DARC)
Vendredi...Musique

Transport

Direct services from Châteauroux railway station connect Paris, Orléans, Limoges, Toulouse, and several other regional destinations. The A20 motorway connects Châteauroux with Vierzon, Brive-la-Gaillarde, and Toulouse.

The city offers free public transportation since 2001.^[14] Total ridership is up 208% between 2001 and 2012.^[15]

The city is served by Châteauroux-Centre "Marcel Dassault" Airport, which is in the commune of Déols to the North. The airport is used mainly for cargo, maintenance, training, and light aviation but also serves seasonal charter services.

Notable people

Born in Châteauroux

Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand (1773–1844), general of Napoleon's army
Albert Aurier (1865–1892), symbolist poet, writer and art critic
Marcel Boussac (1889–1980), entrepreneur and horse breeder
Robert Falcucci (1900-1989), illustrator
Jack Claude Nezat [fr] (born 1943), author, City Councilor of Lésigny (France), initiator of Lésigny-Leingarten twinning, founder and first President of Rencontres Franco Allemandes, Annecy (Annecy-Bayreuth twinning)
Gérard Depardieu (born 1948), actor and businessman
Dean Brown (born 1955), jazz guitarist
Mardi Jacquet (born 1960), playmate
Estelle Touzet (born 1981), chef sommelier.
Gilles Sunu (born 1991), footballer

Others associated with the area

Jean Lauron [fr] (1560–1620), poet
Pierre Leroux (1797–1871), philosopher and politician
Napoléon Chaix [fr] (1807–1865), publisher
Adolphe Combanaire [fr] (1859–1939), writer
Fernand Maillaud (1862–1948), painter
Bernard Naudin (1876–1946), painter and designer
Ernest Nivet (1871–1948), sculptor
Émile Goué (1904–1946)
Édouard Ramonet (1909–1980), politician
Jean Fourton (1934-), writer, humanist, painter, and psychoanalyst. Former town councilor of Châteauroux (1957 to 1967).

International relations

Châteauroux is twinned with:^[16]

Gütersloh, Germany, since 1977
Bittou, Burkina Faso, since 1985
Olsztyn, Poland, since 1991
Fresno, United States, since 2016
Jinhua, China, since 2019

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1793	7,503	—
1800	8,049	+1.01%
1806	8,512	+0.94%
1821	10,429	+1.36%
1831	11,587	+1.06%
1836	13,847	+3.63%
1841	13,551	−0.43%
1846	14,517	+1.39%
1851	15,931	+1.88%
1856	18,237	+2.74%
1861	16,170	−2.38%
1866	17,161	+1.20%
1872	18,670	+1.41%
1876	19,442	+1.02%
1881	21,179	+1.73%
1886	22,860	+1.54%
1891	23,924	+0.91%
1896	23,863	−0.05%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	24,957	+0.90%
1906	25,437	+0.38%
1911	26,095	+0.51%
1921	26,566	+0.18%
1926	25,806	−0.58%
1931	26,707	+0.69%
1936	28,578	+1.36%
1946	34,611	+1.93%
1954	36,420	+0.64%
1962	45,063	+2.70%
1968	49,138	+1.45%
1975	53,429	+1.20%
1982	51,942	−0.40%
1990	50,969	−0.24%
1999	49,632	−0.29%
2007	47,127	−0.65%
2012	44,960	−0.94%
2017	43,741	−0.55%