DREUX

:''For the saint of this name, see Saint Drogo.''
'Dreux' is a town and commune in northwest France, in the Eure-et-Loir ''département''.

Contents

Politics

History

Miscellaneous

Births

Twin towns

External links

Politics

Dreux came to national attention in 1983 when the then-small National Front made its first electoral breakthrough, winning control of the city council and deputy mayorship. This came at a time of rising unemployment and popular resentment directed at the visible and impoverished community of immigrants, many of whom were Muslims. The Socialist mayor at the time, Françoise Gaspard, later wrote a book about her experience and the times, ''A Small City in France''.

History

In the Middle Ages, Dreux was the centre of the County of Dreux. The first large battle of the French Wars of Religion occurred at Dreux, on December 19, 1562, resulting in a near-run victory for the Catholic-Royal forces.

Miscellaneous

Victor Hugo proposed to his wife here in 1821.
Members of the Orléans family, including king Louis-Philippe (reigned 1830-1848), are buried in the Royal Chapel of Dreux.
Dreux is the home of one of the strongest cricket teams in France.

Births

Dreux was the birthplace of:

★ Jean Rotrou (1609-1650), poet and tragedian

★ Louis Charles Delescluze (1809-1871), journalist

Twin towns

Dreux is twinned with:

★ Todi, Italy, since 1960

★ Melsungen, Germany, since 1966

★ Koudougou, Burkina Faso, since 1972

★ Evesham, United Kingdom, since 1977

★ Bautzen, Germany, since 1992

External links

★ City council website (in French)

★ Tourist office website

★ Personal website about Dreux (in French)