SAUMUR

'Saumur' is a town and commune in the Maine-et-Loire ''département'' of France on the Loire River at , with an approximate population of 30,000 as of 2001.

Contents

History

Miscellaneous

Births

Twin towns

Related usages

See also

External links

History

With a long military history, Saumur was the location of several battles :

★ Battle of Saumur (1793), during the Revolt in the Vendée

★ Battle of Saumur (1940), during the Battle of France

Miscellaneous

Saumur is home to the Cadre Noir, the École Nationale d'Équitation (National School of Horsemanship), known for its annual horse shows, as well as the officer school for armored forces (tanks). There is a tank museum, the Musée des Blindés, with more than 850 armored vehicles, wheeled or tracked. Most of them are from France but some were made in other countries such as Brazil, Germany, or the Soviet Union.
The 'School of Saumur' is the name used to denote a distinctive form of Reformed theology taught by Moses Amyraut at the University of Saumur in the 17th century.
Saumur is also the scenary for Balzac's novel "Eugenie Grandet", written by the French author in 1833.

Births

Saumur was the birthplace of:

★ Anne Lefèvre (1654-1720), better known during her lifetime as Madame Dacier, scholar and translator of classics

★ Charles Ernest Beulé (1826-1874), archeologist

★ Coco Chanel (1883-1971), internationally renowned fashion designer

★ Yves Robert, (1920-2002), actor, composer, director, writer, producer

★ Fanny Ardant, (b. 1949), actress

★ Dominique Pinon, (b. 1955), actor

Twin towns

Saumur is twinned with:

★ Verden, Germany

★ Warwick, United Kingdom

★ Havelberg, Germany

★ Asheville, North Carolina, United States

★ Ruşeţu, Romania

Related usages

★ ''Saumur'' is an appelation for wines produced in the Saumur region.

★ ''Saumur'' is the title of a song from hard rock band Trust (whose lyrics express their poor opinion of the city: narrow-minded, bourgeois and militaristic).

See also

★ French wine

External links

★ Official website (in French)

★ Visiting Saumur - in English

★ Visiting Château de Montreuil-Bellay

★ Notre Dame des Ardilliers - Article in the Catholic Encyclopedia about a Catholic pilgrimage center in the town

★ http://www.musee-des-blindes.asso.fr