Châteauroux Chasteurós (Occitan)
Prefecture and commune
St. Andrew's Church
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Châteauroux
Châteauroux Show map of France Châteauroux Show map of Centre-Val de Loire
Coordinates: 46°48′37″N 1°41′28″E / 46.8103°N 1.6911°E / 46.8103; 1.6911
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[1]
Area 1	25.54 km2 (9.86 sq mi)
Population  (2023)[2]	42,963
• Density	1,682/km2 (4,357/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 February low of 1.3 °C (34 °F) to an average July and August high of 26.4 °C (80 °F).

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.

The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1977.^[6]

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]
• Équinoxe
• 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

Tour de France

Châteauroux has been host to the Tour de France multiple times. The most successful cyclist at Châteauroux is Mark Cavendish with three stage wins, leading up to the final straight being labeled "Avenue Cavendish".^[12]

Year	Stage	Start of stage	Distance (km)	Stage winner
1998	5	Cholet	228.5	Mario Cipollini (ITA)
2008	5	Cholet	232.0	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
2011	7	Le Mans	218.0	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
2021	6	Tours	160.6	Mark Cavendish (GBR)
2025	9	Chinon	174.1	Tim Merlier (BEL)

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.^[15] Total ridership is up 208% between 2001 and 2012.^[16]

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. However, there are no schedule passenger flights to and from the airport. The nearest airport is in poitiers, 80 miles west of Châteauroux.

Notable people

International relations

Châteauroux is twinned with:^[17]

• 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% 1901 24,957 +0.90%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 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% 2023 42,963 −0.30%
Source: EHESS[18] and INSEE (1968-2023)[19]

See also

• Berrichonne de Châteauroux
• Châteauroux-Déols "Marcel Dassault" Airport
• Communes of the Indre department
• Counts and Dukes of Châteauroux
• Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle duchess de Châteauroux
• Saint-Benoît-du-Sault

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20080327174957/http://www.villes-et-villages-fleuris.com/chateaur.htm
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Châteauroux". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 964.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Châteauroux.

• City of Châteauroux Official Website Archived 25 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine