Thouars

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Administration
Commune of Thouars Château de La Trémoille in Thouars
Location
Longitude	00° 12' 51" W
Latitude	46° 58' 33" N
Country	France
Région	Poitou-Charentes
Département	Deux-Sèvres
Arrondissement	Bressuire
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes du Thouarsais
Mayor	Alain Ligné
Statistics
Population² (1999)	11,158
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	79329/ 79100
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Thouars is a town and commune of France, situated in the département of Deux-Sèvres in the Poitou-Charentes région. Its inhabitants are known as les Thouarsais and les Thouarsaises.

1 History
2 Main sights
3 Miscellaneous
- 3.1 Births
- 3.2 Twin towns
4 External links

[edit] History

Thouars was the birthplace of the medieval general Louis de La Trémoille. In 1619 his heir Henri de La Trémoille married Marie de la Tour d'Auvergne, sister of Turenne. She razed the old gothic château-fort to build the present château.

[edit] Main sights

The Castle (château) was designed by Jacques Lemercier and completed in the brief space of three years, 1635–1638. Its main façade is more than 110 m. The Trémouilles were dispossessed at the Revolution and the château became a barracks and later a prison. It has been restored for its present use as a school.