Thouars

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 46°58′33″N 0°12′51″W / 46.975833, -0.2141666

Administration
Commune of Thouars Château de La Trémoille in Thouars
Location

Country	France
Region	Poitou-Charentes
Department	Deux-Sèvres
Arrondissement	Bressuire
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons
Intercommunality	Communauté de communes du Thouarsais
Mayor	Alain Ligné
Statistics
Elevation	100 (avg.)
Population^¹ (1999)	11,158
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	79329/ 79100
¹ Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Thouars is a town and commune of France, situated in the département of Deux-Sèvres in the Poitou-Charentes région. It is on the River Thouet. 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.