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Issoudun |
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| Tour blanche | |
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Issoudun
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Centre |
| Department | Indre |
| Arrondissement | Issoudun |
| Canton | Issoudun-Sud and Issoudun-Nord |
| Intercommunality | Pays d’Issoudun |
| Mayor | André Laignel (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 122–161 m (400–528 ft) (avg. 129 m/423 ft) |
| Land area1 | 36.60 km2 (14.13 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 13,685 (1999) |
| - Density | 374 /km2 (970 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 36088/ 36100 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Issoudun is a commune in the Indre department in central France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.
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Issoudun is a sub-prefecture of the Indre department.
In 1195, Richard I of England defended the city from the advances of Philip II of France. Around this time the remarkable beak-shaped keep of the castle was built.
In 1917, the U.S. Air Service established its largest European training center, the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center, about nine miles northwest of the town. At the time of the Armistice, 11 November 1918, thirteen fields were in operation and well over 10,000 ground personnel, student pilots and instructors were located there. It was at that time the largest air base in the world. A single monument on Department Route 960 remains to mark Issoudun's part in the Great War.
The United States Air Service formally left Issoudun on June 28, 1919, almost eight months after the war ended. The sites of the former airfields have returned to their previous status as agricultural fields.
On 28 June 2009, the people of Issoudun had a commemoration ceremony in honor of the American aviators who had trained, and in many cases, died while training there.
In Literature Issoudun figures prominently in Balzac's novel A Bachelor's Establishment (aka The Black Sheep) which the Guardian has ranked as the 12th greatest novel of all time.
The International broadcasting center of TDF (Télédiffusion de France) is at Issoudun/Ste Aoustrille. Issoudun is currently used by TDF for shortwave transmissions. The site uses 12 rotary ALLISS antennas fed by 12 transmitters of 500 kW each to transmit shortwave broadcasts by Radio France International (RFI), along with other broadcast services.
Technological
