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Montoire-sur-le-Loir |
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Montoire-sur-le-Loir
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Centre |
| Department | Loir-et-Cher |
| Arrondissement | Vendôme |
| Canton | Montoire-sur-le-Loir |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Ronsard |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 60–146 m (200–479 ft) (avg. 70 m/230 ft) |
| Land area1 | 21.02 km2 (8.12 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 4,275 (1999) |
| - Density | 203 /km2 (530 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 41149/ 41800 |
| 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. | |
Montoire-sur-le-Loir is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France.
The inhabitants of Montoire-sur-le-Loir are called montoiriens.
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Montoire-sur-le-Loir is known as the location where, on 24 October 1940, the famous handshake between Adolf Hitler and Maréchal Pétain took place signifying the start of organised French collaboration with the Nazi regime. The meeting took place in a train car just outside of the town's train station. This was announced to the French public on 30 October in a radio broadcast speech when Pétain declared, "I enter, today, into the way of collaboration."[1]
Two days previously, Pierre Laval had had a meeting with Hitler in the same location and he had suggested to Hitler that he meet with the Maréchal.
The location of Montoire station was chosen because of its relative isolation and also its proximity to the main Paris-Hendaye train line. Besides, in case of an aerial attack, the train could have found shelter in the nearby tunnel in Saint-Rimay. The train car had armoured doors that are still visible, installed for the meeting. German command posts were established at Saint-Rimay and Thoré-la-Rochette with direct contact to Berlin.