Aubigny-sur-Nère
| Aubigny-sur-Nère | ||
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Shops in Aubigny-sur-Nère | ||
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  Aubigny-sur-Nère | ||
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Location within Centre-Val de Loire region  Aubigny-sur-Nère | ||
| Coordinates: 47°29′22″N 2°26′24″E / 47.4894°N 2.44°ECoordinates: 47°29′22″N 2°26′24″E / 47.4894°N 2.44°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Centre-Val de Loire | |
| Department | Cher | |
| Arrondissement | Vierzon | |
| Canton | Aubigny-sur-Nère | |
| Intercommunality | Sauldre et Sologne | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Yves Fromion | |
| Area1 | 61.5 km2 (23.7 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 5,851 | |
| • Density | 95/km2 (250/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 18015 / 18700 | |
| Elevation | 161–233 m (528–764 ft) | |
| Website | www.aubigny-sur-nere.fr | |
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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. | ||
Aubigny-sur-Nère is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre region of France.
Geography
An area of forestry and farming surrounding a small light industrial town, situated in the valley of the river Nère some 30 miles (48 km) north of Bourges at the junction of the D940, D924, D30 and the D923 roads.
History
First known as Albinacum in Roman times, the commune was established as a royal town in 1189 by Philip II.
This is the location by which the Duke of Gordon gets his honorific title, as the Duke of Aubigny.
In 1419, John Stewart of Darnley, a junior member of the House of Stuart, arrived in France with a large contingent of Scottish soldiers, to fight for Charles VII. He was awarded many titles, among them the Lordship of Aubigny. The family stayed here for 400 years.
Links with Scotland
Aubigny is a common tourist destination for Scots and others from the United Kingdom. The commune is very attached to the Auld Alliance, due to its 400 years of French-Scottish history and is the only place in France that still celebrates this long association each year, on Bastille Day.
Population
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1962 | 4,569 | — |
| 1968 | 5,242 | +14.7% |
| 1975 | 5,468 | +4.3% |
| 1982 | 5,600 | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 5,803 | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 5,907 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 5,851 | −0.9% |
Places of interest
- The church of St.Martin, dating from the thirteenth century.
- The fifteenth-century castle of the Stuarts.
- The sixteenth-century chateau de la Verrerie.
- Several sixteenth-century houses.
- A tower, one of few remains of the original town fortifications.
- A museum dedicated to Marguerite Audoux, (1863–1937), a writer that lived nearby.
Personalities
- John Stewart, Earl of Buchan (1381–1424)
- Bernard Stewart, Lord of Aubigny (1452–1508)
- Robert Stewart, Lord of Aubigny (1470–1544)
- Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth and Aubigny (1649–1734)
- Théophile Moreux, astronomer, is buried here.
Twin towns
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Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom -
Plopana, Romania -
Oxford, Mississippi, United States -
Vlotho, Germany -
Villeneuve-de-la-Raho
See also
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aubigny-sur-Nère. |
- Official town website (French)
- Regional Tourism website (French)
- Site of the Aéroclub d'Aubigny-sur-Nère (French)
- Aubigny-sur-Nère on the departement website (French)
- SISTER CITIES: OXFORD AND AUBIGNY
- Aubigny-sur-Nère on the Quid website (French)