Dreux
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- For the saint of this name, see Saint Drogo.
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2007) |
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Commune of Dreux |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Centre |
| Department | Eure-et-Loir (sous-préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Dreux |
| Canton | Chief town of 3 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Communauté d'agglomération du Drouais |
| Mayor | Gérard Hamel (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 75 m–139 m |
| Land area¹ | 24.27 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
31,849 |
| - Density | 1,312.3/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 28134/ 28100 |
| 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: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
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Dreux is a town and commune in northwest France, in the Eure-et-Loir département.
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[edit] Politics
Dreux came to national attention in 1983 when the then-small National Front made its first electoral breakthrough, winning control of the city council and deputy mayorship. This came at a time of rising unemployment and popular resentment directed at the visible and impoverished community of immigrants, many of whom were Muslims. The Socialist mayor at the time, Françoise Gaspard, later wrote a book about her experience and the times, A Small City in France.
[edit] History
In the Middle Ages, Dreux was the centre of the Comté de Dreux. The first large battle of the French Wars of Religion occurred at Dreux, on December 19, 1562, resulting in a near-run victory for the Catholic forces of the Duc de Montmorency.
[edit] Chapelle royale de Dreux
The House of Bourbon-Penthièvre was one of the greatest land owning families in France before the French Revolution. The lands of the Comté de Dreux had been given to the Duc de Penthièvre by his cousin Louis XVI. In 1783, the Duc sold the Château de Rambouillet, where his ancestors were buried, to King Louis XVI. Because of the sale, he had the remains of his family moved to Saint-Étienne de Dreux. In 1816, the Duc de Penthièvre's daughter, Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre, had the Chapelle royale de Dreux built as the final resting place for her ancestors, and the bodies were moved once again.
Eventually, the chapel contained the tombs of
- The Comte de Toulouse, the founder of the family,
- His wife, the Comtesse de Toulouse,
- His son, the Duc de Penthièvre,
- The wife of the Duc, Marie Thérèse Félicité d'Este-Modène, Duchesse de Penthièvre,
- The son of the Duc, the Prince de Lamballe,
- The daughter-in-law of the Duc, the Princesse de Lamballe, who was one of Queen Marie Antoinette's closest friends,
- The daughter and eventual heiress of the Duc, the Duchesse d'Orléans,
- The sister-in-law of the Duchesse d'Orléans, the Princesse de Condé,
- The son of the Duchesse d'Orléans, King Louis-Philippe of the French
Today the chapel is the burial place of the members of the House of Orléans, the successors of the Bourbon-Penthièvre.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Victor Hugo proposed to his wife here in 1821.
Dreux is the home of one of the strongest cricket teams in France.
[edit] Births
Dreux was the birthplace of:
[edit] Twin towns
Dreux is twinned with:
Todi, Italy, since 1960
Melsungen, Germany, since 1966
Koudougou, Burkina Faso, since 1972
Evesham, United Kingdom, since 1977- Bautzen, Germany, since 1992
[edit] External links
- City council website (in French)
- Tourist office website
- Personal website about Dreux (in French)
