Olivet () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Loiret department in north-central France.

Geography

Olivet is located in the northern bend of the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

, which crosses from east to west. Olivet belongs to the Loire Valley sector between Sully-sur-Loire and

Chalonnes-sur-Loire Chalonnes-sur-Loire is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is located on the left bank of the river Loire in the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site area. Geography The town is in the heart of the Anjou, a hist ...

, which was in 2000 inscribed by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. Olivet is 120 km south-south-west of Paris. Olivet is bordered to the north by

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Sologne Sologne (; ) is a natural region in Centre-Val de Loire, France, extending over portions of the departements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher and Cher. Its area is about . To its north is the river Loire, to its south the river Cher, while the distr ...

. Olivet is crossed by the Loiret, a 13 km long river which is both a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

and a resurgence of the

History

The first traces of inhabitants belong to the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

era. The water mills along the river were built by monks during the tenth century. The first name of the village, during the eleventh century, was ''Saint Martin du Loiret''. The name ''Olivet'' comes probably from ''Mount of olives''. The village suffered severe destructions during the Hundred Years' War, especially during the Siege of Orléans. During the nineteenth century the river sides became a resort. Most of the surface was still devoted to agriculture, specialised in flowers, vegetable and fruits. Nowadays Olivet is a growing city of more than 20,000 inhabitants.

Population

Places of interest

The peaceful river Loiret, surrounded by trees and home of numerous swans, offers pleasant public walks. They show glimpses of water mills, old castles, guinguettes and boat garages. On the north side of the main bridge, the ''Horloge fleurie'' is a giant clock on a flowery slope. The ''Eglise Saint Martin'' is a historical monument whose building began in the thirteenth century.

Gastronomy

* ''Olivet'', a cheese often covered with ashes, hay or plane leaves * ''poire d'Olivet'', a pear liquor with a whole pear inside the bottle

People