Eure-et-Loir (, locally: ) is a French department, named after the

Eure Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.Loir The Loir () is a long river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir department, north of Illiers-Combray. It joins the river Sarthe in Briollay, north of the city of Angers. It is indirectl ...

rivers. It is located in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valle ...

. In 2019, Eure-et-Loir had a population of 431,575.Populations légales 2019: 28 Eure-et-Loir
INSEE

History

Eure-et-Loir is one of the original 83 departments created during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

on March 4, 1790 pursuant to the Act of December 22, 1789. It was created mainly from parts of the former provinces of

Orléanais The Duchy of Orléanais () is a former province of France, which was created during the Renaissance by merging four former counties and towns. However after the French Revolution, the province was dissolved in 1791 and succeeded by five ''départm ...

(Beauce) and Maine (

Perche Perche () (French: ''le Perche'') is a former province of France, known historically for its forests and, for the past two centuries, for the Percheron draft horse breed. Until the French Revolution, Perche was bounded by four ancient territorie ...

), but also parts of Île-de-France (Drouais,

Thymerais Thymerais (or ''Thimerais'', ) is a natural region of Eure-et-Loir, in France, where history and geography meet. Open to influences from Normandy, Drouais, Beauce and Perche, it is a transition zone like the Drouais. A former country of Perche ...

, Valley of the Avre, Hurepoix). The current department corresponds to the central part of the land of the

Carnutes The Carnutes or Carnuti (Gaulish: 'the horned ones'), were a Gallic tribe dwelling in an extensive territory between the Sequana ( Seine) and the Liger (Loire) rivers during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Car ...

who had their capital at Autricum (Chartres). The Carnutes are known for their commitment, real or imagined, to the ancient Druidic religion. A holy place in the "Forest of the Carnutes" used to host the annual

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

ic assembly. In the north of the department another pre-Roman people, the little-known Durocasses, had their capital at

Dreux Dreux () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise, a tributary of the Eure, about 35 km north of Chartres. Dreux station has rail connections to Argentan, Paris and Gra ...

Geography

Eure-et-Loir comprises the main part of the region of Beauce, politically it belongs to the current

and is surrounded by the departments of

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.< ...

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Yvelines Yvelines () is a Departments of France, department in the western part of the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Eure Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.Orne Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Sarthe Sarthe () is a department of the French region of Pays de la Loire, and the province of Maine, situated in the '' Grand-Ouest'' of the country. It is named after the river Sarthe, which flows from east of Le Mans to just north of Angers. It ha ...

Principal towns

The most populous commune is

Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as def ...

, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called ''Euréliens''.

Economy

The Eure-et-Loir is a department of agricultural tradition (Beauce), but also at the forefront in three economic sectors :

Agriculture

The department is a major economic player in the production of grain and oilseed in France.Agricultural chamber of Eure-et-Loir Its agricultural economy is still heavily dependent on the economic and regulatory environment of the markets for crops. The Eure-et-Loir region is the first grain producer of France. It is also the national leader in the production of rapeseed and peas. Wheat production is by far the most dominant in the area. Nearly 40% of all farmland is devoted to the cultivation of wheat, which has generated an average of 29% of the commercial agricultural production of the department over the last 5 years. The "Pôle AgroDynamic also promotes agriculture in the department", a grouping of subsidiaries providing added values in different sectors: agro-energy, agribusiness, agricultural materials, Agrohealth.

Industries

* The Cosmetic Valley cluster, around

, which is the most important centre of the French beauty and well-being (perfumes/cosmetics) industry, with big names such as

Guerlain Guerlain () is a French perfume, cosmetics and skincare house, which is among the oldest in the world. Many traditional Guerlain fragrances are characterized by a common olfactory accord known as the "Guerlinade" (fr). The house was founded in P ...

Paco Rabanne Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo (born 18 February 1934), more commonly known under the pseudonym of Paco Rabanne (; ), is a Spanish fashion designer who became known as an '' enfant terrible'' of the 1960s French fashion world. Early life and educat ...

Lolita Lempicka Lolita Lempicka (real name Josiane Maryse Pividal in Bordeaux, 1954) is a French fashion designer and perfumer. Early life An admirer of her mother's work as a seamstress, Lolita Lempicka dressed Barbie dolls herself at the age of six; as ...

, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an " enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...

. The Cosmetic Valley represents 2.5 billion euros of turnover, includes 200 companies, collaborates with the Universities of Orleans and Paris and employs more than 30,000 employees. * The pharmaceutical industry, around

and the Polepharma cluster. Created in 2002 under the leadership of CODELCodel: Eure-et-Loir economic development board Polepharma is a cluster of French pharmaceutical production which includes companies like Ipsen,

Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, with production facilities in nine countries, and affiliates or offices in five countries. Novo Nordisk is controlled by majority shareholder ...

, Laboratoires Expanscience,

LEO Pharma LEO Pharma A/S is a multinational Danish pharmaceutical company, founded in 1908, with a presence in about 100 countries. Its headquarters are in Ballerup, near Copenhagen The company is 100% integrated into a private foundation owned by the LEO F ...

, Ethypharm Famar, Norgine, Nypro, Synerlab / Sophartex and Seratec. The cluster represents 50% of drug production in France and 30,000 jobs. The Pharma cluster is also one of the creators of the inter-regional alliance "Pharma Valley" that has partner networks: Polepharma, CBS and Grepic. This alliance represents 60% of the production sites located in France and 2.5 billion euros of turnover. * the agri-food industry, promoted by Agrodynamic (rural center of excellence), with two major companies in the sector: Ebly at Chateaudun and an Andros at Auneau. * woodcraft and

furniture industry Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fur ...

around the association ''Perchebois''. * the rubber and

plastics industry The plastics industry manufactures polymer materials—commonly called plastics—and offers services in plastics important to a range of industries, including packaging, building and construction, electronics, aerospace, and transportation. It is ...

, through the cluster ''Elastopole''. * the elevator manufacturer Octé has its head office in Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais

Energy

The department also has the lead in renewable energy. Already ranked second nationally in terms of power generation through its wind farms located in particular in the Beauce region of Eure-et-Loir in 2012 will be the largest producer of electricity with photovoltaic French original creation on the airbase

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

disused Crucey-Villages near Brezolles in the region's natural Thymerais, the largest photovoltaic park in France. Given in February 2011 by the General Council to the operator,

EDF Energies Nouvelles EDF Renewables (formerly ''EDF Renouvelables'') is a wholly owned subsidiary of the French utility EDF Group, specializing in renewable energy production. As an integrated operator, the Group develops and finances the construction of renewable en ...

, the park will cover 245 ha of the military base and produce the equivalent output of 160 wind turbines.

Politics

The President of the

Departmental council ''Departmental'' is a 1980 Australian TV movie based on a play by Mervyn Rutherford. It was part of the ABC's Australian Theatre Festival.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p43 Reviews were poor ...

is Christophe Le Dorven of The Republicans.

Presidential elections 2nd round

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

* The most important tourist attraction is the

cathedral of Chartres Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...

, with its magnificent

stained-glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

s. * Church: Saint-Pierre of Dreux, Saint-Denis (Toury) * Chapelle Royale of Dreux * Beffroi of Dreux * Bonneval Abbey * Castle of Anet, of Chateaudun, of Maillebois, of

Maintenon Maintenon () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located southwest of the center of Paris. Maintenon, together with the neighbouring commune of Pierres, form an urban area of 7,075 inhabitants (2017).Chartres Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as def ...

File:Notre Dame de Chartres.jpg,

Chartres Cathedral Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church in Chartres, France, about southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly con ...

File:20050921ChStJean1.jpg,

Nogent-le-Rotrou Nogent-le-Rotrou () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture and is located on the river Huisne, 56 kilometres west of Chartres on the RN23 and 150 kilometres south west of Paris, to which it is lin ...

File:Chateaudun Chateau 03.jpg,

Châteaudun Châteaudun () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It was the site of the Battle of Châteaudun during the Franco-Prussian War. Geography Châteaudun is located about 45&n ...

File:Bonneval Abbaye St Florentin.JPG, Bonneval Abbey File:Aqueduc chateau Maintenon.jpg, Aqueduct of the

Château de Maintenon The Château de Maintenon is a ''château'', developed from the original castle, situated in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Maintenon in the Eure-et-Loir ''Departments of France, département'' of France. It is best known as being the priv ...

Notable people

Middle Ages

* Hasting,

viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

chief who was Count of Chartres (882 - 892) *

Hugues Capet Hugh Capet (; french: Hugues Capet ; c. 939 – 14 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, ...

(c. 939 – 996),

King of the Franks The Franks, Germanic-speaking peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dukes and reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Merovingians, who c ...

, deceased near

Voves Voves () is a former commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in central France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Les Villages Vovéens.Fulbert de Chartres (952-970 – 1028), bishop founder of

School of Chartres During the High Middle Ages, the Chartres Cathedral established the cathedral School of Chartres, an important center of French scholarship located in Chartres. It developed and reached its apex during the transitional period of the 11th and 12th ...

* Bernard of Tiron (1046 - 1117), founder of the monastic order of Tiron and of the abbey of

Thiron-Gardais Thiron-Gardais () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. The Tiron Abbey is located in the commune. Population See also *Tironensian Order *Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department The following is a list of the 365 ...

John of Salisbury John of Salisbury (late 1110s – 25 October 1180), who described himself as Johannes Parvus ("John the Little"), was an English author, philosopher, educationalist, diplomat and bishop of Chartres. Early life and education Born at Salisbury, E ...

(1115 - 1180), student of

Abélard Peter Abelard (; french: link=no, Pierre Abélard; la, Petrus Abaelardus or ''Abailardus''; 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, poet, composer and musician. This source has a detailed desc ...

and of Fulbert de Chartres. British intellectual, friend of

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and the ...

. Bishop of Chartres from 1176 to 1180. *

Philippe VI of France Philip VI (french: Philippe; 1293 – 22 August 1350), called the Fortunate (french: le Fortuné, link=no) or the Catholic (french: le Catholique, link=no) and of Valois, was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 ...

(1293 – 1350), died at the Abbey of Notre-Dame of Coulombs, near Nogent-le-Roi *

Jean II of France John II (french: Jean II; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed ...

(1319 – 1364), who signed the

Treaty of Brétigny The Treaty of Brétigny was a treaty, drafted on 8 May 1360 and ratified on 24 October 1360, between Kings Edward III of England and John II of France. In retrospect, it is seen as having marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years ...

during the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagene ...

at Sours, a village near Chartres

Renaissance

* Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (1464 - 1505), born in Nogent-le-Roi, wife of

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the time ...

, canonised by the Pope

Pius XII Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia. It may refer to: People Popes * Pope Pius (disambiguation) * Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect Given name * Pius ...

in 1950. *

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and famil ...

(1499 - 1566), favourite of

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

Rémy Belleau Remy (or Rémi) Belleau (1528 – 6 March 1577) was a poet of the French Renaissance. He is most known for his paradoxical poems of praise for simple things and his poems about precious stones. Life Remy was born in Nogent-le-Rotrou. A noblema ...

(1526 - 1577), poet of the Pléiade *

Henri IV of France Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...

(1553 - 1610), crowned in

Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette (1554–1642), created Duke of Épernon, was a powerful member of the French nobility at the turn of the 17th century. He was deeply involved in plots and politics throughout his life. Life He was born at C ...

(1554 – 1642), Duc d'Épernon, minion of

Henri III of France Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of L ...

. * Maximilien de Béthune (1559 - 1641), duke of

Sully-sur-Loire Sully-sur-Loire (, literally ''Sully on Loire'') is a commune in the Loiret department, north-central France. It is the seat of the canton of Sully-sur-Loire. It lies on the left bank of the river Loire. Population Castles The ''château'' o ...

died at the

Villebon Villebon () is a commune in the department of Eure-et-Loir in northern France The inhabitants are called ''Villebonnais''. Population Personalities * Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully See also *Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department ...

château, buried at

)

19th and 20th century

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...

(1840 – 1902), who was inspired by

Romilly-sur-Aigre Romilly-sur-Aigre () is a former commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Cloyes-les-Trois-Rivières.La Terre ''La Terre'' (''The Earth'') is a novel by Émile Zola, published in 1887. It is the fifteenth novel in Zola's '' Rougon-Macquart'' series. The action takes place in a rural community in the Beauce, an area in central France west of Paris. The n ...

'' *

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous ...

(1871 – 1922) spent time during his youth in the town

Illiers-Combray Illiers-Combray () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in north central France. Population Literature ''Combray'' was the writer Marcel Proust's name for the village of Illiers (near the Cathedral town of Chartres), vividly depicted by ...

where his aunt lived *

Paul-Félix Armand-Delille Paul-Félix Armand-Delille (3 July 1874 – 4 September 1963) was a French physician, bacteriologist, professor, and member of the French Academy of Medicine. He is best known for attempting to protect his crop from rabbits by releasing a pair ...

(1874 – 1963), bacteriologist *

Chaïm Soutine Chaïm Soutine (13 January 1893 – 9 August 1943) was a Belarusian painter who made a major contribution to the expressionist movement while living and working in Paris. Inspired by classic painting in the European tradition, exemplified by the ...

(1893 – 1943), painter * Simone Segouin (1925 - ), also known by her ''nom de guerre'' Nicole Minet, is a former French Resistance fighter who served in the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans group. *

(1954 - ), fashion designer and perfumer who lives in

Berchères-sur-Vesgre Berchères-sur-Vesgre () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department The following is a list of the 365 communes of the Eure-et-Loir department of France. The ...

Media

The media in Eure-et-Loir include the following: *Daily newspapers: '' L'Écho Républicain'', ''

La République du Centre LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

'' *Weekly newspapers: Horizon (agricultural journal), '' L'Action Républicaine'', '' Le Perche'', '' L'Écho de Brou'' *Local radio and TV stations: Radio Intensité (Châteaudun), RTV (Dreux), Radio Grand Ciel