Orléans

Orléans is a city in north-central France, about 111 km southwest of Paris. It is the capital of the Loiret department and of the Centre region.

Orléans is located on the Loire River where the river curves south towards the Massif Central.

The city of New Orleans (in French, La Nouvelle-Orléans), in Louisiana, United States is named after the commune of Orléans.

Geography
Orléans is located in the northern bend of the Loire, which crosses from east to west. Orléans belongs to the vallée de la Loire sector between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire, which was in 2000 inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The capital of Orléanais, 120 kilomètres south-south-west of Paris, it is bordered to the north by the Beauce region and the forêt d'Orléans, and the Orléans-la-Source neighbourhood and the Sologne region to the south. Five bridges in the city cross the river :
 * Pont de l'Europe
 * Pont du Maréchal Joffre (also called pont Neuf)
 * Pont George-V (also called pont Royal), carrying the commune tramway
 * Pont René-Thinat
 * Pont de Vierzon (rail bridge)

To the north of the Loire (on the "rive droite") is to be found a small hill (102 m at the pont Georges-V, 110 m at the place du Martroi) which gently rises to 125 m at la Croix Fleury, at the limits of Fleury-les-Aubrais.

Conversely, the south (on the "rive gauche") has a gentle depression to about 95 m above sea level (at Saint-Marceau) between the Loire and the Loiret, designated a "zone inondable" (flood-risk zone).

At the end of the 1960s, the Orléans-la-Source quarter was created, 12 kmto the south of the original commune and separated from it by the Val d'Orléans and the Loiret River (whose source is in the Parc Floral de la Source). This quarter's altitude varies from about 100 to 110 m.

The Loire and navigation
In Orléans, the Loire is separated by a submerged dike known as the dhuis into the Grande Loire to the north, no longer navigable, and the Petite Loire to the south. This dike is just one part of a vast system of construction that previously allowed the Loire to remain navigable to this point.

The Loire was formerly an important navigation and trading route. with the increase in size of ocean-going ships, large ships can now navigate the estuary only up to about Nantes.

Boats on the river were traditionally flat-bottomed boats, with large but foldable masts so the sails could gather wind from above the river banks but the masts could be lowered in order to allow the boats to pass under bridges. these vessels are known as gabarre, futreau, and so on, and may be viewed by tourists near pont Royal.

The river's irregular flow strongly limits traffic on it, in particular at its ascent, though this can be overcome by boats being given a tow.

An Inexplosible-type paddle steamer owned by the mairie was put in place in August 2007, facing place de la Loire and containing a bar.

Every two years, the Festival de Loire recalls the role played by the river in the commune's history.

on the river's north bank near the town centre is the Canal d'Orléans, which connects to the Canal du Loing and the Canal de Briare at Buges near Montargis. The canal is no longer used along its whole length. Its route within Orléans runs parallel to the river, separated from it by a wall or muret, with a promenade along the top. Its last pound was transformed into an outdoor swimming pool in the 1960s, then filled in. It was reopened in 2007 for the "fêtes de Loire." there are plans to revive use of the canal for recreation and install a pleasure-boat port there.

Climate
Orléans experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), similar to much of central France.

Prehistory and Roman

 * See also Cenabum, Aureliana Civitas.

Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the tribe of the Carnutes where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire. The emperor Aurelian rebuilt the city, renaming it Aurelianum, or Aureliana Civitas, "city of Aurelian" (cité d'Aurélien), which evolved into Orléans.

Accompanying the Vandals, the Alans crossed the Loire in 408. One of their groups, under Goar, joined the Roman forces of Flavius Aetius to fight Attila when he invaded Gaul in 451, taking part in the Battle of Châlons under their king Sangiban. Installed in Orléans and along the Loire, they were unruly (killing the town's senators when they felt they had been paid too slowly or too little) and resented by the local inhabitants. Many inhabitants around the present city have names bearing witness to the Alan presence – Allaines.

Early Middle Ages
In the Merovingian era, the city was capital of the kingdom of Orléans following Clovis I's division of the kingdom, then under the Capetians it became the capital of a county then duchy held in appanage by the house of Valois-Orléans. The Valois-Orléans family later acceded to the throne of France via Louis XII then Francis I. In 1108, one of the few consecrations of a French monarch to occur outside of Reims occurred at Orléans, when Louis VI of France was consecrated in Orléans cathedral by Daimbert, archbishop of Sens.

High Middle Ages
The city was always a strategic point on the Loire, for it was sited at the river's most northerly point, and thus its closest point to Paris. There were few bridges over the dangerous river Loire, but Orléans had one of them, and so became – with Rouen and Paris – one of medieval France's three richest cities. On the south bank the "châtelet des Tourelles" protected access to the bridge. This was the site of the battle on 8 May 1429 which allowed Joan of Arc to enter and lift the city from the siege of the Plantagenets during the Hundred Years' War, with the help of the royal generals Dunois and Florent d'Illiers. The city's inhabitants have continued to remain faithful and grateful to her to this day, calling her "la pucelle d'Orléans" (the maid of Orléans), offering her a middle-class house in the city, and contributing to her ransom when she was taken prisoner.

1453 to 1699
Once the Hundred Years' War was over, the city recovered its former prosperity. The bridge brought in tolls and taxes, as did the merchants passing through the city. King Louis XI also greatly contributed to its prosperity, revitalising agriculture in the surrounding area (particularly the exceptionally fertile land around Beauce) and relaunching saffron farming at Pithiviers. Later, during the Renaissance, the city benefited from it becoming fashionable for rich châtelains to travel along the val-de-Loire (a fashion begun by the king himself, whose royal domains included the nearby Chambord, Amboise, Blois, and Chenonceau).

The University of Orléans also contributed to the city's prestige. Specializing in law, it was highly regarded throughout Europe. John Calvin was received and accommodated there (during which time he wrote part of his reforming theses) and in return Henry VIII of England (who had drawn on Calvin's work in his separation from Rome) offered to fund a scholarship at the University. Many other Protestants were sheltered by the city. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his pseudonym Molière, also studied law at the University, but was expelled for attending a carnival contrary to University rules.

From 13 December 1560 to 31 January 1561, the French States-General met here. This was just after the death of Francis II of France, the eldest son of Catherine de Médicis and Henry II, on 5 December 1560 in the Hôtel Groslot in Orléans, with his queen Mary at his side.

The cathedral was rebuilt several times. The present structure had its first stone laid by Henry IV, and work on it took a century. It thus is a mix of late Renaissance and early Louis XIV styles, and one of the last cathedrals to be built in France.

1700–1900
When France colonised America, the territory it conquered was immense, including the whole Mississippi River (whose first European name was the River Colbert), from its mouth to its source at the borders of Canada. Its capital was named "la Nouvelle-Orléans" in honour of Louis XV's regent, the duke of Orléans, and was settled with French inhabitants against the threat from British troops to the north-east.

The Dukes of Orléans hardly ever visited their city since, as brothers or cousins of the king, they took such a major role in court life that they could hardly ever leave. Officially their castle was that at Blois. The duchy of Orléans was the largest of the French duchies, starting at Arpajon, continuing to Chartres, Vendôme, Blois, Vierzon, and Montargis. The duke's son bore the title duke of Chartres. Inheritances from great families and marriage alliances allowed them to accumulate huge wealth, and one of them – Philippe Égalité is sometimes said to have been the richest man in the world at the time. His son, Louis-Philippe I, inherited the Penthièvre and Condé family fortunes.

1852 saw the creation of the "Compagnies ferroviaires Paris-Orléans" and its famous gare d'Orsay in Paris. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the city again became strategically important thanks to its geographical position, and was occupied by the Prussians on 13 October that year. The armée de la Loire was formed under the orders of général d'Aurelle de Paladines and based itself not far from Orléans at Beauce.

1900 to present
During the Second World War, the German army made the Orléans Fleury-les-Aubrais railway station one of their central logistical rail hubs. The Pont Georges V was renamed "pont des Tourelles". A transit camp for deportees was built at Beaune-la-Rolande. During the Liberation, the American Air Force heavily bombed the city and the train station, causing much damage. The city was one of the first to be rebuilt after the war: the reconstruction plan and city improvement initiated by Jean Kérisel and Jean Royer was adopted as early as 1943 and work began as early as the start of 1945. This reconstruction in part identically reproduced what had been lost, such as Royale and its arcades, but also used innovative prefabrication techniques, such as îlot 4 under the direction of the architect Pol Abraham.

The big city of former times is today an average-sized city of 250,000 inhabitants. It is still using its strategically central position less than an hour from the French capital to attract businesses interested in reducing transport costs.

Heraldry
According to Victor Adolphe Malte-Brun in La France Illustrée, 1882, Orléans's arms are "gules, three caillous in cœurs de lys argent, and on a chief azure, three fleurs de lys Or." Charle Grandmaison, in the Dictionnaire Héraldique of 1861, states that it is "Or, with three hearts in gules", without the chief of France. Sometimes, in faulty designs, we find it described "gules, three fleurs de lys argent, and on a chief azure three fleurs de lys Or."

It is to be noted that the design shown left shows 3 "cœurs de lys" (heart of a lily), seen from above. This "cœurs de lys" is therefore not a true lily, which would have 6 tepals, but a hypothetical aerial view of a symbolic lily. It has probably also been stylised more and more in heraldry, as in the heart in a pack of cards. Certain authors solve the problem by calling this symbol a "tiercefeuille", defined as a stemless clover leaf, with one leaf at the top and two below, thus making this coat of arms "gules, with three reversed tiercefeuilles in argent, etc".

Motto
"Hoc vernant lilia corde" (granted by Louis XII, then duke of Orléans), meaning "It is by this heart that lilies flourish" or "This heart makes lilies flourish", referring to the fleur de lys, symbol of the French royal family.

Public transport
TAO manages buses and tram lines in Orléans. The first tram line was inaugurated 20 November 2000. The second was inaugurated 30 June 2012

2 SNCF stations : Fleury les Aubrais and Orléans Centre

Roads and highway
Orléans is an autoroute intersection : the A10 (linking Paris to Bordeaux) links to the commune outskirts, and A71 (whose bridge over the Loire is outside the commune limits) begins here, heading for the Mediterranean via Clermont-Ferrand (where it becomes the A75).


 * A10 Highway From Paris to Bordeaux
 * A71 Highway From Orléans to Bourges
 * A19 Highway From Sens to Artenay
 * National Road 20 From Paris to Spain

Railway
Orléans is served by two main railway stations: the central Gare d'Orléans and the Gare des Aubrais-Orléans, in the northern suburbs. Most long-distance trains call only at the Les Aubrais-Orléans station, which offers connections to Paris, Lille, Tours, Brive-la-Gaillarde, Nevers, and several regional destinations.

People
Orléans is the birthplace of:
 * Patrick Barul, football player
 * Joelly Belleka, basketball player
 * Raoul Blanchard (1877–1965), geographer
 * Jean-Baptiste Marc Bourgery (1797-1849), anatomist
 * Philippe Chanlot, football player
 * Marion Cotillard, actress
 * Étienne Dolet (1509–1546), scholar and printer
 * Albert Gombault (1844-1904), neurologist
 * Jacques Guillemeau (1550–1613), physician
 * Gaston d'Illiers (1876–1932), sculptor
 * Isaac Jogues (1607–1646), Jesuit missionary
 * Stanislas Julien (1797–1873), orientalist
 * Gustave Lanson (1857–1934), historian
 * Damien Mayenga, football player
 * Yven Moyo, football player
 * Charles Péguy (1873–1914), poet and essayist
 * Antoine Petit (1722-1794), physician
 * Robert-Joseph Pothier (1699–1772), jurist
 * Lamine Sambe, basketball player
 * Yacine Sene, basketball player
 * Jean Zay (1904–1944), jurist and politician

Historical secular monuments of interest

 * The Gallo-Roman town-wall on the north side of the cathedral (4th century AD) and along the rue de la Tour-Neuve ;
 * The Hôtel Groslot, built between 1550 and 1555 for Jacques Groslot, "bailli d'Orléans" by Jacques Ier Androuet du Cerceau. François II of France died there in 1560. Charles IX,Henri III of France and Henri IV of France stayed there. The "hôtel" was restored in 1850.The building houses the town Hall of Orléans since 1790 (weddings are still celebrated in one of the rooms) ;
 * The hôtel de la Vieille Intendance (early 15th century) (otherwise named hôtel Brachet, formerly « The King's house »), real gothic-renaissance style château made of bricks. Today it houses the Administrative Court of Orléans. One can admire its frontage from the entrance in the rue de la Bretonnerie. But the most beautiful view of this house in which stayed the highest figures of the kingtom passing by the city, and maybe some kings themselves (Henri IV, Louis XIII, Louis XIV of France), may be obtained from its gardens, opened to the public (entrance rue d'Alsace-Lorraine).
 * The hôtel de la Motte-Sanguin (18th century) and its gardens, manor built by order of du duke of Orléans, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans (1747-1793) named « Égalité » / "equality" after his backing of the 1789 revolutionaries. Nicknamed "the richest man on earth" he voted in favor of the death penalty against his cousin the king Louis XVI. This is a classic style princely residence (and even royal because Philippe Égalité's heir accessed the throne of France under the name of Louis-Philippe Ier). It is comparable to the Loire Valley's chateaux.
 * The school of artillery, formerly housing a military school built in the 19th century near the river Loire, and the more recent pont René-Thinat.
 * The House of Louis XI (end of the 15th century), on Saint-Aignan square. Built by order of the sovereign who revered particularly Saint-Aignan;
 * The House of Joan of Arc, where she stayed during the Siege of Orléans (in fact, this is an approximate reconstitution, the original building was bombed by the Nazis in 1940) ;
 * The place du Martroi, heart of the city, with a statue of Joan of Arc at its center, made by Denis Foyatier. This statue was damaged during the Second World War then repaired by Paul Belmondo, father of the famous 50's-80's French actor ;
 * The Bannier gate-house, discovered in 1986 under the statue of Joan of Arc (Place du Martroi). It was built in the 14th century. It can be seen through a window in the subterranean car-park under the square or visited under certain conditions ;
 * The Tour Blanche / White Tower, only tower subsisting of the Gallo-Roman town wall (still in use at the time of the Siege of Orléans. ;
 * The "salle de l'Institut", on "place Sainte Croix", is a small concert hall which can be converted in a ball room. Its acoustincs is remarkable ;
 * The Hôtel Cabu, otherwise named house of Diane de Poitiers, built by order of Philippe Cabu, barrister, in 1547, on plans of the famous architect Jacques Ier Androuet du Cerceau ;
 * The Hôtel Hatte, 16th century. Today the Charles-Péguy Center ;
 * The Hôtel Toutin, 16th century ;
 * The Hôtel Pommeret d'Orléans, 16th century;
 * The Hôtel Ducerceau, 16th century;
 * The Hôtel des Créneaux, former city hall, flanked by its bell tower. It today houses the city's school of music. ;
 * The House of Jean Dalibert,16th century ;
 * The Study of Jacques Bouchet (16th century), which can be admired from the public square "Jacques Bouchet" ;
 * The mansions of the rue d'Escure (17th and 18th centuries) ;
 * The "préfecture" : former Benedictine monastery, built in 1670 and housing the "Préfecture du Loiret" since 1800. ;
 * The Pont de l'Europe, designed by Santiago Calatrava, is an inclined bow-string ark bridge particularly original ;
 * The Pont Royal, the oldest bridge of the city ;
 * The Pont des Tourelles, built in 1140 and demolished in 1760, was the first stone-made bridge of Orléans. When the river Loire is low, one can see remains of it in the water ;
 * Statue La Baigneuse by Paul Belmondo, aside the rue Royale (1955);
 * Statue of Calvin, by Daniel Leclercq, facing the Calvinist temple (2009);
 * The bishop's palace, (17th and 18th centuries) ;
 * The courthouse. ;

Many historical houses and mansions (hundreds) can still be admired in the city center which is one of the largest in France due to the great importance of the city until the 20th century.

Museums
Museums in Orléans:
 * Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans
 * Charles Peguy Centre
 * Joan of Arc's House
 * Fine Arts Museum
 * City Historical and Archeological Museum
 * Natural Science Museum

Parks
Parks in Orléans:
 * Parc Floral de la Source
 * Motte Sanguin garden
 * Charpenterie garden
 * Botanic garden
 * Anjorrant park
 * Charbonnière park
 * Moins Roux park
 * Pasteur park

Media

 * TV network: Orléans TV
 * Newspaper: La République du Centre (the Republic of the Centre)

Music

 * Burning Heads

Sport
Orléans has a basketball team: Orléans Loiret Basket which is in the French first division. The club won the "Coupe de France" of basketball, its first major trophy, in the season 2009 - 2010.

Orléans also has a football club the US Orléans which plays in the French second division.

The city also has very well known clubs in karate, fencing and judo.

In 2012, Orléans will host a stage finish of Paris–Nice.

International relations
Orléans is twinned with:

It has a partnership with:
 * 🇵🇱 Kraków in Poland

Education
The University campus is in the La Source area in southern part of the commune.