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Alençon

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This article is about the town in France. For the needle lace originating here, see Alençon lace.

Alençon (UK: /æˈlɒ̃sɒ̃/,[3] US: /ˌælɒ̃ˈsoʊn/,[4] French: [alɑ̃sɔ̃] ⓘ; Norman: Alençoun) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department.[5] It is situated 173 kilometres (107 mi) west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon (with 52,000 people).

Alençon
Alençoun (Norman)
Prefecture and commune
Town hall
Town hall
Coat of arms of Alençon
Coat of arms
Location of Alençon
Map
Alençon is located in France
Alençon
Alençon
Alençon is located in Normandy
Alençon
Alençon
Coordinates: 48°25′50″N 0°05′35″E / 48.4306°N 0.0931°E / 48.4306; 0.0931
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentOrne
ArrondissementAlençon
CantonAlençon-1 and 2
IntercommunalityAlençon
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Joachim Pueyo[1]
Area
1
10.68 km2 (4.12 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
25,555
 • Density2,400/km2 (6,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
61001 /61000
Elevation127–152 m (417–499 ft)
(avg. 135 m or 443 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

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The name of Alençon is first recorded in a document dated in the seventh century. During the tenth century, Alençon was a buffer state between Normandy and the Maine regions.

In 1049–1051, William Duke of Normandy, later known as William the Conqueror and king of England, laid siege to the town, which had risen in support of the Count of Anjou along with two other towns of the Bellême estates, Domfront (then in Maine) and Bellême (held directly from King Henry I of France). According to Duke William's chaplain and panegyrist, William of Poitiers, the defenders of the fortress refused to surrender and mockingly waved animal hides from the castle walls, referencing William's lineage as the grandson of a tanner. In response to this, William had 32 prisoners of the town's hands and feet cut off, prompting a sudden surrender. Upon hearing of this event, the town of Domfront also surrendered.[6][7]

Alençon was occupied by the English during the Anglo-Norman wars of 1113 to 1203.

The city became the seat of a dukedom in 1415, belonging to the sons of the King of France until the French Revolution, and some of them played important roles in French history: see Duke of Alençon. The French Revolution caused relatively little disorder in this area, although there were some royalist uprisings nearby.

A long-standing local fabric industry gave birth to the town's famous point d'Alençon lace in the 18th century. The economic development of the nineteenth century was based on iron foundries and mills in the surrounding region. In the first half of the twentieth century the city developed a flourishing printing industry.

Alençon was home to Sts. Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin,[8][9] the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.[10] They were the first spouses in the history of the Catholic Church to be proposed for sainthood as a couple, in 2008. Zélie and Louis were married at the Basilica[11] of Notre-Dame in Alençon on 13 July 1858 and spent their whole married life in Alençon, where Thérèse was born[12] in January 1873 and spent her early childhood until the death of her mother in 1877. Beatification of Louis and Zelie Martin - Saint Therese of Lisieux

On 17 June 1940, the German Army occupied Alençon. On 12 August 1944 Alençon was the first French city to be liberated by the French Army under General Leclerc, after minor bomb damage.

After the war the population sharply increased and new industries settled. Many of these were related to plastics and the town is now a major plastics educational centre.

Geography

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Alençon along with another 32 communes is part of a 3,503 hectare, Natura 2000 conservation area, called the Haute vallée de la Sarthe.[13]

Climate

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Climate data for Alençon (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1946–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.7
(63.9) 		20.1
(68.2) 		23.6
(74.5) 		28.9
(84.0) 		31.0
(87.8) 		37.0
(98.6) 		39.8
(103.6) 		38.5
(101.3) 		34.3
(93.7) 		28.5
(83.3) 		21.0
(69.8) 		16.5
(61.7) 		39.8
(103.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.4
(45.3) 		8.6
(47.5) 		12.0
(53.6) 		15.2
(59.4) 		18.6
(65.5) 		21.9
(71.4) 		24.3
(75.7) 		24.4
(75.9) 		20.9
(69.6) 		16.0
(60.8) 		10.9
(51.6) 		7.8
(46.0) 		15.7
(60.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.7
(40.5) 		5.2
(41.4) 		7.7
(45.9) 		10.1
(50.2) 		13.4
(56.1) 		16.6
(61.9) 		18.7
(65.7) 		18.7
(65.7) 		15.5
(59.9) 		12.0
(53.6) 		7.8
(46.0) 		5.0
(41.0) 		11.3
(52.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.1
(35.8) 		1.7
(35.1) 		3.4
(38.1) 		5.0
(41.0) 		8.3
(46.9) 		11.3
(52.3) 		13.0
(55.4) 		13.0
(55.4) 		10.2
(50.4) 		7.9
(46.2) 		4.7
(40.5) 		2.3
(36.1) 		6.9
(44.4)
Record low °C (°F) −17.4
(0.7) 		−18.0
(−0.4) 		−9.4
(15.1) 		−5.2
(22.6) 		−2.6
(27.3) 		0.3
(32.5) 		3.0
(37.4) 		2.2
(36.0) 		0.0
(32.0) 		−6.0
(21.2) 		−10.6
(12.9) 		−17.0
(1.4) 		−18.0
(−0.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 74.8
(2.94) 		56.6
(2.23) 		52.8
(2.08) 		49.7
(1.96) 		62.0
(2.44) 		55.4
(2.18) 		50.8
(2.00) 		51.4
(2.02) 		54.5
(2.15) 		72.0
(2.83) 		75.9
(2.99) 		87.8
(3.46) 		743.7
(29.28)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 12.3 10.5 9.9 9.4 9.7 8.1 7.1 8.0 8.0 11.0 12.2 13.4 119.5
Average snowy days 3.8 3.8 2.8 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 2.5 15.4
Average relative humidity (%) 89 86 81 77 78 77 76 78 82 88 89 90 82.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 60.4 89.2 134.0 173.6 198.0 214.7 222.3 213.6 173.7 111.9 72.6 63.1 1,727.1
Source 1: Meteociel[14]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)[15]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 12,954—    
1800 12,407−0.61%
1806 13,222+1.07%
1821 13,955+0.36%
1836 13,934−0.01%
1841 13,917−0.02%
1846 14,388+0.67%
1851 14,760+0.51%
1856 16,473+2.22%
1861 16,110−0.44%
1866 16,115+0.01%
1872 16,037−0.08%
1876 16,615+0.89%
1881 17,237+0.74%
1886 17,550+0.36%
1891 18,319+0.86%
1896 17,841−0.53%
1901 17,270−0.65%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1906 17,843+0.65%
1911 17,378−0.53%
1921 16,249−0.67%
1926 16,044−0.25%
1931 16,688+0.79%
1936 17,731+1.22%
1946 19,691+1.05%
1954 21,893+1.33%
1962 25,584+1.97%
1968 31,656+3.61%
1975 33,680+0.89%
1982 31,608−0.90%
1990 29,988−0.66%
1999 28,935−0.40%
2007 27,942−0.44%
2012 26,305−1.20%
2017 25,848−0.35%
2021 25,555−0.28%
Source: EHESS[16] and INSEE (1968-2021)[17][18]

Heraldry

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Arms of Alençon
 The arms of Alençon are blazoned :
Azure, a double-headed eagle displayed Or.



Economy

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In the seventeenth century, Alençon was chiefly noted for its lace called point d'Alençon.

Today, Alençon is home to a prosperous plastics industry, and, since 1993, to a plastics engineering school.

MPO Fenêtres is a local PVC window company established in Alençon in 1970, is one of the first company in Alençon with around 170 employees (2009) and a turnover of 28 million euros in 2008. It is also the oldest French PVC window company still in business.

Points of interest

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Museums

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National heritage sites

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The Commune has 31 buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique[20]

  • Le Château des Ducs is a Castle built in the Middle ages.[21]
  • Municipal Library was a former Jesuit chapel built in 1620, it became the city's library in the 18th century.[22] It was registered as a Monument in 1926.[22]
  • Prout sawmill and steam engine is a former sawmill, built in 1874, it was registered as a monument in 1995.[23]
  • Café la Renaissance, built in 1855 the cafe, its interior decor is inspired by the second French Renaissance, it was registered as a monument in 2009.[24]
  • Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Chapel is a seventeenth century chapel, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[25]
  • Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Alençon is a fifteenth century church, that was registered as a monument in 1862.[26]
  • Saint-Pierre church in the Montsor district is a church that was built in 1880, it features Mosaics made by the Facchina workshop, it was registered as a monument in 2006.[27]
  • The Wheat Market was built in 1812, featuring a 1000 m² glass dome, with a circumference of 110 metres, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[28][29]
  • Psychiatric hospital was built in 1774, and initially built as a hospital for the sick, the destitute, the prisoners and the mentally ill.[30] After the revolution it was turned into a prison, then becoming a hospice, before finally becoming a psychiatric hospital.[30] It was registered as a monument in 1974.[30]
  • Le Grand Cerf is a nineteenth century hotel, that was registered as a monument in 2008.[31]
  • Hotel Libert is a hotel dating back to the 18th century, registered as a monument in 1947.[32]
  • Hotel Radigue is a hotel dating back to the 18th century, registered as a monument in 1960.[33] The hotel was mentioned in the Honoré de Balzac novel La Vieille Fille.[33]
  • Hôtel de la préfecture , formerly known as the Hôtel de Guise is a hotel dating back to the seventeenth century, registered as a monument in 1903.[34]
  • The Town Hall dates back to the 17th century and was registered as a monument in 1926.[35]
  • Saint-Pierre de Montsort Presbytery is a former hotel that might have served as a presbytery, it was built in 1639 and was listed as a monument in 1958.[36]
  • Saint-Léonard Lodging house is a seventeenth century house, designated as a monument in 1975.[37]
  • Pesche Pharmacy is a nineteenth century building with neo-classical decor very characteristic of the 1820s-1830s, it was listed as a monument in 1987.[38]
  • Tribunal de commerce is a fifteenth century building used as a court house for Commercial matters, it was registered as a monument in 1958.[39]
  • City Ramparts remains of the old sixteenth century ramparts, reworked on in the nineteenth century, they were listed as a monument in 1971.[40]
  • House of Ozé a fifteenth century house, built entirely from granite.[41] The house was registered as a monument in 1903, and now acts as the Tourist office for the Commune.[41][42]

There are a further eleven private buildings and houses listed as monuments with the commune.[20]

Education

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"Écoles". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.

"Collèges". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.

"Lycées". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.

Transport

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Alençon is linked by the A28 autoroute (motorway/freeway) with the nearby cities of Le Mans to the south (Sarthe) and Rouen (Seine-Maritime) to the north. The A88 autoroute links the A28 just north of Alençon to the coastal port of Caen.

The Alençon railway station offers regional services towards Caen, Le Mans and Tours.[43] A comprehensive town bus system operates from 7:00 to 19:00.

Aérodrome d'Alençon - Valframbert is an Aerodrome within the commune which is also shared with neighbouring communes of Valframbert and Cerisé that opened in 1936.[44][45] Its IATA airport code is XAN and its ICAO airport code is LFOF.[46]

There is a comprehensive network of cycle paths.

Sport

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  • Alencon has a football team US Alençon who play at the Jacques Fould stadium.[47]
  • Hippodrome d'Alençon is a racecourse that specializes in Harness racing, it has been in operation since 1825.[19]

Notable people

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Twin towns – sister cities

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See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Alençon is twinned with:[49]

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  •  
    La Halle aux Blé
  •  
    Château des Ducs
  •  
    Library

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Alençon". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d.
  4. ^ "Alençon". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
  5. ^ "Commune d'Alençon (61001)". INSEE.
  6. ^ The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni, ed. and trans. E. van Houts, 2 vols (Oxford, 1992–95) vol. 2 p. 125
  7. ^ "10 Things You May Not Know About William the Conqueror". 29 August 2018.
  8. ^ a b "Shrine Louis and Zelie Martin (Alençon-France) - Louis Martin's life". Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Shrine Louis and Zelie Martin (Alençon-France) - Zelie Martin's life". Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Shrine Louis and Zelie Martin (Alençon-France) - St. Therese's life". Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  11. ^ "Shrine Louis and Zelie Martin (Alençon-France) - The basilica of Notre Dame". Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  12. ^ "Shrine Louis and Zelie Martin (Alençon-France) - Alençon, the birthplace of St. Therese". Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  13. ^ "INPN - FSD Natura 2000 - FR2500107 - Haute Vallée de la Sarthe - Description".
  14. ^ "Normales et records pour Alençon (61)". Meteociel. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  15. ^ "Normes et records 1961-1990: Alençon - Valframbert (61) - altitude 144m" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  16. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Alençon, EHESS (in French).
  17. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  18. ^ Populations légales 2021, INSEE
  19. ^ a b "À la découverte du musée des Beaux-Arts et de la dentelle d'Alençon et ses " pépites "". actu.fr. 8 July 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Les Monuments Historiques en Orne - 61". monumentum.fr.
  21. ^ "Ancien château à Alençon - PA00110691". monumentum.fr.
  22. ^ a b "Bibliothèque municipale (ancienne chapelle des Jésuites) à Alençon - PA00110689". monumentum.fr.
  23. ^ "Bâtiment et machine à vapeur de l'ancienne scierie Prout à Alençon - PA00135513". monumentum.fr.
  24. ^ "Café la Renaissance à Alençon - PA61000057". monumentum.fr.
  25. ^ "Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Lorette à Alençon - PA00110690". monumentum.fr.
  26. ^ "Eglise Notre-Dame à Alençon - PA00110692". monumentum.fr.
  27. ^ "Eglise Saint-Pierre du quartier de Montsor à Alençon - PA61000043". monumentum.fr.
  28. ^ "Halle au blé à Alençon - PA00110693". monumentum.fr.
  29. ^ "Les mille vies de la Halle au Blé d'Alençon". actu.fr. 27 August 2023.
  30. ^ a b c "Hôpital psychiatrique à Alençon - PA00110694". monumentum.fr.
  31. ^ "Hôtel du Grand Cerf à Alençon - PA61000056". monumentum.fr.
  32. ^ "Hôtel Libert à Alençon - PA00110696". monumentum.fr.
  33. ^ a b "Hôtel Radigue à Alençon - PA00110697". monumentum.fr.
  34. ^ "Hôtel de la préfecture (ancien Hôtel de Guise) à Alençon - PA00110695". monumentum.fr.
  35. ^ "Hôtel de ville à Alençon - PA00110698". monumentum.fr.
  36. ^ "Presbytère Saint-Pierre de Montsort à Alençon - PA00110710". monumentum.fr.
  37. ^ "Logis Saint-Léonard à Alençon - PA00110705". monumentum.fr.
  38. ^ "Pharmacie Pesche à Alençon - PA00110709". monumentum.fr.
  39. ^ "Tribunal de commerce à Alençon - PA00110712". monumentum.fr.
  40. ^ "Vestiges des remparts à Alençon - PA00110711". monumentum.fr.
  41. ^ a b "Maison d'Ozé à Alençon - PA00110706". monumentum.fr.
  42. ^ NICOLAS, Rose (13 August 2018). "EN IMAGES. Alençon vu des fenêtres de la Maison d'Ozé". Ouest-France.fr.
  43. ^ Votre gare : Alençon, SNCF
  44. ^ "Histoire. Alençon a-t-elle raté le train de l'aviation ?". actu.fr. 1 June 2021.
  45. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps.
  46. ^ "Alençon Valframbert - France". World Airport Codes.
  47. ^ BOSCHER, François (21 June 2018). "Alençon. Un million d'euros pour sécuriser le stade Jacques-Fould". Ouest-France.fr.
  48. ^ "ALENÇON (61) : Cimetière Notre-Dame - Cimetières de France et d'ailleurs".
  49. ^ "Jumelages". alencon.fr (in French). Alençon. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
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