Chenonceaux

Chenonceaux
Chenonceau Château and the Cher River
Coat of arms of Chenonceaux Coat of arms
Chenonceaux
Location within Centre region Chenonceaux
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Indre-et-Loire
Arrondissement	Tours
Canton	Bléré
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	Michel Le Goff
Area1	4.33 km2 (1.67 sq mi)
Population (2009)2	353
• Density	82/km2 (210/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	37070 / 37150
Elevation	54–129 m (177–423 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Chenonceaux is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.

It is situated in the valley of the river Cher, a tributary of the Loire, about 26 km (16 mi) east of Tours and on the right bank of the Cher].

The population of permanent residents hovers about 400, as of 2012, but there is a large influx of tourists during the summer months, because the village adjoins the former royal Château de Chenonceau, one of the most popular tourist destinations in France. The chateau is distinctive in being built across the river. The village is also situated in Touraine-Chenonceaux wine-growing area, and bordered on its northern edge by the Forest of Amboise.

Name

The difference in spelling between the Château's name (Chenonceau) and the village (Chenonceaux) is attributed to Louise Dupin de Francueil, owner of the chateau during the French Revolution, who is said to have dropped the "x" at the end of its name to differentiate what was a symbol of royalty from the Republic. As a result of her good relations with the village, the Chateau was spared the iconoclastic damage suffered by many other monuments during the Revolution. Although no official sources have been found to support this claim, the Château has ever since been referred to and spelled as Chenonceau. Mme Dupin hosted the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Chenonceau as tutor to her children, and among her descendants was the writer Georges Sand, born Aurore Dupin.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	308	—
1800	366	+18.8%
1806	327	−10.7%
1821	363	+11.0%
1831	313	−13.8%
1836	320	+2.2%
1841	333	+4.1%
1846	328	−1.5%
1851	356	+8.5%
1856	366	+2.8%
1861	368	+0.5%
1866	398	+8.2%
1872	379	−4.8%
1876	390	+2.9%
1881	434	+11.3%
1886	410	−5.5%
1891	352	−14.1%
1896	379	+7.7%
1901	326	−14.0%
1906	323	−0.9%
1911	308	−4.6%
1921	356	+15.6%
1926	328	−7.9%
1931	296	−9.8%
1936	302	+2.0%
1946	292	−3.3%
1954	321	+9.9%
1962	301	−6.2%
1968	308	+2.3%
1975	316	+2.6%
1982	361	+14.2%
1990	313	−13.3%
1999	325	+3.8%
2006	339	+4.3%
2009	353	+4.1%

See also

• Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department

References

• INSEE commune file

External links

• Tourism Office Chenonceaux
• Link to Official Website Chateau de Chenonceau