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Loire Valley

{{short description|Area of France}}

{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site

| WHS = The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes

| Image = Azay le rideau.jpg

|Caption = Château d'Azay-le-Rideau

| Location = France

| Criteria = Cultural: i, ii, iv

| ID = 933bis

| Year = 2000

| Area = 86,021 ha

| Buffer_zone = 213,481 ha

| Embedded =

{{Location map many

| France

| caption = Limits of the World Heritage site: 1 = Sully-sur-Loire, 2 = Chalonnes-sur-Loire

| relief = 1

| label1 = 1

| link1 = Sully-sur-Loire

| coordinates1= {{coord|47|45|57|N|2|22|34|E}}47°45′57″N 2°22′34″E

| label2 = 2

| link2 = Chalonnes-sur-Loire

| coordinates2= {{coord|47|21|05|N|0|45|45|W}}

}}

}}

File:Most beautiful villages of the world montsoreau 2.jpg from the Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art]]

The Loire Valley ({{langx|fr|Vallée de la Loire}}, {{IPA|fr|vale də la lwaʁ|pron}}), spanning {{convert|280|km}},{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/933/|title=Whc.unesco.org}} is a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire river in central France, in both the administrative regions Pays de la Loire and Centre-Val de Loire. The area of the Loire Valley comprises about {{convert|800|km2}}.{{cite book|last1=Tockner|first1=Klement|last2=Uehlinger|first2=Urs|last3=Robinson|first3=Christopher T.|title=Rivers of Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GDmX5XKkQCcC&pg=PT183|access-date=11 April 2011|year=2009|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-12-369449-2|page=183}} It is referred to as the Cradle of the French and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards (such as cherries), and artichoke, and asparagus fields, which line the banks of the river.{{cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Nicola|last2=Boone|first2=Virginie|title=The Loire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PASIo7gR7Q4C&pg=PA7|access-date=12 April 2011|date=1 May 2002|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-86450-358-6|pages=7–10}} Notable for its historic towns, architecture, and wines, the valley has been inhabited since the Middle Palaeolithic period. In 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the Loire River valley to its list of World Heritage Sites.

Geography and climate

The valley includes historic towns such as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Montsoreau, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours.

The climate is favorable most of the year, the river often acting as a line of demarcation in France's weather between the northern climate and the southern.{{cite web|url=http://town.hall.org/travel/france/loirep.html|title=Loire Valley|work=hall.org|access-date=12 April 2011}} The river has a significant effect on the mesoclimate of the region, adding a few degrees of temperature. The climate can be cool with springtime frost while wine harvest months may have rain.J. Robinson (ed.) The Oxford Companion to Wine, Third Edition pp. 408–410, Oxford University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}} Summers are hot; however, influences from the Atlantic moderate the temperature with breezes.{{cite web|url=http://www.riverloire.com/en/Loire-Valley-guide/loire-valley-weather.html|title=Loire Valley weather |access-date=12 April 2011}}

Temperature, rainfall and average sunshine time in Angers (Anjou):

width="50%" class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:87%;line-height:120%"
style="text-align:right"|MonthJanFebMarchAprMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDecYear
style="text-align:left"|Average minimum temperature (°C)

|style="background:#8080FF"|2.1

|style="background:#8080FF"|2.2

|style="background:#CCCCFF"|3.9

|style="background:#CCCCFF"|5.6

|style="background:#CCFFFF"|8.9

|style="background:#FFFF99"|11.8

|style="background:#FFFF99"|13.6

|style="background:#FFFF99"|13.4

|style="background:#FFFF99"|11.3

|style="background:#CCFFFF"|8.4

|style="background:#80CCFF"|4.6

|style="background:#CCCCFF"|2.8

|style="background:#CCFFFF"|7.4

style="text-align:left"|Average temperature (°C)

|style="background:#CCCCFF"|5

|style="background:#CCCCFF"|5.7

|style="background:#CCFFFF"|8.2

|style="background:#FFFFFF"|10.4

|style="background:#FFFF99"|13.9

|style="background:#FFCC66"|16.2

|style="background:#FF8000"|19.2

|style="background:#FF8000"|19.1

|style="background:#FFCC66"|16.5

|style="background:#FFFF99"|12.7

|style="background:#80CCFF"|8

|style="background:#80CCFF"|5.6

|style="background:#FFFF99"|11.8

style="text-align:left"|Average maximum temperature (°C)

|style="background:#80CCFF"|7.9

|style="background:#CCFFFF"|9.2

|style="background:#FFFFFF"|12.6

|style="background:#FFFF99"|15.3

|style="background:#FFCC66"|19

|style="background:#FF8000"|22.6

|style="background:#FF8000"|24.9

|style="background:#FF8000"|24.7

|style="background:#FF8000"|21.8

|style="background:#FFCC66"|17

|style="background:#FFFFFF"|11.4

|style="background:#CCFFFF"|8.4

|style="background:#FFFF99"|16.2

style="text-align:left"|Average monthly rainfall (mm)

|style="background:#80CCFF"|62.1

|style="background:#80CCFF"|50.8

|style="background:#80CCFF"|51.7

|style="background:#80CCFF"|44.6

|style="background:#80CCFF"|54.4

|style="background:#80CCFF"|41.2

|style="background:#80CCFF"|43.8

|style="background:#80CCFF"|44.9

|style="background:#80CCFF"|52.2

|style="background:#80CCFF"|59.6

|style="background:#80CCFF"|64.5

|style="background:#80CCFF"|63.4

|style="background:#80CCFF"|63.4

style="text-align:left"| Monthly hours of sunshine (hour/month)

|style="background:#FFCC66"|70

|style="background:#FFCC66"|92

|style="background:#FFCC66"|141

|style="background:#FFCC66"|179

|style="background:#FFCC66"|201

|style="background:#FFCC66"|234

|style="background:#FFCC66"|248

|style="background:#FFCC66"|237

|style="background:#FFCC66"|191

|style="background:#FFCC66"|129

|style="background:#FFCC66"|89

|style="background:#FFCC66"|65

|style="background:#FFCC66"|1877

colspan="14" style="font-size:90%;text-align:center"|Source:[http://www.lameteo.org/angers.html Climatology from 1947 to 2008 - Angers, France] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013173916/http://www.lameteo.org/angers.html |date=2008-10-13 }}

Wine

{{Main|Loire Valley (wine)}}

File:Vineyard in the Loire Valley.jpg

The Loire Valley wine region[http://www.vinsdeloire.fr/uploads/files/GP%20-%20goodies/carte_AOC_service_communication2.pdf Vineyard in the Loire Valley] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531110746/http://www.vinsdeloire.fr/uploads/files/GP%20-%20goodies/carte_AOC_service_communication2.pdf |date=2012-05-31 }}, map. is one of the world's most well-known areas of wine production and includes several French wine regions situated along the river from the Muscadet region on the Atlantic coast to the regions of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé just southeast of the city of Orléans in north central France. Loire wines tend to exhibit a characteristic fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavors.C. Fallis, editor The Encyclopedic Atlas of Wine pg 168-176 Global Book Publishing 2006 {{ISBN|1-74048-050-3}}

Culture

File:Chateau Valencay 20050726.jpg]]

On December 2, 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the river valley, between Chalonnes-sur-Loire and Sully-sur-Loire, to its list of World Heritage Sites. In choosing this area that includes the French départements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, and Maine-et-Loire, the committee said that the Loire Valley is: "an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself."

The Loire Valley chansonniers are a related group of songbooks attributed to the composers of the Loire Valley and are the earliest surviving examples of a new genre which offered a combination of words, music, and illuminations.{{cite web|url=http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9780195381528/Songs-Scribes-and-Society|title=Short Description for Songs, Scribes, and Society|work=bookdepository.com|access-date=11 April 2011}}

A new Contemporary Art offer is developing all along the Loire River from Montsoreau to Orléans with such places as Château de Montsoreau-Contemporary Art Museum, CCCOD Tours, the Domaine Régional de Chaumont sur Loire and the Frac Centre Orléans.{{cite news|url=https://news.artnet.com/market/art-language-philippe-meaille-french-chateau-310458|title=Largest Art & Language Collection Finds Home - artnet News|date=2015-06-23|work=artnet News|access-date=2018-02-12|language=en-US}}{{cite web |title=MACBA banks on History|url=http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-features/news/macba-opening/|publisher=Artinamericamagazine.com|date=2011}}{{cite web |title=Art & Language Uncompleted|url=http://www.macba.cat/en/exhibition-art-language-uncompleted/1/exhibitions/expo|publisher=macba.cat|date=2014}} They are a rare association of Renaissance architecture with contemporary art.{{cite news|title=Travels in Europe|url=http://www.elmundo.es/viajes/europa/2017/06/12/58d8ded2468aebfe7b8b463b.html|newspaper=El Mundo|date=2017}}

Architecture

{{main|Châteaux of the Loire Valley}}

File:France Loir-et-Cher Chambord Chateau 03.jpg

File:France Orleans Pont George V Cathedrale 01.JPG]]

File:Place Plum Tours 4598.jpg]]

File:Loire Maine Angers2 tango7174.jpg]]

The architectural heritage in the valley's historic towns is notable, especially its châteaux, such as the Château de Montsoreau, Château d'Amboise, Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, Château de Chambord, Château de Chinon, Château du Rivau, Château d'Ussé, Château de Villandry and Chenonceau. The châteaux, numbering more than three hundred,{{cite web|title=Nuvomagazine.com|url=https://nuvomagazine.com/travel/a-guide-to-chateaux-gardens-of-the-loire-valley}} include the necessary castle fortifications built in the 10th century but also the splendour of those built half a millennium later. When the French kings began constructing their huge châteaux here, the nobility, not wanting or even daring to be far from the seat of power, followed suit. Their presence in the lush, fertile valley began attracting the very best landscape designers. In addition to its many châteaux, the cultural monuments illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. Many of the châteaux were designed to be built on the top of hills, one example of this is the Château d'Amboise. Many of the châteaux had extremely detailed and expensive churches on the grounds, or within the actual château itself.

The Château de Montsoreau is the only château to have been built in the Loire riverbed, it is also the only one to be entirely dedicated to contemporary art.{{cite web|url=https://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/tag/chateau-de-montsoreau/|title=Château de Montsoreau (Contemporary Art Daily)|website=contemporaryartdaily.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fiac.com/en/agenda/around-paris-and-in-France/chateau-de-montsoreau/|title=Chateau de Montsoreau - FIAC|date=2017-09-23|website=www.fiac.com|language=en|access-date=2018-10-06}}{{cite web|url=https://www.les-chateaux-de-la-loire.com/en/accueil/1-montsoreau-castel.html|title=Château de Montsoreau-Contemporary Art Museum - Les Châteaux de la Loire|website=Les Châteaux de la Loire|language=en-us|access-date=2018-10-06}}

Economy

The European Commission reported that in 2016, three categories accounted for most of the economy in the Pays-de-la-Loire region: services (including tourism) provided 66.7% of employment, industry 26.5% and agriculture, 3.9%. The unemployment rate was 8.8%. In 2015, the region ranked eighth in France in terms of economic performance producing 5.0% of the gross domestic product. Important economic sectors included leather goods, textile, shipyard/construction and aeronautics, agriculture and food-processing as well as the plastics industry.{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/regional-innovation-monitor/base-profile/pays-de-la-loire|date=1 November 2017|title=Pays-de-la-Loire|publisher=EC|access-date=13 April 2019|quote=Pays de la Loire is a French administrative region located in the western part of France}} The EC did not produce a report for the larger Loire Valley region.

According to another source, tourism in the Loire Valley was supported by over 700 hotels and 550 restaurants in the region. In addition to the chateaux and some 700 other listed Historic monuments, attractions included three Regional nature Parks, 550 km of cycling tracks, 800 listed Historic monuments, over 100 museums and 30 golf courses.{{cite web |url=https://www.my-french-house.com/regions/centre-val-de-loire|date=1 March 2018|title=French region of Loire Valley|publisher=My French House|access-date=13 April 2019}}

In April 2019, The Guardian's travel section included one Loire Valley location in its list of 20 of the most beautiful villages in France: Montrésor, "a fairytale village with a rich history" evidenced by "the wool market, the Halle de Cardeux, ... the 16th-century Logis du Chancelier, ... a riverside walk, Balcons de l’Indrois, [and] ... Jardinier Bridge".{{cite news|title=20 of the most beautiful villages in France|date=13 April 2019|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/apr/13/20-most-beautiful-historic-villages-france-loire-provence|work=Guardian|access-date=13 April 2019|quote=From a fairytale fortress in the Loire to a clifftop stronghold in Provence, these charming, historic villages make perfect bases for exploring rural France}}

According to a 2017 report by CNN, the 42 chateaux that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site receive over 3.3 million visitors per year.{{cite web|title=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/loire-valley-castles/index.html}} The Telegraph newspaper (2014) listed the following as the premiere chateaux for tourists: Chinon, Cité royale de Loches, Chaumont, Blois, Meung, Chenonceau, Rivau, Lemeré, Amboise, Clos Lucé, Chambord, Villandry and Valençay.{{cite web|title=Telegraph.co.uk|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/pays-de-la-loire/articles/The-best-chateaux-of-the-Loire-Valley-France-travel-guide/}}

See also

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

{{Wikivoyage}}

  • [http://www.loirevalley-worldheritage.org Loire Valley world heritage site]
  • [https://www.touraineloirevalley.co.uk/plan-your-holidays/touring-around-by-bike-trekking-or-in-a-motor-home/visit-touraine-by-bike/cycling-loire-valley-loire-by-bike/ The Loire by bike]
  • [https://www.chateauvillandry.fr/en/ Villandry gardens]
  • [http://www.loire-castle-rivau.com Loire Valley Chateau du Rivau]
  • [http://www.forteressechinon.fr/ Chinon Fortress]
  • [http://www.chateau-montsoreau.com/ Chateau de Montsoreau-Contemporary Art Museum]
  • [https://www.linkparis.com/collections/day-trips-from-paris/products/loire-valley-day-tour-itinerary-2 How to Visit the Loire Valley from Paris]

{{Loire Valley communes}}

{{World Heritage Sites in France}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|47|12|59|N|0|03|44|E|source:https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1050483|display=title}}

Category:Valleys of France

Category:World Heritage Sites in France

Category:Landforms of Centre-Val de Loire

Category:Landforms of Pays de la Loire