Country France Department Indre Intercommunality Pays d’Issoudun Local time Thursday 2:42 PM | Region Centre-Val de Loire Arrondissement Issoudun Area 36.6 km² | |
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Canton Issoudun-Sud and Issoudun-Nord Weather 21°C, Wind E at 8 km/h, 43% Humidity Points of interest Musée de l'Hospice Saint‑Roc, La tour blanche, Château de Frapesle | ||
Issoudun ([isudœ̃]) is a commune in the Indre department in the central region of France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.
Contents
- Map of 36100 Issoudun France
- Location
- Terrain
- Transport
- Middle Ages
- World War I
- Recent Events
- Landmarks
- In Popular Culture
- References
Map of 36100 Issoudun, France
Location
Issoudun is a sub-prefecture, located in the east of the Indre department. It is in the former region of Berry. The surrounding prefectures are:
Terrain
The river of Théols passes through Issoudun.
The prefecture of Issoudun takes up an area of 36.6 km².
Transport
The national road N151 passes through the area.
The nearest airport is the Marcel Dassault Airport, 27 km away.
The Issoudun Station is located at 4 Pierre Favreau boulevard, 36100.
Middle Ages
In 1195, Richard I of England defended the city from the advances of Philip II of France. Around this time the remarkable beak-shaped keep of the castle was built.
In 1499, Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, married Charlotte d'Albret, and as a dowry, was given, amongst other titles, the Lordship of Issoudun.
World War I
In 1917, the U.S. Air Service established its largest European training centre, the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center, about nine miles northwest of the town. At the time of the Armistice, 11 November 1918, thirteen fields were in operation and well over 10,000 ground personnel, student pilots and instructors were located there. It was at that time the largest air base in the world. A single monument on Department Route 960 remains to mark Issoudun's part in the Great War.
The United States Air Service formally left Issoudun on June 28, 1919, almost eight months after the war ended. The sites of the former airfields have returned to their previous status as agricultural fields.
On 28 June 2009, the people of Issoudun had a commemoration ceremony in honour of the American aviators who had trained, and in many cases, died while training there.
Recent Events
On 14 July 2009, Bastille Day, Issoudun hosted the arrival of the 10th stage of the Tour De France.
Landmarks
The International broadcasting center of TDF (Télédiffusion de France) is at Issoudun/Ste Aoustrille. Issoudun is currently used by TDF for shortwave transmissions. The site uses 12 rotary ALLISS antennas fed by 12 transmitters of 500 kW each to transmit shortwave broadcasts by Radio France International (RFI), along with other broadcast services.
In Popular Culture
Issoudun figures prominently in Balzac's novel A Bachelor's Establishment (also known as The Black Sheep) which the Guardian has ranked as the 12th greatest novel of all time.