Chinon
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Coordinates: 47°10′04″N 0°14′37″E / 47.1677777778°N 0.243611111111°E
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Commune of Chinon |
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| Location | |
  Chinon
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Centre |
| Department | Indre-et-Loire |
| Arrondissement | Chinon |
| Canton | Chinon |
| Intercommunality | Rivière – Chinon – Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt |
| Mayor | Jean-Pierre Duvergne (2006-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 27–112 m (89–370 ft) (avg. 37 m/120 ft) |
| Land area1 | 39.02 km2 (15.07 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 8,716 (1999) |
| - Density | 223 /km² (580 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 37072/ 37500 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Chinon is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.
In the Middle Ages, Chinon developed especially during the reign of Henry II (Henry Plantagenêt, Count of Anjou, crowned King of England in 1154). The castle was rebuilt and extended, becoming one of his favorite residences.
Chinon was included in the French royal estates in 1205. It was during the Hundred Years' War that the town took on a new lease of life, as the heir apparent, the future Charles VII of France, had sought refuge in 1418 in the province. The town remained faithful to him and he made lengthy stays at his court in Chinon. In 1429, Joan of Arc came here to acknowledge him.
From the 16th century, Chinon was no longer a royal residence.
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[edit] Geography
Chinon is located in the heart of the Val de Loire area, within the Vallée de la Vienne (Vienne River valley). It is situated on the banks of the Vienne River.
[edit] Château
[edit] Wine
Carved into the banks of the Vienne River, and open to public visits, are the caves, or wine cellars, for Chinon's well-known Cabernet Franc-based red wines.
[edit] Personalities
- François Rabelais, (c. 1493-1553), was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor and humanist
[edit] Media
- Chinon is the setting for the historic fiction story The Lion in Winter.
[edit] See also
- French wine
- Chinon Parchment - The Chinon Parchment is a historical document, published by Étienne Baluze in Vitae Paparum Avenionensis ("Lives of the Popes of Avignon"), Paris, 1693.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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