Saumur
 | |
| Country | France |
| Arrondissement | Saumur |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2001-2008) | Jean-Michel Marchand |
| Population | 29,857 |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 49328 / |
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc. which produce some of France's finest wines. The town is twinned with Havelberg and Verden in Germany, and Warwick in Britain.
History
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2008) |
Saumur is home to the Cadre Noir, the École Nationale d'Équitation (National School of Horsemanship), known for its annual horse shows, as well as the Armoured Branch and Cavalry Training School, the officer school for armored forces (tanks). There is a tank museum, the Musée des Blindés, with more than 850 armored vehicles, wheeled or tracked. Most of them are from France but some were made in other countries such as Brazil, Germany, or the Soviet Union.
The School of Saumur is the name used to denote a distinctive form of Reformed theology taught by Moses Amyraut at the University of Saumur in the 17th century. Saumur is also the scene for Balzac's novel "Eugénie Grandet", written by the French author in 1833 and the title of a song from hard rock band Trust (whose lyrics express their poor opinion of the city: narrow-minded, bourgeois and militaristic).
Saumur was the location of the Battle of Saumur (1793) during the Revolt in the Vendée.
Architecture
Amongst the most important monuments of Saumur are the great Château de Saumur itself which stands high above the town, and the nearby Château de Beaulieu [1] which stands just 200 metres from the south bank of the Loire river and which was designed by the renowned architect Jean Drapeau. Château de Beaulieu, which is recognised for its light and elegant architecture, is owned by Dr & Mme Coady-Maguire and is open to guests as a chambres d'hotes (B&B). The architecture of Saumur is very well described in the book: Saumur - Promenade D'architectures, by Marie Jane Durand, and published by the Tourism Office of Saumur. The architectural character of the town owes much to the fact that it is constructed almost exclusively of the beautiful, but fragile, stone known as Tuffeau.
Mathematics
The French mathematician Abraham de Moivre (26 May 1667 to 27 Nov 1754) initially studied logic at Saumur and later became famous for his 'de Moivre's formula' which related complex numbers and trigonometry. De Moivre who was a Calvinist, left France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes and went to London where for his work on the normal distribution and probability theory, was elected a Fellow of the British Royal Society in 1697. It appears that De Moivre may never have received a college degree. De Moivre wrote a book on probability theory, titled The Doctrine of Chances.
World War II
Saumur was the site of the Battle of Saumur (1940) during World War II, and 1944 Tallboy and Azon bombing targets:
| Bombing of Saumur during World War II | |||||
| Mission/Target | Date | Result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saumur railway tunnel | June 8/9, 1944[1] | The first use of Tallboy bombs was against a railway tunnel near Saumur, 125 miles south of the battle area. The hasty night raid was to stop a planned German Panzer Division expected later through the tunnel. No. 83 Squadron RAF illuminated the area with flares by 4 Avro Lancasters and marked the target at low level by 3 de Havilland Mosquitos. 25 Lancasters of No. 617 Squadron RAF then dropped their Tallboys with great accuracy; one pierced the roof of the tunnel, brought down a huge quantity of rock and soil, and blocked the tunnel for a considerable period, badly delaying the Panzer IVs.[2] | |||
| Mission 432/Saumur bridge | June 22, 1944 | 9 of 10 B-24 Liberators of the United States Army Air Forces used Azon glide bombs against the Samur[3] Bridge; escort is provided by 41 of 43 P-51 Mustangs. | |||
| Mission 438/Saumur Bridge | June 24, 1944 | During the morning, 74 B-17 Flying Fortresses are dispatched to the Saumur bridge; 38 hit the primary and 36 hit Tours/La Riche Airfield without loss; escort is provided by 121 of 135 P-51s who claim 4-0-2 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground.[3] | |||
Personalities
Saumur was the birthplace of:
- Anne Lefèvre (1654–1720), better known during her lifetime as Madame Dacier, scholar and translator of classics
- Charles Ernest Beulé (1826–1874), archeologist
- Coco Chanel (1883–1971), internationally renowned fashion designer
- Yves Robert, (1920–2002), actor, composer, director, writer, producer
- Fanny Ardant, (b. 1949), actress
- Dominique Pinon, (b. 1955), actor
- Germaine Lefebvre Capucine (6 January 1931 - 17 March 1990 Actress
Famous 'visitors'
- Marquis de Sade was briefly imprisoned in the Château de Saumur (then a jail) in 1768
Twin towns
twinned with:
Verden, Germany
Warwick, United Kingdom- Havelberg, Germany
Asheville, North Carolina, United States
Ruşeţu, Romania
References
- ^ "Saumer Tunnel, 9th June 1944". Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. UK Crown. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ "Campaign Diary". Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary. UK Crown. Retrieved 2007-05-24. 1944: June, July, August, September, October, November, December
- ^ a b "8th Air Force 1944 Chronicles". Retrieved 2007-05-25. June, July, August, September
External links
- Official website (in French)
- Château de Beaulieu - elegant Saumur accomodation [2]
- Notre Dame des Ardilliers - Article in the Catholic Encyclopedia about a Catholic pilgrimage center in the town
- Tank Museum of Saumur (Musée des Blindés)
- http://perso.orange.fr/saumur-jadis/lieux/chateau.htm
