Bouvron, Loire-Atlantique

Bouvron (Breton: ) is a small town and commune, located in the Loire-Atlantique département of northwestern France, near Blain. Area: 43.50 km². Population (1999): 2,411.

Geography

Bouvron is near the following communes : Blain, Fay-de-Bretagne, Guenrouet, Savenay, Campbon and Quilly. The common is near the Canal de Nantes à Brest and the forest of Gâvre.

Bouvron is situated at 36 km in the east of Saint-Nazaire and at 49 km in the north of Nantes.

History

The tradition want that the name of Bouvron came at the word "bovus" (boeuf in Latin) because Bouvron was anciently reputed for his young oxes's fair. The merchants of these animals were named the "bouverons". But the name "Boveron" or "Bouveron" appeared in the texts since the 12th century, instead in one text dated the 8 May 878 of the Redon's cartulary, the name of "buluuron" (name of the Bouvron's land) ceded to the monastery of Saint-Sauveur in Redon. An etymological study say for us that Buluuron came of the gallic "bébronnos" which signify bébros= beaver and onnos= river.

Demography

Démographic progression

1962: 2 278 inhabitants

1968: 2 285 inhabitants

1975: 2 295 inhabitants

1982: 2 334 inhabitants

1990: 2 402 inhabitants

1999: 2 411 inhabitants

Economic life

Places and monuments

Monument of the surrender of the Poche of Saint-Nazaire the 11th of May 1945

This monument reminds that the WWII in Europe finished the 11 May 1945 in Bouvron, in a field, and not in Berlin the 8th May 1945 (or the 9 May for the Russians).

Castle of Quéhillac

Remarkable architectural ensemble of the 16th and 17th centuries composed of the castel, the chapel, the chaplain's home, the stables, the bridge and the moats. The enseble is registered on the list of the French historical monuments "Monuments Historiques" since the 22nd of November of 2002. In 1640, Nicolas Fouquet, finance's minister of Louis XIV married in his first wedding Louise Fourché de Quéhillac, who adduces him 160.000 livres as her dowry.

Castle of Launay-Bedeau.

It was a medieval castle situated in the small village of Launay-Bedeau. It was simply a fortified tower with ramparts. In 1944, it was bombed. After the WWII, it was skimmed over, in spite of the importance of this medieval cultural heritage. The stones were reused to build a farm, a pigpen and to gravel the small ways. The alone vestiges you can see now are a doorstep, a tabernacle of the chapel and, of course, the beautiful moats of the castle.

The chapel of Saint-Julien

Situated in the hamlet of Saint-Julien, on the RD43 (departemental road), this chapel was raised on the lands of the monastery of Gavalais, a village at 2.5 km in the south-west of the chapel. It is dedicated to Saint Julien the Hospitalier and accommodate a statue of this saint in military costume. Damaged at the French Revolution, this chapel was many times renovated.The recently safeguard works were carried in 1962.

The chapel of Saint-André

It is situated in the hamlet Le Châtel, at 1 km in south-east of Bouvron. It is dedicated to the first apostle of the Christ, St André, saint patron of the parish.

Famous people

René Waldeck-Rousseau stayed numerous years in the familial secondary residence during his years out of the politic.

Charles de Gaulle came to inaugurate the monument of the surrender of the Poche de Saint-Nazaire. The 2nd World War didn't finish the 8th May 1945 in Berlin but the 11th May 1945 in Bouvron, in a field.

External links

* [http://www.mairie-bouvron.fr/NewMairie2/htdocs/index.html Official web-site of the commmune]
* [http://www.bouvron.free.fr/news.php Non-official web-site of the commune]
* [http://www.ign.fr/affiche_rubrique.asp?rbr_id=1087&CommuneId=42118 Bouvron on the site of the IGN, the French National Geographic Institute (maps...)]
* [http://www.recensement.insee.fr/RP99/rp99/co_navigation.co_page?nivgeo=C&codgeo=44023&theme=ALL&typeprod=ALL&lang=FR&quelcas=LISTE Bouvron on the INSEE web-site( census, economic informations, other informations...)]
* [http://www.quid.fr/communes.html?mode=detail&id=28388&req=Bouvron Bouvron on the Quid web-site( tourism, about the town...)]
* [http://www.lion1906.com/Pages/ResultatProximiteCoord.php?RadLat1=0.827610890656178&RadLong1=-0.0322304135218958 The bordering commons of Bouvron]
* [http://www.lion1906.com/Pages/ResultatLocalisation.php?InseeVille=440023 Bouvron on a France's map]
* [http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=47.4186111111111&longitude=-1.84666666666667&zoom=8 PPlan of Bouvron on Mapquest]
* [http://otsi.blain.free.fr/cdecouvertes.htm Cultural heritage in Bouvron]