France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
sub-prefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...
, in
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...
. Its inhabitants are called ''Montmorillonnaises'' ''and Montmorillonnais''.
Montmorillon is a
Book town
A book town is a town or village with many used book or antiquarian bookstores. These stores, as well as literary festivals, attract bibliophile tourists. Some book towns are members of the International Organisation of Book Towns.
List of ...
and it is branded as the "City of Writing". The town has several writing-inspired museums and bookshops covering several genres.
History
left, "Bières de Montmorillon"
The town was once known for paper making, but in the nineteenth century the mill and its plentiful supply of clean water was repurposed to making the "Beer of Montmorillon". The beer was made from 1848 and sold to discerning drinkers who rejected the usual drink of red wine. The family-run business continued to 1963, leaving several abandoned buildings. In 2015, the brewery opened again.
The clay mineral
montmorillonite
Montmorillonite is a very soft phyllosilicate group of minerals that form when they precipitate from water solution as microscopic crystals, known as clay. It is named after Montmorillon in France. Montmorillonite, a member of the smectite grou ...
was named after Montmorillon after its discovery there in 1847.Montmorillonite . Mindat.org
Montmorillon is branded as the "City of Writing" as it has had museums and bookshops with that theme since 2000. The idea that Montmorillon should be a
Book town
A book town is a town or village with many used book or antiquarian bookstores. These stores, as well as literary festivals, attract bibliophile tourists. Some book towns are members of the International Organisation of Book Towns.
List of ...
came from Régine Deforges, a local councillor who was a successful, and controversial, author. The town had a history of paper-making, and her idea received local and international support. The old medieval quarter of the town attracted six million euros of funding.
It is also known for its
macarons
A macaron ( , )
or French macaroon ( )
is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and often food colouring.
Since the 19th century, a typical Parisian-style macaron has been a sand ...
, and there is another museum dedicated to that. The museum was opened in 2003 by the Maison Rannou-Métivier who are the oldest macaron bakery in Montmorillon, dating back to 1920.
The widely popular Coopération pédagogique range of educational posters were produced in Montmorillon, in the 1950s by Éditions Rossignol.
On 31 March 2024 (
Easter sunday
Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...
Le Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Montmorillon (MAHM)
The Museum of Art and History in Montmorillon was created in 1936. After closing for several years, the museum reopened in 2018. Located the right bank of the Gartempe, the museum was once a primary school.
The museum has a collection of regional paintings of the 19th and 20th century. This collection of paintings comprises works by Raoul Carré, Jehan Berjonneau, Alfred Plauzeau, Raoul-Félix Etève, Jeanne Harry-Lorne and Henri-Pierre Lejeune. The subjects depicted by the artists are varied. The majority are portraits but the landscape of the local area is strongly featured with the artists having drawn inspiration both from the landscape of the region and their wider travels.
As well as the painting there are a number of graphic documents, designs by Henri Plisson and water colours by Gratiant Emmanuel.
Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo is a town and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Part of the Province of Valladolid, it is the centre of a farming area.
It lies on the banks of the Zapardiel river, in the centre of t ...
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
*
Paul de Ladmirault
Paul de Ladmirault (17 February 1808, in Montmorillon – 1 February 1898, in Sillars) was a French general active in the French conquest of Algeria and during the wars of the Second French Empire.
Life
Ladmirault was born on 17 February 1808 a ...
(1808-1898) French general and senator,
* Joseph Carré (1870-1941), architect
* Régine Deforges (1935-2014), novelist and local councillor.
* Simon Pagenaud (1984-), Champion
Indycar
IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...