Nemours () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in north-central France.

Geography

Nemours is located on the

Loing The Loing () is a long river in central France, a left tributary of the Seine. Its source is in Sainte-Colombe-sur-Loing, in the southwestern of the department of Yonne, and it flows into the Seine in Saint-Mammès, near Moret-sur-Loing. Its ...

and its canal, c. south of

Melun Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of the Seine-et-Marn ...

, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierre station has rail connections to Montargis, Melun, Nevers and Paris.

History

Nemours is supposed to derive its name from the woods (''nemora'') in the midst of which it formerly stood, and discoveries of

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish contex ...

remains indicate its early origin. It was captured by the English in 1420, but derives its historical importance rather from the lordship, afterwards Duchy of Nemours, and the fief lords the Duke of Nemours to which it gave its name. In 1585 a treaty revoking previous concessions to the Protestants was concluded at Nemours between

Catherine de' Medici Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...

and the Guises.

Demographics

Inhabitants are called ''Nemouriens''.

Sights

The church, which dates mainly from the sixteenth century, has a handsome wooden spire. The feudal castle, erected around 1120 was turned into a museum in the 20th century. It has a central keep with four rounded towers. A statue of the mathematician Bézout (d. 1783), a native of the town, was erected in 1885. In the vicinity is a group of fine

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

rocks, and sand is extensively quarried.

Hospital

Nemours has a campus of the Centre hospitalier Sud Seine et Marne.

Notable people

Nemours was the birthplace of: *

Pierre Berthier Pierre Berthier (; 3 July 1782, Nemours, Seine-et-Marne – 24 August 1861) was a French geologist and mining engineer. Pierre Berthier was born in Nemours. After studying at the École Polytechnique, he went to the École des Mines, where he be ...

(1782-1861),

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alth ...

and

mining engineer Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

Étienne Bézout Étienne Bézout (; 31 March 1730 – 27 September 1783) was a French mathematician who was born in Nemours, Seine-et-Marne, France, and died in Avon (near Fontainebleau), France. Work In 1758 Bézout was elected an adjoint in mechanics of th ...

(1730–1783),

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History O ...

* Geoffrey Kondogbia (born 1993), professional footballer * Justin-Chrysostome Sanson (1833–1910), sculptor *

Philippe Petit Philippe Petit (; born 13 August 1949) is a French high-wire artist who gained fame for his unauthorized high-wire walks between the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1971 and of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1973, as well as between the Twi ...

(1949-), highwire artist

Twin towns – sister cities

Nemours is twinned with: * Mühltal, Germany * Wilmington, United States ne$mo$urs