Chasseneuil-du-Poitou (, literally ''Chasseneuil of
Poitou
Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe.
Geography
The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...
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 ...
, western
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 ...
.
It lies 7 km north of the centre of
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
and
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
The economy has largely depended on tourism since the construction 20 years ago of the Futuroscope park, although in addition to this, it is the home of part of the Futuroscope Technopole, which holds 200 high tech businesses, and helps educate 2,000 students. The American company SAFT has a factory in the town, which furnishes a large part of the
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an battery market.
Because of the presence of the park and technopole, a new TGV station, " Gare du Futuroscope", was built in 2000. It is served by up to 40 trains per day.
History
The town, then simply the ''villa Cassinogilum'', was a royal residence of first the
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
, and then
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
dynasties in France.
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...
King of the Franks
The Franks, Germanic peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dux, dukes and monarch, reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Franks, Salian Mero ...
was born in the villa on 778, when his mother, Hildegard was staying in the villa whilst his father
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
was on campaign in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
Administration
The town has a 27-member town council, led by
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
Claude Eidelstein, and his seven assistant Mayors. The town is part of Vienne's 1st constituency, and is represented in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
Chasseneuil-du-Poitou is twinned with the Irish town of Passage West. The twinning charter was signed by the then Mayor of Passage West, Mr. Jim Murphy, and the then Mayor of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, Mr. Pierre Giret, at the Town Hall in Passage West in 1997. Annual exchange visits for both members of the Town Council and local residents are organised.
Image:Chasseneuil-du-Poitou.jpg, Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, centre
Image:Chasseneuil-du-Poitou mairie.jpg, La mairie
Image:Chasseneuil-du-Poitou Clain.jpg, Le Clain
See also
*
Communes of the Vienne department
The following is a list of the 265 communes of the Vienne department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):Town website