Chasseneuil-du-Poitou (, literally ''Chasseneuil of

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a Provinces of France, province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main histori ...

'') is a commune in the

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.department,

administrative region Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

, western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It lies 7 km north of the centre of

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglome ...

. Its inhabitants are called the ''Chasseneuillais''. Chasseneuil-du-Poitou is the home of the Parc du Futuroscope, and the Technopole du Futuroscope, making up part of the ''École nationale supérieure de mécanique et d'aérotechnique de Poitiers'' (). Former

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

Jean-Pierre Raffarin served as assistant to the Mayor between 1995 and 2001.

Economy

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 large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

an battery market. Because of the presence of the park and technopole, a new TGV station, "

Gare du Futuroscope Futuroscope is a TGV railway station located near Poitiers, France. It is situated on the Paris–Bordeaux railway The railway from Paris to Bordeaux is an important French 584-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the southwester ...

", 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 the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

, and then

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...

dynasties in France.

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (german: Ludwig der Fromme; french: Louis le Pieux; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aqui ...

, later

King of Aquitaine The Duchy of Aquitaine ( oc, Ducat d'Aquitània, ; french: Duché d'Aquitaine, ) was a historical fiefdom in western, central, and southern areas of present-day France to the south of the river Loire, although its extent, as well as its name, fluc ...

and

King of the Franks The Franks, Germanic-speaking peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dukes and reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Merovingians, who c ...

was born in the villa on 778, when his mother,

Hildegard of Vinzgouw Hildegard (c. 754 – 30 April 783), was a Frankish queen consort who was the second wife of Charlemagne and mother of Louis the Pious. Little is known about her life, because, like all women related to Charlemagne, she became notable only f ...

was staying in the villa whilst his father

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

was on campaign in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

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 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Claude Eidelstein, and his seven assistant Mayors. The town is part of

Vienne's 1st constituency The 1st constituency of Vienne is a French legislative constituency in the Vienne ''département''. It is represented in the XVth legislature by Jacques Savatier, of La République En Marche! Renaissance (RE), previously known as La Répu ...

, 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 rep ...

Jacques Savatier Jacques Savatier is a French politician representing La République En Marche! He was elected to the French National Assembly on 18 June 2017, representing the department of Vienne. See also * 2017 French legislative election Legislative el ...

( LREM).

Education

École nationale supérieure de mécanique et d'aérotechnique The École Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et d'Aérotechnique (ISAE-ENSMA) is a grande école founded in 1948 and located near Poitiers, France. Graduates generally work as R&D engineers for corporations in the aerospace (60%), transporta ...

Demographics

Twinning

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.

Places and monuments

* Futuroscope Park

Gallery

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

References

External links

Town website

Chasseneuil-du-Poitou entry on the site of the National Geographical Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chasseneuildupoitou Communes of Vienne