Meximieux () is a commune in the

Ain Ain (, ; ) is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...

department in eastern

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 ...

Geography

Located 35 km north east of

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

and 10 km south west

Ambérieu-en-Bugey Ambérieu-en-Bugey (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Ain Departments of France, department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region, France. With 14,288 inhabitants (2020), it is one of the largest towns of the historical regi ...

, the town is where the

Dombes The Dombes (; ) is an area in eastern France, once an independent municipality, formerly part of the provinces of France, province of Burgundy (region), Burgundy, and now a district comprised in the department of France, department of Ain, and b ...

plateau meets the plain of the river

. Historically, Meximieux was part of the former province of

Bresse Bresse () is a former French province. It is located in the regions of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté of eastern France. The geographical term ''Bresse'' has two meanings: ''Bresse bourguignonne'' (or ''louhannaise''), whic ...

. Over the centuries, its importance has developed from its location on the main route between Lyon and

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, and it now lies on the Autoroute 42 from Lyon. Meximieux—Pérouges station has rail connections to Lyon, Ambérieu-en-Bugey and Chambéry.

History

Records of Meximieux date back to Roman times when it home to a small farming settlement called ''Maximiacus''.

Population

Its inhabitants are known as ''Meximiards''.

International relations

The commune has developed a

twin town A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

agreement with: * Denkendorf,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

since 1986. Located in the German state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

Personalities

The town was the birthplace of Claude Favre de Vaugelas, a 17th-century grammarian and man of letters.

Resistance

Meximieux is one of the 17 French cities to be awarded with the medal of resistance (

Médaille de la Résistance The Resistance Medal (, ) was a decoration bestowed by the French Committee of National Liberation, based in the United Kingdom, during World War II. It was established by a decree of General Charles de Gaulle on 9 February 1943 "to recognize the ...