94-510: Mayenne ( French: [majɛn] ) is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne . Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche , Orne , Sarthe , Maine-et-Loire , and Ille-et-Vilaine . Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to
188-456: A county of the United States . At the 2001 census, the median population of a department in continental France was 511,000 inhabitants, which is 21 times the median population of a United States county, but less than two-thirds of the median population of a ceremonial county of England and Wales. Most of the departments have an area of between 4,000 and 8,000 km (1500 to 3000 sq. mi.), and
282-469: A présidial , an office of the ferme générale , a local jurisdiction, a hospital, a gendarmery and a city hall. Laval was also at the head of a pays d'élection (fiscal region) encompassing 65 parishes in southern Maine. Because it was located close to the Breton border, Laval had a large salt storehouse, which controlled the collect of the gabelle , a tax on salt. Because Brittany was a large salt producer, it
376-556: A Norman invasion in Brittany. The site of Laval had a strategic importance because the travelers taking the Roman road had to cross there the Mayenne river on a ford. The western bank of the river was further dominated by a rocky promontory which could ensure a total control on the ford. During the 10th century, a first military structure was built on it, and a villa was mentioned there at the end of
470-415: A contribution to municipal infrastructures. Local services of the state administration are traditionally organised at departmental level, where the prefect represents the government; however, regions have gained importance since the 2000s, with some department-level services merged into region-level services. The departments were created in 1790 as a rational replacement of Ancien Régime provinces with
564-537: A large palace at the château de Châteaubriant , located in Brittany . On his side, Guy XIX became a Huguenot . During the 17th century, Laval became very prosperous and the Counter-Reformation led to the foundation of many religious institutions. Large convents were opened, including Ursulines , Benedictines and Capuchins . All these convents were later sold and demolished during the French Revolution . During
658-476: A lion passant guardant . The coat of arms were those of the House of Laval , and not to the city. Still, several members of the family permitted the town to use their arms, notably in 1211, when the direct branch died, and in 1464. The House of Laval had a motto, Eadem mensura ("of same measure"), which is sometimes associated with the town of Laval. In 1987, the municipality adopted a logotype, replaced in 2010 by
752-495: A more uniform division into departments ( département ) and districts in late 1789. The process began on 4 August 1789 with the elimination of provincial privileges, and a 22 December 1789 decree (with letters patent in January 1790) provided for the termination of the provincial governments. The modern department system, as all-purpose units of the government, was decreed on 26 February 1790 (with letters patent on 4 March 1790) by
846-468: A new axis was important not only for the town, but also for the whole region, because Laval was on the road between Paris and Brittany . Every traveler taking that road had to cross the Mayenne river on the old bridge, and to cross the insalubrious and narrow walled town. The War in the Vendée , which opposed French revolutionaries and Royalist Catholics during the last decade of the 18th century, started in
940-402: A new one which uses the heraldic lion as well as the palindrome as the two symbols of Laval. This logotype is made of "Laval" written in capital letters, with the final "L" held by the lion and reversed to suggest the palindrome. Before the construction of the castle during the 11th century, Laval did not exist. However, the site of the town was already a thoroughfare because it was located on
1034-509: A population between 320,000 and 1 million. The largest in area is Gironde (10,000 km (3,900 sq mi).), while the smallest is the city of Paris (105 km (41 sq mi).). The most populous is Nord (2,550,000) and the least populous is Lozère (74,000). The departments are numbered: their two-digit numbers appear in postal codes , in INSEE codes (including "social security numbers") and on vehicle number plates . Initially
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#17328594428191128-554: A small poisonous plant. The department is largely rural with about 80% being used for agriculture, 8% being urban area and the remainder forest, heath and plantations. Livestock farming predominates, with the breeding of cattle, horses and pigs, and also bee-keeping being important. The soil is generally poor, but it is of better quality around Laval and Château-Gontier. In these parts corn is cultivated and there are plantings of hemp, flax, fruits and vines. There are many apple orchards and large quantities of cider are made. The department
1222-604: A small ring road and the Paris - Rennes highway bypasses the town by the North. Until the 20th century, Laval had had a port on the Mayenne river, which was surrounded by several factories, mainly linen manufactures. The old industrial areas were redeveloped after 1970 and the river has since become a recreational area. Laval is a small town and nature is not far away from the centre. The town manages 25 hectares of parks and gardens, and 200 hectares of green areas in total. The largest park
1316-399: A three-digit number. The number is used, for example, in the postal code and was until recently used for all vehicle registration plates . Residents commonly use the numbers to refer to their own department or a neighbouring one, for example inhabitants of Loiret may refer to their department as "the 45". More distant departments are generally referred to by their names, as few people know
1410-555: A total area of about 5,175 km (1,998 sq mi). The river Mayenne flows centrally through it from north to south, passing through the towns of Mayenne , Laval and Château-Gontier. After leaving the department, the river joins the river Sarthe to form the Maine which later joins the Loire . The department is varied in topography . Much of it is largely flat, but there are also hilly areas, some with steep-sided valleys and ravines. Of
1504-418: A view to strengthen national unity; the title "department" is used to mean a part of a larger whole. Almost all of them were named after physical geographical features (rivers, mountains, or coasts), rather than after historical or cultural territories, which could have their own loyalties, or after their own administrative seats. The division of France into departments was a project particularly identified with
1598-546: A year later. The fighting occasioned great damages and the town was fully rebuilt afterwards. Thus all the half-timbered houses that still stand in the medieval centre were not built before the 15th century. During that period, the town's walls were completed by the addition of a powerful artillery fort in an innovative design, known as the Tour Renaise . Around 1450, Guy XIV de Laval had the castle refurbished. New rooms and halls were built, and new Gothic windows were opened on
1692-549: Is a relatively new foundation in comparison to other French cities. That is to say that the borough was not officially mentioned prior to the 11th century. According to legend glorifying the Counts of Laval, mediaeval chroniclers portrayed the citizens of Laval as being the offspring of Charles Martel 's grandson Wala of Corbie . By virtue of the chroniclers' accounts, Laval should be a synonym for "Vala" or "Valla"—the two spelling variants of "Wala". Etymologically spoken, however,
1786-632: Is a town in western France , about 300 km (190 mi) west-southwest of Paris , and the capital of the Mayenne department . Its inhabitants are called Lavallois . The commune of Laval proper, without the metropolitan area, is the 7th most populous in the Pays de la Loire region and the 132nd in France. A part of the traditional province of Maine before the French Revolution , which now split between two departments, Mayenne and Sarthe , Laval also lies on
1880-519: Is administered by an elected body called a departmental council ( sg. conseil départemental , pl. conseils départementaux ). From 1800 to April 2015, these were called general councils ( sg. conseil général , pl. conseils généraux ). Each council has a president. Their main areas of responsibility include the management of a number of social and welfare allowances, of junior high school ( collège ) buildings and technical staff, and local roads and school and rural buses, and
1974-456: Is also 100 km (62 miles) far from Le Mont-Saint-Michel and the surrounding sea resorts, located on the English Channel . Elevation varies between 42 and 122 meters above sea level . Laval is, in fact, a hilly town, marked by a rocky promontory dominating the valley of the Mayenne river. The castle was built on this promontory and the medieval centre spreads around. The promontory and
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#17328594428192068-525: Is commonly associated, though not all are officially recognised or used. Unlike the rest of the French possessions in Africa , Algeria was divided into departments just like Corsica or Normandy from 1848 until its independence in 1962. These departments were supposed to be "assimilated" or "integrated" to France sometime in the future. There are a number of former departments in territories conquered by France during
2162-409: Is economically oriented towards Rennes , the administrative capital of the region of Brittany , and located only 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Laval. Laval proper covers 34.2 square kilometres (13.2 sq mi) and has a population of 49,573 inhabitants, while c. 144,000 live in its metropolitan area (1,435 square kilometres (554 sq mi)). The Laval Agglomération intercommunality
2256-550: Is first written in 1239. After the Renaissance , Lavallis and Lavallium are both commonly used by the clergy and the scholars. As in Latin, the name evolved in French from Laval-Guion or Laval-Guyon to Laval in one single word. Laval is one of the few cities in the world to have a palindrome as a name, as Laval can be read the same way in either direction. Laval is located at
2350-476: Is historically a manufacturer of fine linens , but there are also foundries . Laval is also home to the Laval and Mayenne Technology Park , where firms working in electronics , computing and peripherals , food technology , veterinary pharmaceuticals , virtual reality , audiovisual productions , patents, marketing and a resource centre are all to be found in modern buildings. It is also an important centre for
2444-411: Is known as the prefecture ( préfecture ) or chef-lieu de département and is generally a town of some importance roughly at the geographical centre of the department. This was determined according to the time taken to travel on horseback from the periphery of the department. The goal was for the prefecture to be accessible on horseback from any town in the department within 24 hours. The prefecture
2538-401: Is made up of 34 communes covering 686 square kilometres (265 sq mi) with 113,000 inhabitants. Laval is notably the birthplace of Henri Rousseau , a major Naïve painter, and the town has a museum dedicated to him and other Naïve artists. Laval also enjoys a significant architectural heritage, with its castle, portions of city walls, medieval houses, old bridges and churches. Laval
2632-555: Is not necessarily the largest city in the department: for instance, in Saône-et-Loire department the capital is Mâcon , but the largest city is Chalon-sur-Saône . Departments may be divided into arrondissements . The capital of an arrondissement is called a subprefecture ( sous-préfecture ) or chef-lieu d'arrondissement . Each department is administered by a departmental council ( conseil départemental ), an assembly elected for six years by universal suffrage , with
2726-459: Is rich in mineral resources; iron and coal are mined and there are quarries for marble , slate , building stone, limestone and flint; the white sand deposits are used in the manufacture of glass. Industries include the manufacture of linen, paper and hemp, and cider-making is traditionally carried on in the department. Office furniture is manufactured in Château-Gontier, and Laval is active in
2820-508: Is the Jardin de la Perrine , located in the centre, at the top of a rocky promontory. Formerly a private garden, it encircles an 18th-century mansion and comprises a French and an English garden as well as a rose garden, an orangery and a small menagerie . This park encompasses 4,5 hectares. Henri Rousseau , a major Naïve artist born in Laval, is buried there. Apart from the Jardin de la Perrine,
2914-579: Is the highest point in the department at 417 m (1,368 ft) above sea level. A branch range to the south of this plateau forms the ridge that divides the Mayenne Valley from the Vilaine Valley. The department is subdivided into three arrondissements: Mayenne, Laval, and Château-Gontier; and is coincident with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Laval . The most populous commune is Laval ,
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3008-570: The Ponts et Chaussées (Bridges and Highways) infrastructure administration. Before the French Revolution , France gained territory gradually through the annexation of a mosaic of independent entities. By the end of the Ancien Régime it was organised into provinces . During the Revolution they were dissolved, partly in order to weaken old loyalties. The National Constituent Assembly decided to create
3102-605: The French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire that are now not part of France: Dutch Republic : Holy Roman Empire : Dutch Republic : Holy Roman Empire : Dutch Republic : Holy Roman Empire : Holy Roman Empire : Electorate of the Palatinate Electorate of the Palatinate Kingdom of Prussia : Imperial Free City of Wesel (after 1805) Notes for Table 7: Laval, Mayenne Laval ( French pronunciation: [laval] )
3196-471: The ISO 3166-2 country subdivision codes for the metropolitan departments. The overseas departments have three digits. Originally, the relationship between the departments and the central government was left somewhat ambiguous. While citizens in each department elected their own officials, the local governments were subordinated to the central government, becoming instruments of national integration. By 1793, however,
3290-604: The Large blue butterfly, the blue-winged grasshopper and the bee orchid . The heathland in the north of Mayenne is populated by dwarf gorse and cross-leaved heath and there are plenty of spiders, nightjars and warblers . The old quarries are the refuge of bats, amphibians, the shining cranesbill and greater butterfly orchid . Rivers and ponds are home to eel, northern crested newt , European otter , kingfisher , grass snake , common moorhen and plants such as spearwort , yellow flag , arrowhead and Isopyrum thalictroides ,
3384-585: The National Constituent Assembly . Their boundaries served two purposes: The old nomenclature was carefully avoided in naming the new departments. Most were named after an area's principal river or other physical features. Even Paris was in the department of Seine . Savoy , during its temporary occupation, became the department of Mont-Blanc . The provinces continued to exist administratively until 21 September 1791. The number of departments, initially 83, had been increased to 130 by 1809 with
3478-634: The President of the Departmental Council as executive of the department. Before 1982, the chief executive of the department was the prefect ( préfet ), who represents the Government of France in each department and is appointed by the President of the French Republic . The prefect is assisted by one or more sub-prefects ( sous-préfet ) based in the subprefectures of the department. Since 1982,
3572-563: The Second World War , Laval was occupied by Nazi Germany . The town was bombed several times by the Allies in June and July 1944. The train station and the surrounding area, as well as the viaduct and some streets in the centre were heavily damaged. General Patton 's troops arrived in Laval 6 August 1944. The German occupiers did not surrender immediately, and they destroyed the bridges before leaving
3666-569: The Territoire de Belfort ; the remaining parts of Meurthe and Moselle were merged into a new Meurthe-et-Moselle department. When France regained the ceded departments after World War I , the Territoire de Belfort was not reintegrated into Haut-Rhin. In 1922 it became France's 90th department. Likewise the Lorraine departments were not changed back to their original boundaries, and a new Moselle department
3760-651: The UMP , said in December 2008 that the fusion of the departments with the regions was a matter to be dealt with soon. This was soon refuted by Édouard Balladur and Gérard Longuet , members of the committee for the reform of local authorities, known as the Balladur Committee. In January 2008, the Attali Commission recommended that the departmental level of government should be eliminated within ten years. Nevertheless,
3854-488: The communes . There are ninety-six departments in metropolitan France , with an additional five overseas departments , which are also classified as overseas regions. Departments are further subdivided into 333 arrondissements and 2,054 cantons (as of 2023). These last two levels of government have no political autonomy, instead serving as the administrative basis for the local organisation of police, fire departments as well as, in certain cases, elections. Each department
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3948-461: The département of Vendée , located south of the Loire , but it quickly spread in Brittany , Anjou and Maine , which were Catholic strongholds. Laval, which had been under the control of the revolutionaries since 1789, was seized by the Royalists 22 October 1793. The town was on their itinerary to the English Channel , where they were waiting for reinforcement. However, the expedition to Normandy
4042-564: The trienio liberal ) and the 1833 territorial division of Spain , which forms the basis of the present day Provinces of Spain with minor modifications, are also based on the French model of departments of roughly equal size. Most French departments are assigned a two-digit number, the Official Geographical Code, allocated by the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques ( Insée ). Overseas departments have
4136-482: The 18th century, the town, which had kept its medieval appearance, started to expand. New faubourgs appeared, and the local aristocracy built there many elegant hôtels particuliers , particularly around the place de Hercé , which became the most fashionable area of Laval. In the middle of the 18th century, Laval had around 18,000 inhabitants and 3,525 households. It was the second most populous town in Maine , after Le Mans . It enjoyed several institutions, such as
4230-412: The Balladur Committee has not retained this proposition and does not advocate the disappearance of the departments, but simply "favors the voluntary grouping of departments", which it suggests also for the regions, with the aim of reducing the number of regions to 15. This committee advocates, on the contrary, the suppression of the cantons. Each department has a coat of arms and a flag with which it
4324-526: The Communauté d'agglomération Laval Agglomération . They unite c. 113,000 inhabitants. Laval enjoys a very mild climate because of its proximity with the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel , giving it an oceanic climate . Winters are usually wet, with scarce frosts and snowfalls, and summers are warm and sunny, although rainfalls are common. The oldest streets and buildings in Laval are located around
4418-503: The French Renaissance a century later. The linen industry remained the principal activity in Laval until the 20th century, when milk processing became more profitable. Laval developed around a promontory, on which the castle was built, and along the river Mayenne . The Laval metropolitan area is a small economic centre in western France, particularly active in the industrial sector, dairy production, electronics and chemicals. Laval
4512-479: The French revolutionary leader the Abbé Sieyès , although it had already been frequently discussed and written about by many politicians and thinkers. The earliest known suggestion of it is from 1665 in the writings of d'Argenson . They have inspired similar divisions in many countries, some of them former French colonies. The 1822 territorial division of Spain (reverted due to the 1823 French intervention ending
4606-421: The North, was developed during the 1820s and 1830s. A new town centre emerged on the axis, and a new square was built close to the bridge. Several official buildings were constructed around, including a new city hall, the préfecture and a theatre. Around the new bridge, the Mayenne river was deviated to form a straight waterway, and new quays were built between 1844 and 1863. After 1850, major works were carried in
4700-826: The Republic (all created in 1946) – French Guiana , Guadeloupe , Martinique and Réunion – the total number of departments in the French Republic had become 101. In 2015 the Urban Community of Lyon was split from Rhône to form the Métropole de Lyon , a sui generis entity, with the powers of both an intercommunality and those of a department on its territory, formally classified as a "territorial collectivity with particular status" ( French : collectivité territoriale à statut particulier ) and as such not belonging to any department. As of 2019 Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse are still administrative departments, although they no longer have
4794-483: The Roman road that connected Le Mans to Corseul , a provincial capital in present-day Brittany . Moreover, some parts of the city territory had been settled by the Gauls. For instance, a Gallic stele has been unearthed in the suburb of Pritz, north of the centre. The chapel of Pritz was on its side first mentioned in 710. The body of Tudwal , a Breton Saint, is believed to have been brought to Laval in 870 or 878, during
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#17328594428194888-612: The Spanish market, some of the best linen were sold in Portugal and the stronger clothes were exported to the French colonies in America . The royales and the demi-Hollande were usually sold in Troyes , Senlis and Beauvais , three towns located around Paris, which were renowned for their markets. Laval also produced a specific kind of linen, the pontivy , for the French army. In the 18th century,
4982-423: The beginning of the 20th century, Laval had several institutions, such as courts of justice, a chamber of commerce, a board of trade-arbitrators, a seminary and a secondary school for boys. The declining textile industry was still employing 10,000 hands in Laval and its suburbs. Other activities included metal-founding, flour-milling, tanning, dyeing, the making of boots and shoes, and the sawing of marble. During
5076-418: The best linen of Laval, as well as the most expensive. A demi-Hollande could cost up to 700 pounds , and a toile forte , the cheapest one, had a worth of 50 pounds. The other sorts of linen made in Laval were also cheap and of a low quality, but they represented the largest share of the total production. The linen of Laval were sold mainly in France, but also abroad. The rustic non-battues were only made for
5170-457: The castle, is a former commune which merged with Laval in 1863. Founded in 1073, it still comprises several old houses and a medieval basilica. Other large medieval hamlets absorbed by the town include Le Bourg Hersend and Saint-Martin. The eastern bank of the Mayenne was also settled in the Middle Ages, along the street that leads to the bridge crossing the river, but it was mostly developed during
5264-411: The century in a charter issued by the count of Maine . Around 1020, Herbert I of Maine offered the new barony of Laval to Guy I, who became the first lord of the town. Guy I of Laval built a new castle and the town slowly appeared around the Roman road and on the river banks. The castle built by Guy I was much wider than the present-day structure. It was encircled by an earthen wall and it spread from
5358-414: The country's capital city, is a commune as well as a department. In continental France ( metropolitan France , excluding Corsica ), the median land area of a department is 5,965 km (2,303 sq mi), which is two-and-a-half times the median land area of the ceremonial counties of England and the preserved counties of Wales and slightly more than three-and-half times the median land area of
5452-600: The courtyard at the beginning of the 16th century. Guy XVII built a Renaissance gallery in extension to the castle around 1542. The gallery was later slightly redecorated in 1747. Guy XVII was a member of the Court of Francis I , one of the greatest kings of the French Renaissance . The House of Laval played a certain role in the development of the Renaissance arts in the region. Jean of Laval-Châteaubriant built for instance
5546-407: The deciduous trees dominated by oak . Here roe deer , badger , fire salamander , Aesculapian snake , middle spotted woodpecker , little owl and white admiral can be found and uncommon plants present including European columbine and wild russet apple . The dry grasslands, which cover the limestone and sandstone soils, are also rich in fauna and flora. They house the snake Vipera aspis ,
5640-653: The geographical centre of the Mayenne department, on the road which connects Paris to Brittany , between Rennes and Le Mans . The town is situated on the middle course of the Mayenne , a river which has its source in Normandy and runs towards the Loire crossing the Mayenne department from North to South. Laval is located approximately 70 kilometres (43 miles) from Rennes , 75 kilometres (47 miles) from Le Mans and Angers , 130 km (81 miles) from Nantes , 135 km (84 miles) from Tours , 150 km (93 miles) from Caen and 280 km (174 miles) from Paris . It
5734-411: The industrial sector, with dairy products, electronics and chemicals in a modern science park . Departments of France In the administrative divisions of France , the department ( French : département , pronounced [depaʁtəmɑ̃] ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities "), between the administrative regions and
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#17328594428195828-577: The main green areas in the centre are the Square de Boston , refurbished in 2012, and the Square Foch , located on the place du 11-Novembre , which is the central point of the town. The commune of Laval owns the Bois Gamats , a 25 hectares wood located on the southern hedge of the town. The neighbouring Bois de l'Huisserie , much bigger, is managed by Laval Agglomération. The coat of arms of Laval is: gules,
5922-468: The medieval centre: several new streets were built and the square in front of the castle was enlarged. In 1855, Laval obtained a diocese and a railway station. That year, trains coming from Paris had their terminus in Laval, but the line was further extended towards Brittany in 1856. Laval experienced a significant demographic growth throughout the 19th century. It had 15,000 inhabitants around 1800, and that figure rose to 21,293 in 1861. Two years later,
6016-494: The name of Laval , in all likelihood, merely stands for "the valley" in French ("la vallée" in contemporary language), to capture the lush valley of the Mayenne river, wherein Laval is situated. This name commonly appears in other French location names, sometimes with a second word, such as in Laval-d'Aurelle ( Ardèche ) or Laval-sur-Doulon ( Haute-Loire ). The first mention of
6110-414: The neighbouring communes of Avesnières and Grenoux were absorbed into Laval, together with parts of Changé . As a consequence of this amalgamation, Laval counted 27,000 inhabitants by 1863. In 1866, the town numbered 30,627 inhabitants, but then it experienced a slight decline which lasted until the end of the Second World War . This decline was due to both socio-economical and geopolitical factors: At
6204-640: The new Savoyard territory, while the department of Alpes-Maritimes was created from Nice and a portion of the Var department. The 89 departments were given numbers based on the alphabetical order of their names. The department of Bas-Rhin and parts of Meurthe , Moselle , Vosges and Haut-Rhin were ceded to the German Empire in 1871 following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War . A small part of Haut-Rhin, however, remained French and became known as
6298-415: The northwest is Mont Saint-Michel Bay . The capital and largest town is Laval in the centre of the department. To the north lies the department of Orne , to the east lies Sarthe , to the south lies Maine-et-Loire , to the west lies Ille-et-Vilaine and to the northwest lies Manche . The department forms a roughly rectangular shape, being 90 km (56 mi) long by 77 km (48 mi) wide, with
6392-407: The numbers corresponded to the alphabetical order of the names of the departments, but several changed their names and some have been divided, so the correspondence became less exact. Alphanumeric codes 2A and 2B were used for Corsica while it was split but it has since reverted to 20. The two-digit code "98" is used by Monaco . Together with the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code FR, the numbers form
6486-442: The numbers of all the departments. In 2014, President François Hollande proposed abolishing departmental councils by 2020, which would have maintained the departments as administrative divisions, and transferring their powers to other levels of governance. This reform project has since been scrapped. The first French territorial departments were proposed in 1665 by Marc-René d'Argenson to serve as administrative areas purely for
6580-453: The old medieval centre was still encircled by city walls, and its narrow plots and streets forbade any large urban transformation. However, the authorities planned to build a large thoroughfare bypassing the centre by the north. That involved the construction of a new bridge on the Mayenne river, because at that time Laval only had one, which was small and very old. The project was validated in 1758, but works did not start before 1804. The idea of
6674-429: The prefect retains only the powers that are not delegated to the department councils. In practice, their role has been largely limited to preventing local policy from conflicting with national policy. The departments are further divided into communes , governed by municipal councils . As of 2013, there were 36,681 communes in France. In the overseas territories , some communes play a role at departmental level. Paris ,
6768-788: The prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 7,000 inhabitants: Population development since 1801: The president of the Departmental Council is Olivier Richefou, elected in 2014. Mayenne has a diversity of habitat types such as forest, heathland, bog and farmland. Some 1445 species of plants, 63 species of mammals, 280 species of birds, 16 species of amphibians and 11 species of reptiles have been recorded, as well as thousands of species of invertebrates. The peat-lands and bogs are often fringed with woodlands of alder and ash, and in some places carnivorous plants such as sundew and butterwort flourish, fritillaries , marsh cinquefoil and cottongrass grow and butterflies, dragonflies and spiders abound. The woodlands are mostly small with
6862-618: The present-day keep to the cathedral. A motte built over the wall commanded the access to the top of the promontory, where the Lords lived, and the second motte was probably located inside the compound. The basilica in Avesnières, located several kilometers south of the castle, was founded in the 12th century by Guy III. Around 1200, the earthen wall was pulled down and the castle became smaller, taking its present-day appearance. The town developed on its side its own defense system. Beatrix of Gavere ,
6956-475: The promontory where the castle stands. The urban structure there dates back from the Middle Ages and is limited to the western bank of the Mayenne river . This old core is today the main shopping area, with several pedestrian streets and little shops. Several medieval half-timbered houses are still visible, but most of the buildings are dating from the 18th and 19th centuries and are made of tufa . The suburb of Avesnières, located one kilometer (0.6 miles) south of
7050-460: The revolutionary government had turned the departments into transmission belts for policies enacted in Paris. With few exceptions, the departments had this role until the early 1960s. These maps cannot be used as a useful resource of voter preferences, because Departmental Councils are elected on a two-round system, which drastically limits the chances of fringe parties, if they are not supported on one of
7144-411: The second half of the 19th century when the train station was built there. The old faubourgs surrounding the town centre date from the same period and are mainly composed of individual houses. The 20th-century suburbs comprise some council estates but individual houses are much more common. Some shopping centres and several industrial areas are located on the outskirts of the town. Laval is encircled by
7238-621: The slightly hilly landscape around Laval are traces of the Armorican Massif , an old range of mountains that forms the Breton peninsula. The town is surrounded by agricultural land essentially made of large fields. The traditional bocage with its old hedgerows is still partially visible. Laval is also surrounded by several forests, such as the Forêt de Concise , with c. 600 hectares, and the Bois de l'Huisserie , with 254 hectares. Both are located south of
7332-428: The status of departmental " territorial collectivities ": region and department functions have been managed by a " single territorial collectivity " since 2018. Despite the intention to avoid the old nomenclature, often the names of pre-1790 provinces remained in use. For example, the name of Berry , though no longer having an official status, remains in widespread use in daily life. The departmental seat of government
7426-409: The table and graph below refer to the commune of Laval proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Laval absorbed the former communes of Notre-Dame-d'Avenières and Grenoux (partly) in 1863. The city counts 27 primary schools (écoles primaires), 8 middle schools (collèges) and 7 high schools (lycées). Some institutions also provide higher education in Laval like : The town
7520-575: The territorial gains of the Republic and of the First French Empire . Following the defeats of Napoleon in 1814–1815 the Congress of Vienna returned France to its pre-war size and the number of departments was reduced to 86 (three of the original departments having been split). In 1860 France acquired the County of Nice and Savoy , which led to the creation of three new departments. Two were added from
7614-504: The threshold of Brittany and is not far from Normandy and Anjou . It was thus an important stronghold in northwestern France during the Middle Ages . Laval became a city during the 11th century, and was the cradle of the House of Laval , one of the most powerful families in Maine and Brittany. The counts of Laval developed a textile industry around 1300 and made Laval a significant centre for
7708-451: The total area of 516,189 hectares (1,275,532 acres), some 354,000 hectares (875,000 acres) are arable, 69,000 hectares (170,000 acres) are grassland, 26,000 hectares (65,000 acres) are forests and woodland and 50,000 acres (20,200 ha) are heathland and moorland. To the north lies the Armorican Massif , a plateau that has been eroded over time, the highest summit of which, the Mont des Avaloirs,
7802-429: The town at around 3pm. After the war, Laval experienced a quick industrialisation. Most of the old cloth factories were closed down and the town developed instead a large food processing sector, particularly dairies. It also developed plastics processing and car manufacturing. During that period, the town quickly expanded and several new institutions were built, such as a campus and a new hospital. The population data in
7896-494: The town was the Latin Vallis Guidonis , meaning "Guy's valley", because the counts of Laval were all called Guy . On its side, the castle was usually named Castrum Guidonis or Aula Guidonis ("Guy's castle" and "Guy's palace"). During the 11th century, Laval is also called Castrum Vallis or simply Vallis ; and Lavallis appears in 1080. Other Latin names include Valles and Castrum de Valibus . Lavallum Guidonis
7990-431: The town. The commune of Laval is bordered by seven other communes . These are, clockwise, Changé , Bonchamp-lès-Laval , Forcé , Entrammes , L'Huisserie , Montigné-le-Brillant and Saint-Berthevin . Saint-Berthevin forms part of the agglomeration, and Changé and Bonchamp-lès-Laval are well integrated, but the other communes remain rural areas with villages and hamlets. 26 other communes situated farther form with them
8084-455: The two rounds by a moderate party. After the 1992 election, the left had a majority in only 21 of the 100 departments; after the 2011 election, the left dominated 61 of the 100 departments. (Mayotte only became a department after the election.) Key to the parties: The removal of one or more levels of local government has been discussed for some years; in particular, the option of removing the departmental level. Frédéric Lefebvre , spokesman for
8178-560: The western part of the former province of Maine . The southern third of Mayenne corresponds to the northern portion of the old province of Anjou . The inhabitants of the department are called Mayennais . It had a population of 307,062 in 2019. Like 82 other departments, Mayenne was created on 4 March 1790 during the early stages of the French Revolution by order of the National Constituent Assembly . The new departments were to be uniformly administered and approximately equal to one another in size and population. The former province of Maine
8272-617: The wife of Guy IX de Laval , who lived in the 13th century, is believed to be at the origin of the textile tradition of the town. Born in Flanders , she would have brought Flemish weavers with her, and would have encouraged linen production. Linen weaving remained the main economic activity of the town until the 19th century. During the Hundred Years' War , the town was taken by the English commanded by John Talbot , in 1428. It became French again
8366-428: Was a feature of the Mayenne economy, and the southern limit for the cultivation of flax was used to determine the new border between Mayenne and Maine-et-Loire. The American first army's 90th Infantry Division were tasked with capturing the town in 1944. Mayenne is a department in northwestern France and is part of the region of Pays de la Loire . The department does not have a sea coast, but about thirty kilometres to
8460-509: Was a total failure, and they were defeated there by the Republican army. The Royalists came back to Laval 25 December 1793, but they lost a siege in Angers and were definitely defeated in 1794. After the French Revolution , the local authorities decided to achieve the master plan planned in the 18th century. The new bridge was completed in 1824 and the new East-West axis, bypassing the old centre by
8554-463: Was created in the regained territory, with slightly different boundaries from the pre-war department of the same name. The reorganisation of Île-de-France in 1968 and the division of Corsica in 1975 added six more departments, raising the total in Metropolitan France to 96. By 2011, when the overseas collectivity of Mayotte became a department, joining the earlier overseas departments of
8648-410: Was exempted from gabelle, but people living in Maine , or other hinterland provinces, had to buy a certain amount of salt every year, thus paying the gabelle was compulsory for them. A salt storehouse such as the one in Laval was therefore a tax office and it had to deal with salt contraband. 26 fairs were held each year in the pays d'élection , and three markets were held in the town. At that time Laval
8742-453: Was made up of three parishes. The textile industry in Laval reached its zenith just before the French Revolution . The town had the right to produce eight sorts of cloth, including the royales and demi-Hollande , which were among the finest linen weaved in France. The neighbouring towns of Mayenne and Château-Gontier also had the right to produce linen, but in only three or four kinds of cloth. The royales and demi-Hollande were
8836-402: Was partitioned into two, Upper Maine, centred on Le Mans , became the new department of Sarthe, and Lower Maine, centred on Laval became the new department of Mayenne. Anjou , to the south, being too big to form a single department, was reduced in size and became Maine-et-Loire. In this partition, Sarthe received the region of La Flèche , and Mayenne received Château-Gontier and Craon . Flax
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