Lying to the southwest of Paris, the Centre region includes
a
large part of the Loire valley, and areas to the north and to the
south. While it does - just - include the point which is the
geometric "centre" of continental France, the region of France known as
"le Centre" does not generally coincide with the middle of the country.
It could more aptly be described as being the centre section
of
northern France. It is an area stretching from a latitude slightly
north of Paris, down to the north of the Limousin and Auvergne regions,
and is bordered to the west by
Normandy, the
Pays
de la Loire region and Poitou, and to the east
by the Paris region (Ile de France) and
Burgundy.
Its regional capital is the city of
Orléans.
Unlike many other regions, the Centre
region is not
a historic province; it is, as its name perhaps implies, the heart of
historic France, the area between the Paris region and the Loire valley
that was for many centuries the centre of the kingdom of France –
at times when the territory which is today known as France was
divided among the kingdoms or duchies of Normandy, Burgundy, Aquitaine,
Anjou and others less important. In this respect, the regions of the
Centre and the Ile de France
are
France.
The region is composed of six
departments, the
Eure et
Loir *
(28), the
Loiret
(45), the
Loir
et Cher (41), the
Cher
(18), the
Indre et Loire
(37) and the
Indre (36).
In the north of the region lies the area
known as la
Beauce,
one of the two historic breadbaskets of France. This is a gently
undulating plateau where vast wheat fields stretch as far as they eye
can see. The area's main city,
Chartres,
is famous for its magnificent cathedral, one of the earliest and finest
gothic cathedrals in France. The middle of this region is
characterised by the low-lying valleys of the river Loire and its
tributaries. This area was very popular with the kings of France and
their dukes in the
Middle
Ages and
Renaissance,
and is rich with
magnificent châteaux - notably the most famous of the "
Chateaux de la Loire"
such as Chambord, Azay-le-Rideau, Blois or Chenonceaux.
Between
Orleans, Blois and Vierzon lies a vast area of forest and
heathland known as La
Sologne,
once the favoured hunting grounds of the nobility, and today popular
with hunters, nature-lovers and hikers. The Loire valley is also
characterised by a number of vineyards, producing mainly white wines,
including the sparkling whites of Touraine and Vouvray.
In the south and south-east, covering
the
departments of the Cher and the Indre, the Centre region rises gently
towards the hills of the Limousin and the Auvergne; this area, known as
le
Berry,
is a deeply agricultural area, with mixed farming. Its capital is the
city of
Bourges.
Finally, to the south-west of the town of
Chateauroux lies
an area known as La
Brenne,
the "area of a thousand lakes", and one of the most important wetlands
in France.
The northern half of the Centre region
benefits,
economically, from its proximity to Paris, and by excellent transport
links to the capital.
Tours
is served by TGV, and
Orleans
by fast express trains; all the major cities in the region also have
direct motorway access to Paris. The The cities of the Loire valley
have become important centres for the pharmaceutical and high-tech
industries, and the north of the region is also a centre for the French
cosmetics industry.
As for the exact location of the
"centre" of France, several communes in the south of the Centre region
- and a some in the north of the Auvergne - are rivals for this title -
depending on the criteria used. But according to various criteria, the
centre of France lies at some spot in the commune of
Saint-Armand-Montrond, in the very south of the Cher department.
Access:
by
train
(TGV) from Paris Gare Montparnasse or Gare d'Austerlitz. Access by
road
from the UK, via any of the Channel ports, then via Paris or Rouen. The
Centre region is crossed by the main motorways between Paris and
western / southwestern France, the A10 (Paris-Tours-Bordeaux), the A11
(Paris-Chartres-Rennes), the A71( [Paris] -
Orleans -Clermont-Ferrand) and the A20 ( [Paris]
-Vierzon-Toulouse).
Air
access is easiest via Paris Orly
airport, or Tours.
Footnote:
the Loir and the Loire are two different rivers. The Loir is a
tributary of the Loire.... confusing !
