Loiret

Loiret (French pronunciation: ​[lwaʁɛ]) is a department in north-central France.

The department is named after the river Loiret, a tributary of the Loire, and which is located wholly within the department. The capital of the department is Orléans, which is about 110 km (68 mi) southwest of Paris. As well as being the regional capital, it is a historic city on the banks of the Loire. It has a large central area with many historic buildings and mansions, and a cathedral dating back to the thirteenth century that was rebuilt after being destroyed by Protestant forces in 1568. The Loire Valley is famous for its stately châteaux.

History

Loiret is one of the original 83 departments that was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790 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. It was created from the former province of Orléanais which was too large to continue in its previous form.

Loiret (river)

Coordinates: 47°52′7″N 1°53′53″E / 47.86861°N 1.89806°E / 47.86861; 1.89806

The Loiret is a 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) long river in France, a left tributary to the Loire River. Its waters come from infiltrations from the Loire.

Its course is completely within the Loiret département, to which it gives its name.

The Loiret, south of Orléans, with its picturesque former mills, is a popular destination for walking and boating trips. The source of the Loiret is in Orléans-la-Source, and its mouth in Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Mesmin, southwest of Orléans.