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Le Mans |
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| Palais of Comtes du Maine, birth place of Henry II of England | |
 Le Mans
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Location within Pays de la Loire region
Le Mans
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Pays de la Loire |
| Department | Sarthe |
| Arrondissement | Le Mans |
| Intercommunality | Le Mans |
| Mayor | Jean-Claude Boulard (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 38–134 m (125–440 ft) (avg. 51 m or 167 ft) |
| Land area1 | 52.81 km2 (20.39 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 148,169 (2006) |
| - Density | 2,806 /km2 (7,270 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 72181/ 72000 |
| Dialling code | (0)243 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Coordinates: 48°00′28″N 0°11′54″E / 48.0077°N 0.1984°E
Le Mans (French pronunciation: [ləmɑ̃]) is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.
Its inhabitants are called Manceaux and Mancelles. It has been host to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race since 1923.
Contents |
History [link]
First mentioned by Ptolemy,[1] the Roman city Vindinium was the capital of the Aulerci, a sub tribe of the Aedui. Le Mans is also known as Civitas Cenomanorum (City of the Cenomani). Their city, seized by the Romans in 47 BC, lies in the ancient Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis. An amphitheatre built in the third century AD is still visible, but the thermae were demolished during the crisis of the third century to build the city's walls, which remain some of the most complete circuit of Gallo-Roman city walling that survives.
Gregory of Tours mentions a Frankish sub-king Rigomer, who was killed by King Clovis I in his campaign to unite the Frankish territories.
As the principal city of Maine, Le Mans was the stage for struggles in the eleventh century between the counts of Anjou and the dukes of Normandy. When the Normans had control of Maine, William the Conqueror was able to invade England successfully; however in 1069 the citizens revolted and expelled the Normans, which led to Hugh being proclaimed count of Maine. Geoffrey V of Anjou married Mathilde in the cathedral, where Henry II Plantagenet, king of England, was baptized.
World War II [link]
Soon after Le Mans was liberated by the U.S. 79th and 90th Infantry Divisions on 8 August 1944,[2] engineers of the Ninth Air Force IX Engineering Command began construction of a combat Advanced Landing Ground outside of the town. The airfield was declared operational on 3 September and designated as "A-35". It was used by several American fighter and transport units until late November when the airfield was closed.[3][4]
Main sights [link]
- Le Mans has a well-preserved old town (Cité Plantagenêt, also called Vieux Mans), where the cobbled streets and half-timbered house fronts provided setting for Gérard Depardieu in Cyrano de Bergerac (1989) and a cathedral: Cathédrale St-Julien, is dedicated to St Julian of Le Mans, who is honoured as the city's first bishop.
- There are remnants of a Roman wall in the old town and Roman baths by the river. These walls are highlighted every summer (July and August) evening in a light show that tells the history of the town.
- Arboretum de la Grand Prée
- Jardin des Plantes du Mans
- Musée de la reine Bérengère, a museum of Le Mans history located in a gothic manor house.
- Musée de Tessé, the fine arts museum of the city, displaying painting (including artworks by Philippe de Champaigne, Charles Le Brun, François Boucher, John Constable, Ingres, Théodore Géricault and Camille Corot) and archaeological collections as well as decorative arts.
Demographics [link]
At the 1999 French census, there were 293,159 inhabitants in the metropolitan area (aire urbaine) of Le Mans, with 146,105 of these living in the city proper (commune).
| Year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 132,181 | 143,246 | 152,285 | 147,697 | 145,502 | 146,105 | 148,169 |
Transportation [link]
The Gare du Mans is the main railway station of Le Mans. It takes 1 hour to reach Paris from Le Mans by TGV high speed train. There are also TGV connections to Lille, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes and Brest. Gare du Mans is also a hub for regional trains. Le Mans inaugurated a new light rail system on 17 November 2007.[5]
Sport [link]
Motorsport [link]
The city is best known for its connection with motorsports. There are actually two separate racing tracks at Le Mans, though they share certain portions. The smaller is the Bugatti Circuit (named after Ettore Bugatti, founder of the car company bearing his name), a relatively short permanent circuit which is used for racing throughout the year. The longer and more famous Circuit de la Sarthe is composed partly of public roads, which are closed to the public when the track is in use for racing, and has been host to the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race since 1923. Boutiques and shops are set up during the race selling merchandise and promoting products for cars. The first French Grand Prix took place on a 64-mile (103 km) circuit based at Le Mans in 1906. The "Le Mans start" was formerly used in the 24 hour race: drivers lined up across the track from their cars, ran across the track, jumped into their cars and started them to begin the race.
Basketball [link]
Football [link]
Cycling [link]
Notable people [link]
Le Mans was the birthplace of:
- Henry II of England, born 1133
- Geoffroy V d'Anjou, born 1113
- Geoffrey de Goreham or Gorron, became Abbot of St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK, in 1119
- Dom Louis Le Pelletier, born 1663, linguist of the Breton language
- Gilles-François de Beauvais, born 7 July 1693, was a Jesuit writer and preacher.
- Basil Moreau,C.S.C, born 1799, a priest of Le Mans founded the Congregation of Holy Cross. Beatified in Le Mans 2007.
- the Papin sisters whose act of murder (1933) inspired Jean Genêt's The Maids.
- Jean Françaix, born in 1912, composer
- Jean Rondeau, born in 1946, racecar driver and constructor
- François Fillon, born in 1954, Prime Minister of France.
- Julien Cottereau, born 1969, actor and clown – Cirque du Soleil, now in his own show Imagine Toi.
- Sébastien Bourdais, born 1979, racecar driver
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, born 1985, professional tennis player.
- Guillaume Loriot footballer
- Gilles Villeneuve, lived temporarily in Le Mans in 1973.
- David Jason, English actor, lived in Le Mans between 1965–1968 and 1999–2001.
- Andy Wallace, born 1961, racecar driver
- Leslie, born 4 February 1985, French singer
International relations [link]
Twin towns – Sister cities [link]
Le Mans is twinned with:
Bolton, England, United Kingdom
Haouza, Western Sahara
Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany—officially since 1967, traditionally since 836 (oldest partnership of its kind in Europe).
Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast, Russia
Suzuka, Japan
Volos, Greece
Xianyang, Shaanxi, China
Alexandria, Egypt
Gastronomy [link]
The culinary specialty of Le Mans is rillettes, a shredded pork pâté.
Landmarks [link]
At Mayet, near Le Mans, and with a height of 342 m, the Le Mans-Mayet transmitter is one of the tallest radio masts in France.
See also [link]
References [link]
- ^ Geography 2.8.8
- ^ Blumenson, Martin, Breakout and Pursuit, Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1989, pp. 436–8
- ^ Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
- ^ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- ^ "Le Mans light rail takes off". Railway Gazette International. 6 January 2008. https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//le-mans-light-rail-takes-off.html.
External links [link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Le Mans |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Christine and Lea Papin |
- Official website (French)
- Virtual visit (French)
- https://www.lemanstourisme.com/dnn/ (French)
- https://www.geekmans.com/ (French)
- lemans-history.com – The history of a Legend (Luis Santos) (English) (French)
- Le Mans Portugal – All (or almost) about the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Le Mans Series... in Portuguese
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https://wn.com/Le_Mans
2007 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 75th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France from 16–17 June 2007. Four classes of cars raced together, with each class having honors for its highest finishers. The faster LMP1 and LMP2 classes were for custom-built Le Mans Prototypes (LMP), and the slower GT1 and GT2 classes were for modified grand tourer (GT) road cars.
The LMP1 class saw the first competition between the new diesel engined Peugeot 908 HDi FAP prototype and the diesel Audi R10 TDI, the 2006 Le Mans winner; the Audi once again achieved an overall victory. There was heavy attrition in the LMP2 class, in which only two competitors finished the race. In the GT1 class, Aston Martin achieved its first win over the Corvette since returning to the event in 2005. The GT2 class was a battle between Ferrari and Porsche, won by Porsche. The race was attended by over 250,000 spectators.
Track changes
Between the 2006 and 2007 races, the Circuit de la Sarthe was upgraded, most obviously by the reprofiling of the Tertre Rouge corner. The new corner was moved inward, to create a long flowing curve instead of the single point apex it had been previously, shortening the lap distance by 21 meters to a revised 13.629 km. A new pedestrian tunnel – below the Mulsanne Straight, immediately after Tertre Rouge – was also built. The work had been planned to be carried out before the 2006 event, but it was delayed because of budgetary concerns.
Le Mans (disambiguation)
Le Mans is a city in France.
Le Mans may also refer to:
- American Le Mans Series, an American sports car endurance series
- Asian Le Mans Series, an Asian sports car endurance series
Le Mans (band)
Le Mans was a Spanish indie rock band in existence between 1993 and 1998. Having previously toured and released records under the name Aventuras de Kirlian, the group took a new direction as they hired a new member, Gorka Ochoa, to play the drums.
Line-up
Discography
Albums
Le Mans (film)
Le Mans is a 1971 action film directed by Lee H. Katzin, starring Steve McQueen. It features footage from the actual 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race in June 1970.
Released in June 1971 and given a G rating, the film is still popular today among race fans, as it is a relatively accurate depiction of the era. It features lots of racing but very little dialogue (there is brief dialogue approximately 6 minutes into the film, then the PA announcer at 11 minutes, more PA announcements at 14 minutes, with McQueen's first dialogue at 36 minutes into the film). Due to this, and to the American market's obliviousness towards the Le Mans 24-hour race and foreign auto racing in general, it was a flop at the box office in the United States. It followed in the wake of the similar but much more successful 1966 film Grand Prix (for which McQueen had turned down the starring role, given afterwards to James Garner).
Story
Michael Delaney (McQueen) spots racing rival Belgetti's widow Lisa (Elga Andersen) buying flowers; he then drives his 1970 Porsche 911S to the scene of the accident which killed her husband. He has a flashback of Belgetti losing control of his Ferrari just in front of Delaney, who also crashes.
Radio Stations - Arrondissement du Mans
RADIO STATION |
GENRE |
LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| ABC Beatles | 70s,60s | France |
| NRJ Michael Jackson | Pop | France |
| Radio Emotion | Oldies | France |
| M2 Love | Rock,Soft Rock,Adult | France |
| OÜI FM Alternatif | Alternative | France |
| DYNAMHITS | R&B,Hip Hop,Rap | France |
| RCT CapSao | Latin Hits | France |
| Radio Arverne | Adult Contemporary | France |
| 4U Smooth Jazz | Jazz | France |
| Psychedelik Dark-Psyché | Electronica | France |
| Radio NTI Nantes | Dance,Electronica | France |
| Beaub FM 89 | Indie | France |
| Radio Espace | Dance,Top 40,R&B | France |
| Canal Académie | Talk | France |
| France Bleu Isere | Varied | France |
| Sea FM Coutances | Varied | France |
| Delta FM Saint Omer | Adult Contemporary | France |
| Bachata Dominicana | World Caribbean,Latin Hits | France |
| Radio Gospel France | Christian Contemporary,Gospel,Christian | France |
| France Bleu Alsace | News Talk | France |
| Delta FM Dunkerque | Adult Contemporary | France |
| Sweet FM | Varied,Top 40 | France |
| Skyrock | Pop,R&B,Rap | France |
| FD Radio Latino | Latin Hits | France |
| Clubbin Radio | Dance,Electronica | France |
| Radio Chopin | Classical | France |
| Radio Espérance Enseignement | Religious,Christian | France |
| Alta Frequenza | Pop | France |
| Fréquence Plus | Pop | France |
| DJBuzz Radio | Electronica | France |
| Carrément Mash Up | Experimental | France |
| Variation | Varied | France |
| Euro Mixx | Dance | France |
| Nostalgie Poetes | Varied | France |
| France Bleu Armorique | Varied | France |
| jazz swing manouche radio | Jazz,Blues | France |
| Jazz Radio Ladies&Crooners | Jazz | France |
| Hotmixradio Hits | Varied | France |
| M2 80 | Rock,80s,Pop | France |
| Generations Rap US | Rap | France |
| Radio Liberté (FR) | Varied | France |
| Radio ZamZam | Religious | France |
| Tropiques FM 90.0 Bourg-en-Bresse | World Caribbean,World Tropical,World Africa | France |
| Alouette | Easy,Contemporary | France |
| Jazz Radio Soul Food Radio | Jazz | France |
| Radio Saint Nabor | Varied | France |
| R Meribel | Varied | France |
| Nostalgie Stars 80 | 80s | France |
| Radio No1 | Varied | France |
| Azur Blues | Blues | France |
| France Bleu Loire Ocean | Varied | France |
Podcasts:
Le Mans
ALBUMS
- Entresemana released: 2005
- Le Mans released: 2005
- Aquí vivía yo released: 2004
- Catástrofe nº 17 released: 2003
- 1993-1998 released: 2000
- Saudade released: 1996
- Le Mans / Entresemana released: 1996
- Zerbina released: 1995
Le Mans
ALBUMS
- On the Streets released: 1983
