Moulins, Allier
Moulins | ||
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Moulins | ||
Location within Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region Moulins | ||
Coordinates: 46°33′55″N 3°20′00″E / 46.5653°N 3.3333°ECoordinates: 46°33′55″N 3°20′00″E / 46.5653°N 3.3333°E | ||
Country | France | |
Region | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | |
Department | Allier | |
Arrondissement | Moulins | |
Intercommunality | Urban Community of Moulins | |
Government | ||
• Mayor (2014-2020) | Pierre-André Périssol (LR) | |
Area1 | 8.61 km2 (3.32 sq mi) | |
Population (2012)2 | 18,959 | |
• Density | 2,200/km2 (5,700/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
INSEE/Postal code | 03190 / 03000 | |
Elevation |
202–240 m (663–787 ft) (avg. 220 m or 720 ft) | |
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. |
The city of Moulins (French: [mu.lɛ̃]) is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department. It is located on the Allier River.
Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin, the Anne de Beaujeu Museum and The National Center of Costume and Scenography.
Geography
Moulins is located on the banks of the Allier River.
History
Before the French Revolution, Moulins was the capital of the province of Bourbonnais and the seat of the Dukes of Bourbon. It appears in documented records at least as far back as the year 990. In 1232, Archambaud VIII, Sire de Bourbon granted a franchise to the village's inhabitants.
The town achieved greater prominence in 1327, when Charles IV elevated Louis I de Clermont to Duke of Bourbon. Either Louis or the later Peter II, Duke of Bourbon and of Auvergne moved the capital of the province from Bourbon-l'Archambault to Moulins.
- Note: This article in French suggests Pierre II moved the capital, while the local tourism website (also in French) suggests it was Louis I.
In February 1566 it became eponymous to the Edict of Mills, an important royal ordinance dealing with many aspects of the administration of justice and feudal and ecclesiastical privilege, including limitations on the appanages held by French princes, abrogation of the levy of rights of tallage claimed by seigneurs over their dependants, and provisions for a system of concessions on rivers.
This was the birthplace of the great 19th-century operatic baritone and art collector Jean-Baptiste Faure. In the 20th century, Coco Chanel went to school in Moulins as an orphan, before moving to Paris, where she became a fashion designer and major innovator in women's clothing.
International relations
Twin towns
Moulins is twinned with:
- Montepulciano, Siena, Tuscany, Italy
- Bad Vilbel, Hesse, Germany
Population
Historical population | ||
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Year | Pop. | ±% |
1793 | 13,249 | — |
1800 | 13,509 | +2.0% |
1806 | 14,101 | +4.4% |
1821 | 13,697 | −2.9% |
1831 | 14,672 | +7.1% |
1836 | 15,231 | +3.8% |
1841 | 15,377 | +1.0% |
1846 | 17,110 | +11.3% |
1851 | 17,318 | +1.2% |
1856 | 18,069 | +4.3% |
1861 | 17,581 | −2.7% |
1866 | 19,890 | +13.1% |
1872 | 20,385 | +2.5% |
1876 | 21,774 | +6.8% |
1881 | 21,156 | −2.8% |
1886 | 21,721 | +2.7% |
1891 | 22,665 | +4.3% |
1896 | 22,215 | −2.0% |
1901 | 22,340 | +0.6% |
1906 | 21,888 | −2.0% |
1911 | 21,990 | +0.5% |
1921 | 22,968 | +4.4% |
1926 | 23,306 | +1.5% |
1931 | 22,225 | −4.6% |
1936 | 22,369 | +0.6% |
1946 | 23,254 | +4.0% |
1954 | 24,441 | +5.1% |
1962 | 23,909 | −2.2% |
1968 | 25,979 | +8.7% |
1975 | 26,067 | +0.3% |
1982 | 25,159 | −3.5% |
1990 | 22,799 | −9.4% |
1999 | 21,892 | −4.0% |
2008 | 19,760 | −9.7% |
2012 | 18,959 | −4.1% |
Transport
Moulins-sur-Allier station, in the centre of the town, has direct trains to Paris Paris-Gare de Lyon, which take about 2 hours 25 minutes.
Montbeugny Airport is a small airport located near Moulins.
Museums
- Centre National du Costume de Scene (museum)
Personalities
- Antoine Gilbert Griffet de Labaume (1756–1805), translator and man of letters was born in Moulins
- Jean Pastelot (1820–1870), painter and caricaturist was born in Moulins
- Coco Chanel, fashion designer, started as a cabaret singer here
- Philippe N'Dioro, footballer
- Stéphane Risacher, basketball player with the French national team, born in Moulins
- Jean-Baptiste Faure, opera singer, born in Moulins
- Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Marshal General of France, lived 1653–1734, born in Moulins
See also
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moulins, Allier. |
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Moulins. |
- City council website (in French)
- Local tourism website (in French)
- Picture of Moulins Cathedral