Machecoul

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 46°59′38″N 1°49′18″W / 46.9938888889, -1.82166666667

Administration
Commune of Machecoul Coat of arms of Machecoul
Location

Country	France
Region	Pays de la Loire
Department	Loire-Atlantique
Arrondissement	Nantes
Canton	Machecoul
Intercommunality	Région de Machecoul
Mayor	Alain de la Garanderie (2008-2014)
Statistics
Elevation	0 m–36 m (avg. 5 m)
Land area^¹	66.62 km²
Population^² (1999)	5,420
- Density	81/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	44087/ 44270
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Machecoul is a commune of the Loire-Atlantique département in France. Its inhabitants are called Machecoulais and Machecoulaises.

1 Geography
2 Sights
3 Economy
4 Miscellaneous
- 4.1 Births

[edit] Geography

The commune of Machecoul is surrounded by the following communes:

Loire-Atlantique département: Bourgneuf-en-Retz, Fresnay-en-Retz, Saint-Même-le-Tenu, Saint-Mars-de-Coutais, Saint-Lumine-de-Coutais, Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu, La Marne, Paulx
Vendée département: Bois-de-Céné.

[edit] Sights

Close to the town centre is a castle once owned by the infamous child-murderer Gilles de Rais (1404-1440), and on summer evenings one can partake of a son-et-lumiere show telling his story.

Abbaye Notre-Dame de la Chaume
13th century Romanesque church

[edit] Economy

On the edge of town is the Gitane bicycle factory. Fans of the Tour de France will recall the Breton cyclist Bernard Hinault riding for them in the 1970s.

Machecoul has a weekly street market where one can buy roasted poulet noir, the black chicken of Challans.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Machecoul is twinned with Shifnal, Shropshire, United Kingdom. Pupils from the secondary schools annually do a student exchange programme with children aged 13-14.

[edit] Births

Machecoul was the birthplace of:

Gilles de Rais (1404-1440), noble, soldier, and one time brother-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He was later accused and ultimately convicted of torturing, raping and murdering dozens, if not hundreds, of young children
Marc Eliard (born 1958), bass player of the new wave/rock band Indochine
Cédric Michaud (born 1976), marathon speed skater
Mickaël Landreau (born 1979), professional football (soccer) player
David Leray (born 1984), football (soccer) defender