Montmorillon

History

thumb|left|"Bières de Montmorillon" The town was once known for paper making, but in the nineteenth century the mill and its plentiful supply of clean water were repurposed to making the "Beer of Montmorillon". The beer was made from 1848 and sold to drinkers who rejected the usual drink of red wine. The family-run business continued to 1963, leaving several abandoned buildings. In 2015, the brewery opened again.

The clay mineral montmorillonite was named after Montmorillon after its discovery there in 1847.

Montmorillon is branded as the "City of Writing" as it has had museums and bookshops with that theme since 2000. The idea that Montmorillon should be a Book town came from Régine Deforges, a local councillor who was a successful, and controversial, author. The town had a history of paper-making, and her idea received local and international support. The old medieval quarter of the town attracted six million euros of funding.

It is also known for its macarons, and there is another museum dedicated to them. who are the oldest macaron bakery in Montmorillon, dating back to 1920.

The Coopération pédagogique range of educational posters were produced in Montmorillon, in the 1950s by Éditions Rossignol.

On 31 March 2024 (Easter sunday) heavy rainfall led to the severe flooding of the town.

Le Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Montmorillon (MAHM)

The Museum of Art and History in Montmorillon was created in 1936. After closing for several years, the museum reopened in 2018. Located the right bank of the Gartempe, the museum was once a primary school.

The museum has a collection of regional paintings of the 19th and 20th century. This collection of paintings comprises works by Raoul Carré, Jehan Berjonneau, Alfred Plauzeau, Raoul-Félix Etève, Jeanne Harry-Lorne and Henri-Pierre Lejeune. The subjects depicted by the artists are varied. The majority are portraits but the landscape of the local area is strongly featured with the artists having drawn inspiration both from the landscape of the region and their wider travels.

As well as the painting there are a number of graphic documents, designs by Henri Plisson and water colours by Gratiant Emmanuel.

Population

|1793 |3121 |1800 |2843 |1806 |3313 |1821 |3174 |1831 |3608 |1836 |4157 |1841 |4672 |1846 |4768 |1851 |5228 |1856 |4968 |1861 |5130 |1866 |5203 |1872 |5010 |1876 |5105 |1881 |5128 |1886 |5158 |1891 |5268 |1896 |5284 |1901 |5176 |1906 |5051 |1911 |4944 |1921 |4583 |1926 |4766 |1931 |4507 |1936 |4754 |1946 |5410 |1954 |5524 |1962 |5743 |1968 |6034 |1975 |6685 |1982 |6954 |1990 |6667 |1999 |6898 |2007 |6514 |2012 |6258 |2017 |5954

Sister cities

• GER Wadern, Germany, since 1968
• SPA Medina del Campo, Spain, since 1994
• BFA Safané, Burkina Faso, since 1997
• POL Gościno, Poland, since 2003
• ROM Putna, Romania, since 2013

Notable people

• Étienne de Vignolles, called La Hire (1390-1443), French military commander during the Hundred Years' War
• Paul de Ladmirault (1808-1898) French general and senator,
• Joseph Carré (1870-1941), architect
• Régine Deforges (1935-2014), novelist and local councillor.
• Simon Pagenaud (1984-), Champion Indycar Driver, 2019 Indianapolis 500 winner

Climate

|Jan record high C = 18.5 |Feb record high C = 24.1 |Mar record high C = 25.8 |Apr record high C = 30.1 |May record high C = 34.1 |Jun record high C = 39.3 |Jul record high C = 40.5 |Aug record high C = 40.2 |Sep record high C = 38.8 |Oct record high C = 31.5 |Nov record high C = 24.3 |Dec record high C = 18.7 |year record high C = 40.5 |Jan record low C = -11.5 |Feb record low C = -15.6 |Mar record low C = -9.7 |Apr record low C = -4.3 |May record low C = 0.6 |Jun record low C = 6.0 |Jul record low C = 7.9 |Aug record low C = 6.3 |Sep record low C = 2.0 |Oct record low C = -3.6 |Nov record low C = -9.1 |Dec record low C = -10.9 |year record low C = -15.6 |access-date=21 November 2024}}}}

References

References

1. (13 September 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
2. "Services publics Montmorillon".
3. "Saulgé (86) - Site officiel de la commune".
4. "Montmorillon - Bières et Limonades Artisanales, Bio et Made in France".
5. [http://www.mindat.org/min-2821.html Montmorillonite] {{webarchive. link. (2012-05-24 . Mindat.org)
6. "Montmorillon: one of Vienne's prettiest historical cities {{!}} Saulgé.com".
7. "Press Book".
8. "Heavy rainfall causes severe flooding in French town".
9. {{Cassini-Ehess. 23694. Montmorillon
10. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-86165#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
11. « [http://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/Vienne/Communes/Montmorillon/n/Contenus/Articles/2013/10/15/Putna-officiellement-liee-a-Montmorillon-1650094 Putna officiellement liée à Montmorillon] », ''[[La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest]]'', 15 octobre 2013.
12. Alex Johnson. (5 April 2018). "Book Towns". Frances Lincoln (White Lion 2).