Loiret: Orleans, Joan of Arc, and the Beauce Plain
Loiret centres on Orleans, the city forever associated with Joan of Arc, who broke the English siege here in 1429. The cathedral, the Fetes de Jeanne d'Arc every May, and statues throughout the city all commemorate her. Orleans sits on a bend of the Loire roughly 130 kilometres south of Paris, connected by motorway and frequent trains.
The department's northern half, the Beauce, is France's breadbasket, an immense flat plain of wheat and sugar beet. South of the Loire, the Sologne begins. Montargis, in the east, claims to be the birthplace of pralines. Pithiviers is known for its almond pastry. The population of the department exceeds 687,000. Orleans has positioned itself as a cosmetics and pharmaceutical hub, with companies including Dior and Shiseido operating production facilities in the area.
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Loiret centres on Orleans, the city forever associated with Joan of Arc, who broke the English siege here in 1429. The cathedral, the Fetes de Jeanne d'Arc every May, and statues throughout the city all commemorate her. Orleans sits on a bend of the Loire roughly 130 kilometres south of Paris, connected by motorway and frequent trains.
The department's northern half, the Beauce, is France's breadbasket, an immense flat plain of wheat and sugar beet. South of the Loire, the Sologne begins. Montargis, in the east, claims to be the birthplace of pralines. Pithiviers is known for its almond pastry. The population of the department exceeds 687,000. Orleans has positioned itself as a cosmetics and pharmaceutical hub, with companies including Dior and Shiseido operating production facilities in the area.
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