Issoudun

Issoudun
White tower White tower
Coat of arms of Issoudun Coat of arms
Issoudun
Location within Centre region Issoudun
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Indre
Arrondissement	Issoudun
Canton	Issoudun-Sud and Issoudun-Nord
Intercommunality	Pays d’Issoudun
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	André Laignel
Area1	36.60 km2 (14.13 sq mi)
Population (2011)2	12,931
• Density	350/km2 (920/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	36088 / 36100
Elevation	122–161 m (400–528 ft) (avg. 129 m or 423 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.

Issoudun is a commune in the Indre department in the central region of France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.

Geography

Location

Issoudun is a sub-prefecture, located in the east of the Indre department. It is in the former region of Berry. The surrounding prefectures are:

• Les Bordes (4 km)
• Saint-Aoustrille (5 km)
• St. Lizaigne (7 km)
• Chouday (7 km)
• Lizeray (8 km)
• Condé (8 km)
• Thizay (8 km)
• Saint-Georges-sur-Arnon (10 km)
• Saint-Ambroix (10 km)
• Saugy (10 km)
• Saint-Aubin (11 km)
• Châteauroux (27 km)
• Châtre (41 km)
• Le Blanc (79 km)

Terrain

The river of Théols passes through Issoudun.

The prefecture of Issoudun takes up an area of 36.6 km².

Transport

The national road N151 passes through the area.

The nearest airport is the Marcel Dassault Airport, 27 km away.

The Issoudun Station is located at 4 Pierre Favreau boulevard, 36100.

History

Middle Ages

In 1195, Richard I of England defended the city from the advances of Philip II of France. Around this time the remarkable beak-shaped keep of the castle was built.

In 1499, Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, married Charlotte d'Albret, and as a dowry, was given, amongst other titles, the Lordship of Issoudun.

World War I

In 1917, the U.S. Air Service established its largest European training centre, the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center, about nine miles northwest of the town. At the time of the Armistice, 11 November 1918, thirteen fields were in operation and well over 10,000 ground personnel, student pilots and instructors were located there. It was at that time the largest air base in the world. A single monument on Department Route 960 remains to mark Issoudun's part in the Great War.

The United States Air Service formally left Issoudun on June 28, 1919, almost eight months after the war ended. The sites of the former airfields have returned to their previous status as agricultural fields.

On 28 June 2009, the people of Issoudun had a commemoration ceremony in honour of the American aviators who had trained, and in many cases, died while training there.

Recent Events

On 14 July 2009, Bastille Day, Issoudun hosted the arrival of the 10th stage of the Tour De France.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1793	13,491	—
1800	10,265	−23.9%
1806	10,719	+4.4%
1821	11,077	+3.3%
1831	11,664	+5.3%
1836	11,654	−0.1%
1841	12,234	+5.0%
1846	12,852	+5.1%
1851	13,346	+3.8%
1856	13,320	−0.2%
1861	14,282	+7.2%
1866	14,261	−0.1%
1872	14,230	−0.2%
1876	13,703	−3.7%
1881	14,928	+8.9%
1886	15,231	+2.0%
1891	13,564	−10.9%
1896	14,116	+4.1%
1901	14,222	+0.8%
1906	13,949	−1.9%
1911	13,709	−1.7%
1921	11,893	−13.2%
1926	11,809	−0.7%
1931	11,684	−1.1%
1936	11,511	−1.5%
1946	12,645	+9.9%
1954	12,945	+2.4%
1962	13,900	+7.4%
1968	15,108	+8.7%
1975	15,956	+5.6%
1982	14,696	−7.9%
1990	13,859	−5.7%
1999	13,680	−1.3%
2009	13,230	−3.3%
2011	12,931	−2.3%

Landmarks

• RFI at Issoudun
• 05issoudun alliss Volga.JPG

  Volga ALLISS Module

• 

  Ganges ALLISS Module

• 02issoudun feeders+rideaux.JPG

  Former RFI Issoudun Relay station feeders and curtain arrays

• 01issoudun rideaux E.JPG

  Former RFI Issoudun Relay curtain arrays (1990s)

The International broadcasting center of TDF (Télédiffusion de France) is at Issoudun/Ste Aoustrille. Issoudun is currently used by TDF for shortwave transmissions. The site uses 12 rotary ALLISS antennas fed by 12 transmitters of 500 kW each to transmit shortwave broadcasts by Radio France International (RFI), along with other broadcast services.

In Popular Culture

Issoudun figures prominently in Balzac's novel A Bachelor's Establishment (also known as The Black Sheep) which the Guardian has ranked as the 12th greatest novel of all time.

See also

• Communes of the Indre department
• Arrondissements of the Indre department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Town council website
• Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur
• Picture of Issoudun Basilica
• American Aviation during World War I
• ALLISS module installation 1992