Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, Loiret Département, Centre-Val de Loire, France

🇫🇷 Châteauneuf-sur-Loire is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.

The municipality is located within the perimeter of the Loire Valley listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site1 and alone constitutes the urban unit of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire.

Geography: Location The municipality of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire is located in the centre of the Loiret department, in the agricultural region of Orleans and the urban area of Orléans. As the crow flies, it is located 23.9 km from Orleans, prefecture of the department.

The nearest municipalities are: Saint-Martin-d'Abbat (3.5 km), Sigloy (3.5 km), Germigny-des-Prés (4 km), Ouvrouer-les-Champs (4.8 km), Saint-Denis-de-l'Hôtel (7.2 km), Jargeau (7.5 km), Saint-Aignan-des-Gués (7.8 km).

Geology The municipality is located in the south of the Paris Basin, the largest of the three French sedimentary basins. This vast depression, occupied in the past by shallow seas and lakes, was filled, as its base collapsed, by sands and clays, resulting from the erosion of the surrounding reliefs, as well as limestones of biological origin, thus forming a succession of geological layers.

The outcrop layers on the communal territory consist of surface formations of the Quaternary and sedimentary rocks dating from the Cenozoic, the most recent geological era on the geological time scale, beginning 66 million years ago. The oldest formation is marls and limestones of the Orléannais dating back to the Miocene period of the Neogene period. The most recent formation is anthropogenic deposits dating back to the Holocene period of the Fourties. The description of these layers is detailed in the sheets "n°364 - Bellegarde-du-Loiret" and "n°399 - Châteauneuf-sur-Loire" of the geological map at 1/50 000th of the Loiret department and their associated records.

History Châteauneuf has developed since at least the early Middle Ages, as a place of exchange and stop on the Loire river road. The village was included in the royal domain from the first decades of the Capetians, and King Henry I founded a fortress there in the mid-eleventh century - which explains the name of the city.

Between January 29 and February 8, 1939, more than 2,800 Spanish refugees fleeing the collapse of the Spanish republic in front of Franco's troops arrived in the Loiret. Faced with the inadequacy of the reception structures in Orleans, 46 rural reception centres are open, including one in Châteauneuf-sur-Loire. Refugees, mainly women and children (men are disarmed and detained in the South of France), are subject to a strict quarantine, vaccinated, mail is limited, and supplies, although little varied and French cooked, is however provided. Some of the refugees return to Spain, encouraged by the French government which facilitates the conditions of return, those who prefer to stay are grouped at the Aydes glass factory camp in Fleury-les-Aubrais.

Transport: Public In 2016, the municipality is served by two lines of the Rémi network, the intercity coach transport network of the Loiret Departmental Council: Line 6 that connects Montargis - Bellegarde - Orléans and line 3, which connects Bonny-sur-Loire - Briare - Gien - Châteauneuf-sur-Loire - Orléans. SNCF connections are provided at Orleans, Montargis and Gien stations. As of January 1, 2017, the competence of intercity, regular and on-demand road transport services is transferred from the departments to the regions, and therefore locally from the Loiret department to the Centre-Val de Loire region, following the NOTRe law of 7 August 2015.

Transport: Rail The Orléans - Gien railway line crosses the territory of the municipality.

The municipality welcomed the test track of the suspended aerial subway that has now been destroyed.

Cultural events and festivities • Rhododendron festival, in the castle park, the Pentecost weekend (party that became biennial in 2011); • Port festival, the second Sunday in August; • Donkey Festival, the last Sunday in July, since 1996. • Châteauneuf annual carnival

Sport The 22nd stage of the Tour de France 1956 took the territory of the municipality.

Media • Mega FM, local radio created in 2005; • Radio Média France, former local radio station (1984-1998)

Economy The building and public works company, Baudin Chateauneuf, has been established in the municipality since 1919.