Office de Tourisme
Châteauroux < Sud Berry
1 Place de La Gare
36000 CHATEAUROUX
Tel. : 02 54 34 10 74
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Visits and leisure
> Visits and leisure > A town in the countryside
Visits and leisure
A town in the countryside
Raoul's Castle
Châteauroux - a town in a garden
Châteauroux is the dynamic capital of the south Berry province, and the administrative centre of the Indre department.
It lies in the Centre region, only two hours from Paris, in the heart of natural surroundings as varied as the Creuse Valley, Brenne National Park or the Champagne Berrichonne (an area of vast fertile plains). Châteauroux bears its "Four Flower Symbols Award" with pride.
A brief history of Châteauroux
Historically, Deols preceded the town of Châteauroux. In about 937, the lord of the neighbouring town abandoned his palace to build a fortress on the left bank of the river Indre. This was known as "Château-Raoul" (Raoul's Castle), which gives the town its name.
At the end of the 12th century Château-Raoul was fought over between the King of France and the King of England.
Châteauroux became the administrative capital of the department during the French Revolution.
The town became industrialized at the beginning of the 19th century and the railway arrived in 1847.
The last two World Wars hastened the town’s development. An aircraft factory was set up in 1936, and then in 1951 at La Martinerie, a large American airbase was created which led to the construction of towns, residences, houses...
Modern-day Châteauroux
The development of neighbourhoods and redevelopment of the town, along with the restoration of its buildings makes Châteauroux a town of exceptional natural surroundings with a recognized quality of life. Situated in a vast garden, with its coulée verte ("green way"), the town has a population of 47,127 inhabitants.
Created in January 2000, the Community of Châteauroux and its suburbs groups the towns of Ardentes, Arthon, Châteauroux, Déols, Diors, Etrechet, Le Poinçonnet, Mâron, Montierchaume, Saint-Maur and Sassierges Saint-Germain, and has a combined population of 78,097 inhabitants.
