Loir-et-Cher (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. It is named after two rivers which run through it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La Poste gave it the number 41. It had a population of 328,543 in 2023. de France's court, who was the head of the Music of the King's Bedroom from 1623 to 1643.

The Loir-et-Cher's department is a part of the Centre-Val de Loire Region. It is adjacent of these departments : the Eure-et-Loir, the Loiret, the Cher, the Indre, the Indre-et-Loire and the Sarthe.

Due to its surface area of 6 343&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, it is the 31st largest department in the nation. It has a privileged geographical situation because it is in the center of the Centre region and near the Paris basin.

An axe lively and dynamic, brings Blois closer (the department's administrative center) to both the urban conglomerations near it: Orleans and Tours.

Located on the boundaries of the Perche, the Beauce, the Sologne and the Touraine, it finds its territorial identity in the diversity of its geography and its landscapes. Cut in its middle by the Loire, it shows an image of balance and diversity.

Geography

Loir-et-Cher is a part of the modern region of Centre-Val de Loire. Adjacent departments are Eure-et-Loir to the north, Loiret to the north-east, Cher to the south-east, Indre to the south, Indre-et-Loire to the south-west, and Sarthe to the west.

The department comprises 6,314&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, which makes it the 31st largest of the French departments in terms of area. The line of the river Loire traverses the land, ensuring easy communication between its own capital, Blois, and the vibrant cultural and commercial centres of Tours to the west and the fringes of the Seine-Paris basin at Orléans to the east.

Its main rivers are the Loire, on which its prefecture (capital) Blois is situated, the Loir and the Cher.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Blois, the prefecture. As of 2023, there are 6 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:

{| class=wikitable

! Commune

! Population (2023)

|-

| Blois

| style="text-align: center;" | 47,219

|-

| Romorantin-Lanthenay

| style="text-align: center;" | 18,373

|-

| Vendôme

| style="text-align: center;" | 15,758

|-

| Vineuil

| style="text-align: center;" | 8,064

|-

| Le Controis-en-Sologne

| style="text-align: center;" | 6,860

|-

| Mer

| style="text-align: center;" | 6,250

|}

Demographics

The inhabitants of the department are called the Loir-et-Chériens in French.

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is Philippe Gouet (UDI), elected in July 2021.

Current National Assembly Representatives

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!colspan="2"|Constituency!!Member!!Party

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Loir-et-Cher's 1st constituency

| Marc Fesneau

| MoDem

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Loir-et-Cher's 2nd constituency

| Roger Chudeau

| National Rally

|-

|style="background-color: " |

| Loir-et-Cher's 3rd constituency

| Christophe Marion

| Renaissance

|}

See also the Results of the 2024 French legislative election.

Tourism

Châteaux

Loir-et-Cher has an important number of historic châteaux, including the following:

  • Château de Blois
  • Château de Chaumont
  • Château de Chambord
  • Château de Cheverny

<gallery>

File:Blois Église Saint-Nicolas.jpg|Blois

File:Vendôme (Loir-et-Cher).jpg|Vendôme

File:Arrière du Château de Chambord (41).JPG|Château de Chambord

File:ChaumontRundgang05.jpg|Interior of the Château de Chaumont

File:Troussay01.jpg|Château de Troussay

</gallery>

Filming location – Heart of Oak

Heart of Oak (Le Chêne), a 2022 French nature documentary directed by Laurent Charbonnier and Michel Seydoux, was filmed around a 210-year-old oak tree located in the Sologne region of Loir-et-Cher. The tree stands approximately 900 m from the home of co-director Laurent Charbonnier, offering filmmakers intimate access to its changing seasonal ecosystem.

See also

  • Cantons of the Loir-et-Cher department
  • Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department
  • Arrondissements of the Loir-et-Cher department

References

  • Prefecture website
  • Departmental Council website