Moulins (, Molins in Bourbonnais oïl dialect) is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department. It is located on the river Allier.

Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin, the Anne de Beaujeu Museum, and The National Center of Costume and Scenography.

Geography

Moulins is located on the banks of the river Allier.

Moulins-sur-Allier station, in the centre of the town, has direct trains to Paris (Gare de Bercy), which take about 2 hours 25 minutes. The A79 motorway passes south of the town. Montbeugny Airport is a small airport located near Moulins.

History

The name Moulins literally means 'mills' in French, and refers to mills along the Allier.

Before the French Revolution, Moulins was the capital of the province of Bourbonnais and the seat of the Dukes of Bourbon. It appears in documented records at least as far back as the year 990. In 1232, Archambaud VIII, Sire de Bourbon granted a franchise to the village's inhabitants.

The town achieved greater prominence in 1327, when Charles IV elevated Louis I de Clermont to Duke of Bourbon. Either Louis or the later Peter II, Duke of Bourbon and of Auvergne moved the capital of the province from Bourbon-l'Archambault to Moulins.

:Note: This article in French suggests Pierre II moved the capital, while the local tourism website (also in French) suggests it was Louis I.

In February 1566 it became eponymous to the Edict of Moulins, an important royal ordinance dealing with many aspects of the administration of justice and feudal and ecclesiastical privilege, including limitations on the appanages held by French princes, abrogation of the levy of rights of tallage claimed by seigneurs over their dependants, and provisions for a system of concessions on rivers.

This was the birthplace of the great 19th-century operatic baritone and art collector Jean-Baptiste Faure. In the 20th century, Coco Chanel went to school in Moulins as an orphan, before moving to Paris, where she became a fashion designer and major innovator in women's clothing.

Politics and administration

Territorial division

Moulins is the prefecture of Allier, even though it is not the most populated commune of the department.

Elections to municipal and intercommunal councils

Mayors of Moulins

The position of mayor has existed in Moulins since 1518. The current mayor is Benoit Faivre, elected at the 2026 elections. and INSEE (1968-2023)

|graph-pos = bottom

|1793 |13249

|1800 |13509

|1806 |14101

|1821 |13697

|1831 |14672

|1836 |15231

|1841 |15377

|1846 |17110

|1851 |17318

|1856 |18069

|1861 |17581

|1866 |19890

|1872 |20385

|1876 |21774

|1881 |21156

|1886 |21721

|1891 |22665

|1896 |22215

|1901 |22340

|1906 |21888

|1911 |21990

|1921 |22968

|1926 |23306

|1931 |22225

|1936 |22369

|1946 |23254

|1954 |24441

|1962 |23909

|1968 |25979

|1975 |26067

|1982 |25159

|1990 |22799

|1999 |21892

|2007 |20251

|2012 |18959

|2017 |19664

|2023 |19206

Museums

  • Centre National du Costume de Scene (museum)

Notable people

  • Antoine Gilbert Griffet de Labaume (1756–1805), translator and man of letters
  • Théodore de Banville (1823–1891), poet and playwright
  • Jean Pastelot (1820–1870), painter and caricaturist
  • Coco Chanel, fashion designer, started as a cabaret singer
  • Philippe N'Dioro, footballer
  • Jean-Luc Perrot (born 1959), pipe organ player and composer
  • Stéphane Risacher, basketball player for the French national team
  • Jean-Baptiste Faure, opera singer
  • Samuel Paty, slain teacher
  • Claude Louis Hector de Villars (1653–1734), Marshal General of France
  • Gilbert Mercier (1957), author of "The Orwellian Empire" and journalist
  • Louis Jacques Brunet (1811), ancient professor of natural history
  • James FitzJames, 1st Duke of Berwick (1670–1734)
  • Rahel Shtainshnaider, footballer
  • Antoine Dauvergne (1713-1797), composer

Notable companies

  • Decauville factory
  • Manitowoc Company

Climate

See also

  • Moulins Cathedral
  • Diocese of Moulins
  • AS Moulins
  • Communes of the Allier department
  • Moulins Ball

References

  • City council website (in French)
  • Local tourism website (in French)
  • Picture of Moulins Cathedral