Guide to Centre

Centre

Renowned for its historic royal palaces; considered France's geographical heart:
Cher (18)
Eure-et-Loir (28)
Indre (36)
Indre-et-Loire (37)
Loir-et-Cher (41)
Loiret (45)

Population: 2.4 million
Principal city: Orléans
Tourist board

Near Bourges three villages lay claim to being the precise geographic centre of France. The honour is generally given to Saulzais-le-Potier, a row of stone houses with a two-metre monument. The region of Centre has the reputation of being the part of France where the purest French is spoken. It is in this region that the River Allier joins the Loire, which till then is little more than a stream but soon becomes a majestic river.

Architecturally, Chartres cathedral is considered to be the best example of a Gothic cathedral anywhere, but St-Etienne de Bourges, with its 15th century stained glass and its inner aisles, is also mentionworthy. The Berry, of which Bourges is the capital, produces more than half of the country's fine china. It recently came to fame when some of its porcelain was recovered from the Titanic.

The Loire Valley may have the most sumptuous palaces in France, but it also has the highest concentration of troglodyte dwellings in Europe; their uses range from underground zoos to ordinary dwellings. Herb gardens, rose gardens, arboretums and even a garden boasting more than 600 varieties of tomato all feature here. At the Pumpkin Festival in Tranzault, Indre, gourds, pumpkins and squashes come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours at the biggest celebration of the vegetable in France.

Vouvray, Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé wines all come from vineyards near the river Loire. Some of the best wines are to be found at Bonnezeaux and at Vouvray, where they produce a very good sparkling wine. The Loire is probably better known for its wines than its cheeses but there are some remarkably good local ones. There are various types of goat cheese, including crottin de Chavignol and Ste-Maure, Olivet cheeses and of course Port-Salut. Orléans vinegar was once as famous as Dijon mustard, with more than 200 vinegar-makers and merchants working in the city. Today, there is just one producer of this traditionally made vinegar, but business is booming for Jean-François Martin.

Cher (18)

Population: 322,000
Principal city: Bourges
Tourist board

The Cher is right in the middle of France, but who exactly is at the geographical centre is a matter of some contention: the villages of Bruère-Allichamps, Vesdun and Soulzais-le-Potier all grapple for the crown in an amicable way.

King Charles VII set up his court here, and the wealthy businessman Jacques Coeur built his grandiose (and visit-worthy) palace at Bourges. Under the patronage of Duke Jean of Berry in the early 15th century, the arts were developed to a rare perfection. The world-famous Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, executed in Limburg, were the result.

The beautiful Renaissance château of Aubigny-sur-Nère, built by Béraud Stuart at the end of the 15th century, stands as in memory of the Auld Alliance. In fact, there are numerous châteaux that let rooms for a few days at a time. Other must-sees are the abbey of Noirlac, founded in 1136, which has been excellently restored.

The Cher is a pastoral paradise that has long inspired poets and writers. Little-known Sologne, in the hook of the River Loire, is mainly wooded with many lakes. It is a haven for wildlife and in particular migrating birds, and was the setting for Alain Fournier's whimsical novel Le Grand Meaulnes, fondly remembered by locals.

Eure-et-Loir (28)

Population: 396,000
Principal city: Chartres
Tourist board

The cathedral of Notre-Dame in Chartres has been described as the most impressive and complete cathedral in the West. Built in the main between the 12th and 13th centuries, it is an architectural masterpiece. It is particularly rich in stained glass, and Chartres is to this day a focus for the stained glass industry, with a dedicated museum.

This area, which comprises the regions of Perche in the west, Beauce in the east and Thimerais in the north, is not particularly known as a tourist destination, but its countryside is a patchwork of rural idylls with many remarkable sites, from manor houses to full-blown châteaux. Some must-sees are Dreux, Châteaudun, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Fraze, Montigny-le-Gannelon and Maintenon. Apart from this last, few of the area's treasures spring to even a seasoned Francophile's mind, which is fairly surprising, given the département's proximity to Paris.

The château of Maintenon dates back to the Middle Ages, but received major rework during the 17th century by Madame de Maintenon, the wife of Louis XIV. The design of the gardens is by the famous landscape designer André Le Nôtre. The marvellous ruined aqueduct nearby was commissioned by the Sun King to bring the waters of the Eure to Versailles, but it was never finished.

Illiiers-Combray is the capital of the Proust Country. La maison de Tante Léonie is where he passed his holidays at his father's sister's house, and the surrounding buildings and countryside are thinly veiled in his works such as Du côté de chez Swann. Indeed, the town added Proust's 'fictional' name Combray to its official name in honour of his works.

One of the most curious sites to visit is the Maison de Picassiette in Chartres. It is a curious house-cum-folly made built earlier this century and decorated with thousands or shards of broken pottery.

Indre (36)

Population: 238,000
Principal city: Châteauroux
Tourist board

Indre is essentially a rural département, and Châteauroux is the epitome of a provincial préfecture. It was founded in 937, when the nobleman Raoul de Déols established a castle — 'Château-Raoul' — on the left bank of the Indre near his home.

The unhurried way of life is one of the greatest charms of the Indre; its rolling hills, meadows and forests always seem very far from the the Rat Race. Indeed, this area often appears unashamedly rustic; the village of Tranzault sees a large pumpkin festival every autumn; other festivals include 'Crayfish Day' at Aigurande, the snail fair at Cluis, and the chestnut festivals at Eguzon and Mâron.

Argentomagus, a few miles from Argenton, is one of the most important archeological sites in France, and you are invited to follow in the steps of our ancestors and walk through real prehistoric and Gallo-Roman habitats.

The writer Amandine Aurore Dupin, better known as George Sand, inherited the fine manor house at Nohant and lived here for many years with Chopin. She said: "I prefer a nettle in my own country to a beautiful oak in another."

Châteaux, museums and historical sites abound, and hiking trails pass through great swaths of forest such as those of the Parc naturel régional in the Brenne district, the 'Country of a Thousand Lakes'. The Creuse Valley, which runs through the Brenne, is a popular centre for water sports. It is no surprise that angling is a popular pastime for inhabitants of the Brenne, and the lakes are also popular with amateur naturalists, as they are home to a wide variety of wildfowl, including the black-throated grebe.

Indre-et-Loire (37)

Population: 529,000
Principal city: Tours
Tourist board

Indre-et-Loire is a rural area, and a good number of the inhabitants are involved in wine production. It is also reputedly the area where the 'purest' French can be heard. This part of France is famed for its châteaux but there are other things to see here too, such as the ancient craft of basketry in Villaines-les-Rochers. In Tours, there is a museum dedicated to the Compagnonnage du Tour de France, a society dedicated to craftsmanship, be it the building trade, jewellers, mechanics, bakers and other professionals.

The chenin blanc grape gives us the crisp and sparkling white wines of Touraine; the famous wines of Vouvray come from vineyards near the River Loire. The region is probably better known for its wines than its cheeses but there are some remarkably good local ones. There are various types of goat cheese, including crottin de Chavignol and Ste-Maure, Olivet cheeses and of course Port-Salut.

Agnès Sorel was the first 'acknowledged' mistress of a French king. Charles VII found her beauty irresistible and bestowed on her the appropriately named 'Château de Beauté' as well as other dwellings. She is buried in the Logis Royal at Loches.

In 1990 an association of parks and gardens was created to promote the many hitherto unknown but lovely gardens in Central France. Herb gardens, rose gardens, arboretums and even a garden boasting more than 600 varieties of tomato all feature here. There are many splendid châteaux in the Loire Valley, including the beautiful Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau and the Château d'Ussé. The gardens of Villandry are unsurpassed; designed by Carvallo, who bought the château some 100 years ago, the gardens were also some of the first to open to the public. Another curiosity of the area is the leaning tower at Chanteloup, built by the Duc de Choiseul.

Loir-et-Cher (41)

Population: 306,000
Principal city: Blois
Tourist board

Although the département is named after the rivers Loir and Cher, the most important river that runs through it is the Loire. On it stands the principal town, Blois, famous for its magnificent château. The kings of France, seduced by the temperate climate and game-filled forests, built their sumptuous homes here.

Probably the most spectacular example is the château de Chambord, started in 1519 for François I and considered a masterpiece of the Renaissance. Its forest of 365 chimneys give the appearance of a miniature city on its roof. The département has kepts François's emblem as its own: the salamander, a creature thought half a millennium ago to survive and even nourish itself in fire. This imagery reflected the king's own ardour, in both love and war.

Many chateaux and stately homes are open to the public: some are state owned, such as Chambord and Blois; others are private, and still lived in. A large proportion of them run son-et-lumière shows during the tourist season.

The Loire Valley has the highest concentration of troglodyte dwellings in Europe - although the environment in these dwellings is very far indeed from the prehistoric caveman image often suggested. Troo, in the north-western slice of the département, is a fine example of a cave-dwelling community.

The little-known area of Sologne is a largely wooded region with many lakes; a haven for wild-life and in particular migrating birds.

Gastronomically, this area is blessed with many specialities, and there is no dearth of fine restaurants in which to sample them. Amongst the specialities of the area are goat cheese, fish and game, strawberries and asparagus. . . and the famous apple pie tarte Tatin, best eaten with a local sparkling white wine.

Loiret (45)

Population: 580,000
Principal city: Orléans
Tourist board

Orléans is the capital of the Centre region (often called the Centre-Val-de-Loire by the tourist board—a subliminal allusion to the Loire châteaux). The city is famous for two good reasons: it gave its name to four royal houses, of which the Orléans-Bourbon house is the theoretical heritor of the French throne. It is also famous for being besieged by the English, and subsequently delivered by Jeanne d'Arc in 1429. Less well known nowadays is the fact that Orléans vinegar was once as famous as Dijon mustard, with more than 200 vinegar-makers and merchants working in the city. Today, there is just one producer of this traditionally made vinegar, Martin Pouret, but business is booming.

Orléans stands on the most northerly stretch of the River Loire, around 100 km from Paris, of which, in industrial terms, it is considered a satellite. It is bounded to the north and east by a vast forest; to the south lie the wetlands of the Sologne. At the Sologne town of Briare stands the pont-canal over the River Loire: more than twice as long as the Pontcysyllte aqueduct near Llangollen (Wales) this is a superb example of how industry and aesthetics can go hand in hand. Put into service in 1896, Gustave Eiffel had a hand in its construction.

As elsewhere in the region, glorious châteaux abound: there are fine examples at Gien, Beaugency and Sully-sur-Loire. Meung-sur-Loire is also a pleasant visit, and has a château (begun in the 12th century, so rather older than most in these parts), catacombs and a restored market. The château of Chamerolles, built by the unlikely sounding Lancelot I du Lac in the 16th century, is worth a visit, being home to an exhibition of perfume and its role throughout history. This château contains the only surviving early Huguenot chapel in France.

Standing on the River Oeuf in the north of the département, Pithiviers is a town of note for its two eponymous gateaux (an almond pastry pie and a brioche-style iced bun), gingerbread and pâté d'alouette - although how much lark actually goes into the pâté is a mystery, since shooting larks was banned in 1982.

Montargis is home to perhaps the oddest culinary speciality in France: in honour of a (probably mythical) local dog that avenged its murdered master by identifying the perpetrator, the town produces chocolate crottes de chien (dog poo).