Saumur is a town and subprefecture in the Maine-et-Loire department of the Pays de la Loire region in western France, set between the Loire and Thouet rivers amid the vineyards of the Saumur, Chinon and Bourgueil wine appellations. Its chateau dates to the tenth century and was rebuilt in the late twelfth century by Henry II of England, and the town is the seat of France's national equestrian school, the Cadre Noir, as well as a cavalry training school and an armored vehicle museum. Many of its houses are built from local tuffeau limestone, and the caves left by quarrying that stone are now used as wine cellars.
Facts
Area (sq km) Founding Year Founding Year Population Estimate Year Elevation (m) Latitude47.259167 degrees north 1 Elevation Band Climate Zone FAQs
What happened at Saumur in June 1944?
The first Tallboy bombs were dropped on a railway tunnel near Saumur to delay German reinforcements heading for Normandy.
Saumur was the target of the first use of Tallboy bombs. On 8 and 9 June 1944 the Royal Air Force dropped 5,400 kilogram (12,000 pound) Tallboy bombs on a railway tunnel near Saumur. The hastily organized night raid was meant to stop a German Panzer division that was travelling to fight the newly landed Allied forces in Normandy.
Who defended Saumur in 1940?
The teenage cadets of the town's cavalry school defended Saumur in 1940.
During the Battle of France in World War II, Saumur was the site of the Battle of Saumur in 1940. The town and the south bank of the Loire were defended by the teenage cadets of the cavalry school, which Saumur has hosted since 1783.
Sources
1. Saumur (Wikidata)
P1082 (population)
population 26,241 (2023)
P625 (coordinate location)
latitude 47.259167, longitude -0.078056
P2044 (elevation above sea level)
elevation 30 m
P2046 (area)
area 66.25 sq km
P1082 (population), P585 (point in time)
population 26241 (2023)
View the Source2. Saumur (Wikipedia)
Lead section
Saumur (French: [somyʁ] ) is a commune in and subprefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
Source text, founding-year-range-start: 968
First attested in the Medieval Latin form of Salmuri in 968 AD, the origin of the name is obscure.
Source text, founding-year-range-end: 968
First attested in the Medieval Latin form of Salmuri in 968 AD, the origin of the name is obscure.
Source text, founding-year: 968
First attested in the Medieval Latin form of Salmuri in 968 AD, the origin of the name is obscure.
- In Group: Cities of Western Europe (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregion
View the Source3. GeoNames: Saumur - GeoNames
GeoNamescities500 record 2975758
47.25931 -0.07808 P PPLA3 FR 52 49 493 49328 33229 34 Europe/Paris
Place record, elevation
Elevation ca. 34 m
View the Source 4. Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna): World Map of the Koeppen-Geiger Climate Classification, present climate data
Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 47.25, -0.25Quote, Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 47.25, -0.25
47.25 -0.25 Cfb
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