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Valençay
Valençay
Commune
	Castle of Valençay
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of Valençay
	Valençay Valençay
	Coordinates: 47°09′41″N 1°34′01″E / 47.1614°N 1.5669°E
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Indre
Arrondissement	Châteauroux
Canton	Valençay
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Claude Doucet
Area 1	41.59 km2 (16.06 sq mi)
Population (2023)	2,228
• Density	53.57/km2 (138.7/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	36228 /36600
Elevation	91–154 m (299–505 ft) ; (avg. 145 m or 476 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Valençay (French pronunciation: [valɑ̃sɛ] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Indre department in the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is known for the 16th-17th century Château de Valençay and for Valençay cheese.

Geography

Valençay sits at the end of a plateau, on a hillside overlooking the river Nahon, a tributary of the Fouzon (Loire basin). Valençay is part of the former province Berry.

History

The commune was formed by the union of three settlements: the "Bourg-de-l'Eglise", the "Bas-Bourg" and what is called the "old quarter."

Although not in the Loire Valley, the chateau shows similarities, by virtue of the date of its construction and its dimensions, with for instance Château de Chambord.

A 12th-century castle existed on this site, was demolished and construction of its replacement began in 1520, albeit slowly. The chateau was born in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Estampes family. Louis of Estampes, governor and baillif of Blois, undertook the building of the large round tower at the end of the entrance wing. He died in 1530, leaving the tower unfinished. The tower rises above the entry.

Work on Valençay began again about 1540 under Jacques of Estampes, lord of the manor. He had married a Grassement with a financier in the family. The lord wanted a residence worthy of his new fortune. Jacques covered the dome of the tower with an imperial design.

Valençay was rebuilt multiple times.

At the end of the 16th century, Jean of Estampes built a gatehouse in the shape of a keep, confined to four turrets. It connects to the spans built by Jacques. Jean built the building and the tower on the left of the central house. In the 17th century, Dominique of Estampes finished the wing in the same style as the first half. The castle then formed a quadrilateral enclosed by a second wing and, at the bottom of the court, by arcades.

Finance remained mixed with Valençay's history: among its successive owners include farmers. Valençay was sold in 1747 to the general farmer Legendre de Villemorien. He demolished a part of the buildings, preserving only the entry and the first wing. Also Scottish banker John Law purchased it.

In 1803 the castle was purchased by diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand..

On 6 May 1941, Georges Bégué, the first SOE agent from England, was parachuted into a field near Valençay. Fifty years later, the Valençay SOE Memorial, originally known as the "Spirit of Partnership," was dedicated in honour of the 104 members of SOE's F Section who died for the liberation of France. At the end of the Second World War, Valençay suffered considerable damage in August 1944 when an SS division burnt down 42 buildings and murdered 8 innocent people.^[3]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1793	2,299	—
1800	2,300	+0.01%
1806	2,519	+1.53%
1821	2,712	+0.49%
1831	3,095	+1.33%
1836	3,289	+1.22%
1841	3,229	−0.37%
1846	3,425	+1.19%
1851	3,627	+1.15%
1856	3,476	−0.85%
1861	3,587	+0.63%
1866	3,653	+0.37%
1872	3,547	−0.49%
1876	3,517	−0.21%
1881	3,554	+0.21%
1886	3,547	−0.04%
1891	3,621	+0.41%
1896	3,431	−1.07%
1901	3,346	−0.50%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1906	3,411	+0.39%
1911	3,343	−0.40%
1921	2,976	−1.16%
1926	2,874	−0.70%
1931	2,789	−0.60%
1936	2,762	−0.19%
1946	2,739	−0.08%
1954	2,679	−0.28%
1962	2,732	+0.25%
1968	2,754	+0.13%
1975	2,952	+1.00%
1982	2,947	−0.02%
1990	2,912	−0.15%
1999	2,736	−0.69%
2007	2,665	−0.33%
2012	2,577	−0.67%
2017	2,367	−1.69%
2023	2,228	−1.00%

Source: EHESS^[4] and INSEE (1968–2023)^[5]

Economy

The town is known for its pyramid-shaped Valençay cheese made from raw goats' milk. The town's twin city is Cesano Maderno in Lombardy, Italy

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
^ https://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/indre/commune/valencay/ete-1944-dans-l-indre-valencay-ville-martyre
^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Valençay, EHESS (in French).
^ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE

External links

Official website of Valençay
Official website of Valençay's Castle
www.vins-fromages-valencay.com - Valençay wines and cheeses

[1] "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.

[2] "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.

[3] ttps://www.lanouvellerepublique.fr/indre/commune/valencay/ete-1944-dans-l-indre-valencay-ville-martyre

[ehess-4] Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Valençay, EHESS (in French).

[pophist-5] Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE

Authority control databases
International	VIAF GND FAST WorldCat
National	United States France BnF data Spain Israel
Other	Yale LUX

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See also

References

External links

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Valençay
Commune
Castle of Valençay
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Valençay
Valençay Show map of France Valençay Show map of Centre-Val de Loire
Coordinates: 47°09′41″N 1°34′01″E / 47.1614°N 1.5669°E / 47.1614; 1.5669
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Indre
Arrondissement	Châteauroux
Canton	Valençay
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Claude Doucet^[1]
Area ¹	41.59 km² (16.06 sq mi)
Population (2023)^[2]	2,228
• Density	53.57/km² (138.7/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	36228 /36600
Elevation	91–154 m (299–505 ft) (avg. 145 m or 476 ft)
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.