Montmorillon

Montmorillon (French pronunciation: ​[mɔ̃mɔʁijɔ̃]) is a commune in the Vienne department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, in central-western France. Montmorillon is a Book town and it is branded as the "City of Writing". The town has several writing-inspired museums and bookshops covering several genres.

Montmorillon
Subprefecture and commune
The town hall in Montmorillon
Coat of arms
Location of Montmorillon
Montmorillon
Montmorillon
Coordinates: 46°25′37″N 0°52′18″E
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentVienne
ArrondissementMontmorillon
CantonMontmorillon
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Yves Bouloux
Area
1
57 km2 (22 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
5,954
 • Density100/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
86165 /86500
Elevation82–168 m (269–551 ft)
(avg. 105 m or 344 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History
"Bières de Montmorillon"

The town was once known for paper making, but in the nineteenth century the mill and its plentiful supply of clean water was repurposed to making the "Beer of Montmorillon". The beer was made from 1848 and sold to discerning drinkers who rejected the usual drink of red wine. The family-run business continued to 1963, leaving several abandoned buildings.[2]

The clay mineral montmorillonite was named after Montmorillon after its discovery there in 1847.[3]

Montmorillon is branded as the "City of Writing" as it has had museums and bookshops with that theme since 2000.[4] The idea that Montmorillon should be a Book town came from Régine Deforges, a local councillor who was a successful, and controversial, author. The town had a history of paper-making, and her idea received local and international support. The old medieval quarter of the town attracted six million euros of funding.[5]

It is also known for its macarons, and there is another museum dedicated to that.[4] The museum was opened in 2003 by the Maison Rannou-Métivier[6] who are the oldest macaron bakery in Montmorillon, dating back to 1920.

The widely popular Coopération pédagogique range of educational posters were produced in Montmorillon, in the 1950s by Éditions Rossignol.[5]

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±%
17933,121—    
18002,843−8.9%
18063,313+16.5%
18213,174−4.2%
18313,608+13.7%
18364,157+15.2%
18414,672+12.4%
18464,768+2.1%
18515,228+9.6%
18564,968−5.0%
18615,130+3.3%
18665,203+1.4%
18725,010−3.7%
18765,105+1.9%
18815,128+0.5%
18865,158+0.6%
18915,268+2.1%
18965,284+0.3%
19015,176−2.0%
19065,051−2.4%
19114,944−2.1%
YearPop.±%
19214,583−7.3%
19264,766+4.0%
19314,507−5.4%
19364,754+5.5%
19465,410+13.8%
19545,524+2.1%
19625,743+4.0%
19686,034+5.1%
19756,685+10.8%
19826,954+4.0%
19906,667−4.1%
19996,898+3.5%
20066,584−4.6%
20076,514−1.1%
20086,443−1.1%
20096,410−0.5%
20106,387−0.4%
20116,319−1.1%
20126,258−1.0%
20136,197−1.0%
20146,155−0.7%

Sister cities

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. "Saulgé (86) - Site officiel de la commune". www.saulge.fr. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  3. Montmorillonite Archived 2012-05-24 at the Wayback Machine. Mindat.org
  4. "Montmorillon: one of Vienne's prettiest historical cities | Saulgé.com". www.saulge.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  5. Alex Johnson (5 April 2018). Book Towns. Frances Lincoln (White Lion 2). ISBN 978-1-78101-242-0.
  6. "Press Book". museedumacaron.com. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
  7. « Putna officiellement liée à Montmorillon », La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest, 15 octobre 2013.
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