Pays de la Loire

Basic Information-Pay de la Loire is a region located in the middle west of France. It is known for having nice weather all year long and the landscape cultivates many vineyards and crops. They have large fisheries and wine producing industries.

-The population is about 3,222,000 people

-Famous poeple from Pays de la Loire include Joan of Arc, Fanny Ardent, Ayrault, Pierre Auguste Belcard, and Coco Chanel

Tourist Attractions-Le Mans- Famous for its 24 hour motor endurance race

-Angers- A historic city with one of the largest medieval castles in France

-Le Puy du Fou- A very popular theme park in France

-La Baule- A famous sea-side resort

Angers Castle in Pays de la Loire

History:• Pays de la Loire is one of 27 regions in France. It was created

in the late 20th century as a center of influence for its capital Nantes.

• In 1202 the region became a center for feudalism, and in the 16th century it was a platform for Renaissance ideas in fields such as architecture, literature, and music.

• The region was not safe during the Wars of Religion, but the rule of King Louis XIV brought peace order, and structure back to the area.

• Maine and Anjou (regions of Pays de la Loire) met the French Revolution with much resistance. they did not approve of the religious and administrative reforms that would be imposed. Local armies rallied and overtook Saumur and Angers in the name of the Church and the King. This group was then destroyed in Cholet in October 1792. In retaliation to this defeat they gather troops in Vendée and creating the two year "Vendée Wars". This war was finally ended with the execution of the remaining rebels.

• During World War II, Saumur (another region of Pays de la Loire) played an important role in delaying a German advance along a 15 mile front with only 2000 cadets.

CuisinePays de la Loire is known for fine food such as the Beurre Blanc sauce. It’s a butter sauce made with white wine and goes well with fish. Pays de la Loire is also known for Rillettes, pork specialty from Le Mans. Vegetables are used in abundance, a variety of salads and charcuterie, potato cake, duckling with tiny fresh peas and baby turnips, pumpkin pie, asparagus. The citizens have a very sweet tooth and tarts and pies, using local fruits. Also specialize in many cheeses.

Beurre Blanc sauce on salmon

CustomsBecause of the way it was created and its location, Pay de la Loire doesn't really have a distinctive set of customs. It tends to pull most of its traits from its surrounding borders, housing the same styles of dress and other assorted customs from these areas. However, Pays de la Loire has a rather extensive list of festivals and other assorted yearly events that make up it's own personal cultural identity.

Festival de l' Epau Founded in 1982, Festival de l'Épau was created as a way of to enhance the use of L'Abbaye de l'Epau, a Cistercian abbey located outside of Le Mains. The festival offers a very wide variety of classical music concerts for its viewers to enjoy, rangning from chamber music, to standard piano and other classical styles.

Les Nuits de la MayenneLes Nuits de la Mayenne is a festival that takes place in the summer in la Mayenne, which is always looked forward to. It is a two day spectacle, where its attendees watch theater events and eat dinner in places that you wouldn't typically do such events. These places include farms, village squares, and castle courtyards, with the three most popular locations for attendees being Saint-Suzzane, Jublains, and Laval.

Art and Architecture Pays de la Loire, with its stunning and charming atmosphere, consists of many architectural anomalies and holds much of Frances artistic history. Captivating castles, exquisite churches, grand tours, and extraordinary structures. This along with the exceptional painting, sensational sculptures and distinctive tapestry, makes region of France is a notable architectural and artistic find. Pays de la Loire is also known for its intricate artistic facticity. Some structures holding their art are as follows: La Cigale Brasserie, The Passage Pommeraye, Musée des Beaux-Arts, The David d'Angers Gallery, and Angers Castle.

The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, is an exquisite architectural miracle. Being the final castle on the banks of the Loire, one wouldn’t believe it also holds the infamous History of Nantes Museum. This beauty goes back 500 sum years.

The Cathedrale St Maurice is a fantastic example of Gothic-style architecture that flourished during the 12th century. With marvelous intricate design and carved stone pillars, it is a masterpiece that is alive and well.

The Passage Pommeraye The Passage Pommeraye could be considered for its art, architecture and tourist appeal. It is on the borderline of “imaginary” and “revolutionary”. It is a park for all ages, infested with structures in the image of real and fictional animals. This, unlike what many have seen before, actually comes to life. The images seen below are functioning machines. The elephant, made entirely of recycled parts, actually walks with passengers aboard, measuring 12 meters, this is among the largest mechanical creations in French history; quite possibly the world.

Sources• http://www.mayenne-tourisme.com/Decouvrez/Grands-rendez-vous/Festival-des-Nuits-de-

la-Mayenne• http://www.efa-aef.eu/en/festivals/members/profile/37/Festival%20de%20l%27%20Epau/

http://www.24h-lemans.com/en/• http://za.franceguide.com/Cultural-heritage-Pays-de-la-Loire.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=

182508• www.french-property.com/regions/pay_de_la_loire/weather-climate• www.regions-of-france.com/regions/pays_de_la_loire/population/• www.rungismarket.com/en/bleu/enquetesrungisatcu/Paydeloire655.asp• prezi.com/sqanc0f2pljp/pay_de_la_loire/• about-france.com/regions/pays-loire.htm• www.regions-of-france.com/regions/pays_de_la_loire/history/• -http://www.regions-of-france.com/regions/pays_de_la_loire/food-gastronomy/• -http://www.frenchconnections.co.uk/en/guide/georegion/512-north-west-france/153-pays-

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