Moulins, Allier

Moulins
View of Moulins and its cathedral
Moulins
Administration
Country	France
Region	Auvergne
Department	Allier
Arrondissement	Moulins
Intercommunality	Moulins
Mayor	Pierre-André Périssol (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	202–240 m (663–790 ft) (avg. 220 m/720 ft)
Land area1	8.61 km2 (3.32 sq mi)
Population2	19,760  (2008)
- Density	2,295 /km2 (5,940 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	03190/ 03000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 46°33′55″N 3°20′00″E / 46.56527°N 3.333333°E / 46.56527; 3.333333

Moulins is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department.

Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin the Anne de Beaujeu Museum.

Geography

Moulins is located on the banks of the Allier River.

History

Before the French Revolution, Moulins was the capital of the province of Bourbonnais and the seat of the Dukes of Bourbon. Its documented existence may be traced back at least as far as the year 990. In 1232, Archambaud VIII, Sire de Bourbon, granted a franchise to the village's inhabitants. The town achieved greater prominence in 1327, when Charles IV elevated Louis I de Clermont to Duke of Bourbon. Either Louis or the later Peter II, Duke of Bourbon and of Auvergne moved the capital of the province from Bourbon-l'Archambault to Moulins.

Note: This article in French suggests Pierre II moved the capital, while the local tourism website (also in French) suggests it was Louis I.

In February 1566 it became eponymous to the Edict of Moulins, an important royal ordinance dealing with many aspects of the administration of justice and feudal and ecclesiastical privilege, including limitations on the appanages held by French princes, abrogation of the levy of rights of tallage claimed by seigneurs over their dependants and provisions for a system of concessions on rivers.

Moulins was where the famous dress designer and fashion leader Coco Chanel went to school as an orphan. It was also the birthplace of the great 19th-century operatic baritone and art collector Jean-Baptiste Faure.

Population

Historical population of Moulins, Allier

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
13,249	13,509	14,101	13,697	14,672	15,231	15,377	17,110	17,318	18,069

1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
17,581	19,890	20,385	21,774	21,156	21,721	22,665	22,215	22,340	21,888

1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
21,990	22,968	23,306	22,225	22,369	23,254	24,441	23,909	25,979	26,067

1982	1990	1999	2008
25,159	22,799	21,892	19,760

Transport

Moulins-sur-Allier station, in the centre of the town, has direct trains to Paris-Gare de Lyon taking around 2 hours 25 minutes.

Montbeugny Airport is a small airport located near Moulins.

Personalities

• Coco Chanel, fashion designer, started as a cabaret singer here
• Philippe N'Dioro, footballer
• Stéphane Risacher, basketball player with the French national team, born in Moulins
• Jean-Baptiste Faure, opera singer, born in Moulins
• Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Marshal General of France, lived 1653–1734, born in Moulins

See also

• Moulins Cathedral
• Diocese of Moulins
• AS Moulins
• Communes of the Allier department

References

• INSEE

External links

• City council website (in French)
• Local tourism website (in French)
• Picture of Moulins Cathedral