Loire Valley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| State Party |  France |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iv |
| Identification | #933 |
| Regionb | Europe and North America |
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Inscription History |
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| Formal Inscription: | 2000 24th Session |
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a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List |
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Loire Valley (French: Vallée de la Loire) is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. It is also noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular for its world-famous castles, such as the Châteaux d'Amboise, Château de Villandry and Chenonceau.
The landscape of the Loire Valley, and more particularly its many cultural monuments, illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. The Loire Valley is an outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments, its many châteaux, and fine wines.
On December 2, 2000, UNESCO added the central part of the Loire River valley, between Maine and Sully-sur-Loire, to its prestigious list of World Heritage Sites. In choosing this area that includes the French départements of Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Indre-et-Loire, and Maine-et-Loire, the committee said that the Loire Valley is:
"an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself."
The Loire Valley watershed area's hydraulic engineering was the inspiration for the Miami Conservancy District's plans for the Great Miami River in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
[edit] External links
- Tourist Office Board Loire Valley
- Tourist Office Board Loire Valley
- Which chateau? Choosing which Loire Valley Château to visit - in English
- Photos of Loire châteaux
- Music from the Loire Valley casetles
| Châteaux of the Loire Valley |
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| Amboise • Angers • Azay-le-Rideau • Blois • La Bourdaisière • Chambord • Chaumont • Chenonceau • Châteaudun • Cheverny • Langeais • Loches • Menars • Montsoreau • Plessis-Bourré • Le Rivau • Saumur • Sully • Talcy • Troussay • Ussé • Valençay • Villandry |
