Laval, Mayenne
Encyclopedia
Laval is a commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Mayenne
Mayenne
Mayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.-History:Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine...

 department in north-western France.

It lies on the threshold of Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

 and on the border between Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 and Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...

. Its citizens are called Lavallois.

Geography

Laval is located on the River Mayenne
Mayenne River
The Mayenne is a river in western France principally located in the French region Pays de la Loire. Together with the river Sarthe and its tributary Loir it forms the river Maine, which is a tributary to the river Loire.-Geography:...

 in the région called the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...

in north-west central France (around the Loire Valley
Loire Valley
The Loire Valley , spanning , is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. Its area comprises approximately . It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, and artichoke, asparagus, and...

). It is the centre of an urban area of about 110,000 inhabitants.

Climate

Laval Has a cool oceanic climate,It rains all year round with 155 rainy days per year.
Because of the high humidity,Temperatures tend to feel colder than in the neighboring departements.The Summer is warm and rather sunny,Winter is cold very rainy and windy.Spring and Autumn are cool, rainy, and overcast most of the time.

Economy

The town is historically a manufacturer of fine linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....

s, and there are also foundries
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...

. Laval is also home of the Laval and Mayenne Technology Park
Science park
A research park, science park, or science and technology park is an area with a collection of buildings dedicated to scientific research on a business footing. There are many approximate synonyms for "science park", including research park, technology park, technopolis and biomedical park...

, where firms working in electronics
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

, computing
Computing
Computing is usually defined as the activity of using and improving computer hardware and software. It is the computer-specific part of information technology...

 and peripherals, food technology
Food technology
Food technology, is a branch of food science which deals with the actual production processes to make foods.-Early history of food technology:...

, veterinary
Veterinary medicine
Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...

 pharmaceuticals
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...

, virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...

, audiovisual productions
Audiovisual Education
Audiovisual education or multimedia-based education is instruction where particular attention is paid to the audio and visual presentation of the material with the goal of improving comprehension and retention....

, patents, marketing and a resource centre are all to be found in modern buildings.

It is also an important centre for the dairy industry, producing cheeses, UHT milk
Ultra-high-temperature processing
Ultra-high temperature processing, ultra-heat treatment , or ultra-pasteurization is the sterilization of food by heating it for an extremely short period, around 1–2 seconds, at a temperature exceeding 135°C , which is the temperature required to kill spores in milk...

, and yoghurt
Yoghurt
Yoghurt, yogurt or yogourt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yoghurt are known as "yoghurt cultures"...

.

There is a market in the town centre every Tuesday and Saturday, held near the Palais de Justice.

The Gare de Laval
Gare de Laval
Gare de Laval is a railway station serving the town Laval, Mayenne department, western France. It is situated on the Paris–Brest railway.-Services:-References:*...

 railway station offers connections with Le Mans, Rennes, Paris and several regional destinations.

Cantons

Laval is the main town of five cantons:
  • The canton of Laval-Est is composed of part of Laval plus the commune of Entrammes
    Entrammes
    Entrammes is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. It is located about west of Parné-sur-Roc and about south of Laval Entrammes Airport in Laval.- History :...

     (11,732 inhabitants);
  • The canton de Laval-Nord-Est is composed of part of Laval and the communes of Changé
    Changé, Mayenne
    Changé is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.-See also:*Communes of the Mayenne department...

    , Saint-Germain-le-Fouilloux
    Saint-Germain-le-Fouilloux
    Saint-Germain-le-Fouilloux is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.-References:*...

     et Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne
    Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne
    Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.-References:*...

     (14,687 inhabitants);
  • The canton of Laval-Nord-Ouest is composed of part of Laval (12,022 inhabitants);
  • The canton of Laval-Saint-Nicolas is composed of part of Laval (8,460 inhabitants);
  • The canton of Laval-Sud-Ouest is composed of part of Laval (12,668 inhabitants).

Agglomeration

The urban area of Laval Agglomération covers twenty communes.

Mayors of Laval

  • See list of mayors

The following are the most recent mayors.
  • François d'Aubert
    François d'Aubert
    François d’Aubert is a French politician.He is, by profession, an auditor at the Cour des Comptes. Since 2002, he has been minister delegate to research in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government....

     (1995–2004) (left the mayoralty on entering the Ministry for Research)
  • Roland Houdiard (2004–2005)
  • François d'Aubert
    François d'Aubert
    François d’Aubert is a French politician.He is, by profession, an auditor at the Cour des Comptes. Since 2002, he has been minister delegate to research in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's government....

     (2005–2008) (returned as mayor following a change of government)
  • Guillaume Garot
    Guillaume Garot
    Guillaume Garot is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Mayenne department, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche.-References:...

     (since 2008)

History

The "Grande Rue" was for several centuries one of the principal ways into Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

.

The lords of Laval belong to a dynasty which made its mark in the history of France. After the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...

 (1337 to 1453), during which the town had been taken and re-taken by one army after another, the 15th century was a period of expansion. The town's walls were completed by the addition of a powerful artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

 fort in an innovative design, known as the Tour Renaise. The lords, who were governors of Brittany
Governor of Brittany
This page is a list of royal governors of Brittany during the Ancien Regime.*Nominoe, 9th century*Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy from 1380*Jean de Laval, husband of Françoise de Foix, 16th century*Louis III de Bourbon, Duke of Montpensier 1569-1582...

 after its independence came to an end in 1491, built a large, noble hall near the keep of their castle, and a grand vault for the burial of members of the family in the Minster
Minster (cathedral)
Minster is an honorific title given to particular churches in England, most famously York Minster. The term minster is first found in royal foundation charters of the 7th century; and, although it corresponds to the Latin monasterium or monastery, it then designated any settlement of clergy living...

 of St Tugal. At the same time, the town of timber framed buildings was partially rebuilt. Its bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...

 built elegant houses and turrets in the upper town, around the rue des Cheveaux. The Abbots of Clermont asserted their rank with carved decoration on panels (consoles) set between the timbers framing their grand town house and in the manner of a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...

 below the guttering of the eves.

During the Second Republic
French Second Republic
The French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the 1848 Revolution and the coup by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte which initiated the Second Empire. It officially adopted the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité...

, the Second Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...

 and the early Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...

 the town saw its zenith. A number of linen factories
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....

 and foundries
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...

 sprung up in the town, and it began to thrive economically. On 21 November 1871, the Samelaine Monument was inaugurated to remind the Lavallois of their brave history. The Museum of Fine Arts and Sciences was completed in 1897 at the Herce square next to the Perrines, the terraced gardens and scenic promenade overlooking the city.

Between 1914 to 1918, with the Great War, many sons of the city died on the battle fields of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

 to defend their home country against the onslaught by the Imperial German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...

 army, stalling the development of the city. In the period between 1918–1939 a new upper class emerged in the city, until in 1940 when the Democratic France
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...

 was raided by the forces of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

 and Laval was occupied by the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...

. During the time of occupation the city suffered severe hardship, with Laval's Jewish inhabitants being deported to Death camps and many Lavallois taken Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...

, having to work partially under slave-like conditions in the War Industries of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

. The German occupation forces of Laval proved to be utmost brutal, with arbitrary internments, torture and executions of Laval's citizens being almost a daily occurrence. With its vicinity to the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

, however, there was the horizon of Liberty on the other side of the Channel, where the Free French Government under General Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....

 prepared the liberation of France. With the freedom of their city in mind, the French Resistance Movement
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...

 of Laval, thus, inflicted on several occasions serious casualties on the German occupiers facilitating the liberation of France by the Allied Forces on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

. The German occupation was terminated in the afternoon of 6 August 1944, when the U.S. Third Army under General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...

 liberated Laval for good.

Main sights

  • Medieval Château de Laval (tower and building)
  • Significant remains of the town walls and of a town gate. The town came together around the foundation of the castle in 1020 in its position in the march
    Marches
    A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....

    , the border lands between France and Brittany. It was built for Guy I of Dénéré who became a vassal of the Count of Maine. at the end of the 12th century, local troubles combined with the town's position on the road into Brittany
    Brittany
    Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

     led the lord of Laval to build a great round keep which still has its original hoarding
    Hoarding (disambiguation)
    Hoarding may refer to:*Temporary fencing enclosing a construction site*Hoarding, the gathering and storing of goods**Compulsive hoarding, a pathological hoarding by humans***Animal hoarding, the compulsive hoarding of animals...

    . At first the town was composed of scattered settlements such as the bourg cheverel and the bourg hersent. However, from the time of the new castle, it grew rapidly. It was enclosed in ramparts from the 13th century. There were five gates in the walls of which the sole one remaining is the porte Beucheresse or gate of the woodcutters.
  • Cathedral
    Cathedral
    A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...

     of the Trinity
    Trinity
    The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...

     (La Trinité). Pre-Romanesque and Romanesque
    Romanesque architecture
    Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

     characteristically, it has rich wall paintings
    Mural
    A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...

     and figurative stone carving
    Sculpture
    Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

     but the general architectural style of the buildings is restrained. In Laval, that architectural sobriety was retained through the early Gothic period
    Gothic architecture
    Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

    . The painting can be seen well in the calendars in Notre-Dame de Pritz, Saint-Martin, and Saint-Pierre-le-Potier. The architecture shows best at Grenoux, and Avesnières; while the stone carving is well displayed in the zoomorphic column capitals at Avesnières. The early Gothic, what in England would be called Early English but in Laval is Angevin Gothic, is to be seen in la Trinité. Here we are close to Anjou, the home of the Angevin kings of England beginning with Henry II
    Henry II of England
    Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

    . In the Cathedral, on the effigy
    Effigy
    An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...

     tomb
    Tomb
    A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...

     of the bishop Louis Bougaud (1888), the following inscription may be read:
HEIC IN PACE QVIE SCIT
LUDOVICVS BOVGAVD EPISCOPUS VALLEGVIDONENSIS DECESSIT VII IDVS NOVEMB AN MDCCCLXXXVIII (1888)
ANNOS NATVS LXV.M.V.III.D.VII
VIVAS IN DEO
  • The Jardin botanique de la Perrine
    Jardin botanique de la Perrine
    The Jardin botanique de la Perrine is a botanical garden located along the River Mayenne on the Allée Adrien-Bruneau, Laval, Mayenne, Pays de la Loire, France. It is open daily without charge....

    , a botanical garden
    Botanical garden
    A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...

     and park

Arts

The town has obtained the label Ville d'Art et d'Histoire
French towns and lands of Art and History
Since 1985, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication has pursued a policy of preserving and promoting France's heritage. Historic towns and districts have been designated Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire ....

 from the fact of its rich heritage.

As a response to the Douanier Rousseau's
Henri Rousseau
Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier , a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector...

 having been born in Laval, there is a biennial festival of naive art
Naïve art
Naïve art is a classification of art that is often characterized by a childlike simplicity in its subject matter and technique. While many naïve artists appear, from their works, to have little or no formal art training, this is often not true...

, the Biennale Internationale d'Art naïf de Laval. It seeks to explore the course of modern primitivism. Pictures are brought from all round Europe.

Notable people

  • Jean Bauer, maker of stringed musical instruments.
  • Francis Bayer du Kern, Breton poet
  • André Bellesort, writer
  • Alain Gerbault
    Alain Gerbault
    Alain J. Gerbault was a French aviator and tennis champion, who made a circumnavigation of the world as a single-handed sailor. He eventually settled in the islands of south Pacific Ocean, where he wrote several books about the islanders' way of life.- Early life :Alain Gerbault was born on...

    , sailor
  • Jean-Marie Guyau
    Jean-Marie Guyau
    Jean-Marie Guyau was a French philosopher and poet.Guyau was inspired by, amongst others, the philosophies of Epicurus, Epictetus, Plato, Immanuel Kant, Herbert Spencer, and Alfred Fouillée, and the poetry/literature of Pierre Corneille, Victor Hugo, and Alfred de Musset.- Life :Guyau got his...

    , writer and philosopher
  • Géo Ham
    Géo Ham
    Géo Ham, Georges Hamel was a French painter and illustrator.He is known for his illustrations of aeroplanes or automobiles which appeared in L'Illustration....

    , illustrator and designer
  • Alfred Jarry
    Alfred Jarry
    Alfred Jarry was a French writer born in Laval, Mayenne, France, not far from the border of Brittany; he was of Breton descent on his mother's side....

     (1873–1907), writer (birthplace)
  • Charles Landelle, painter
  • François de Laval
    François de Laval
    This article is in part a sermon and generally comes close to hagiography.Blessed François-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval was the first Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec and was one of the most influential men of his day. He was appointed when he was 36 years old by Pope Alexander VII. He was a member...

     (1623–1708), first bishop of Quebec (birthplace)
  • Louis Lemercier de Neuville, dramatic author and puppeteer
  • Prosper Mortou, musician
  • Ambroise Paré
    Ambroise Paré
    Ambroise Paré was a French surgeon. He was the great official royal surgeon for kings Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III and is considered as one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology. He was a leader in surgical techniques and battlefield medicine, especially the...

    , medical doctor
  • François Pédron, writer
  • François Pyrard
    François Pyrard de Laval
    François Pyrard de Laval was a French navigator who is remembered for a personal written account of his adventures in the Maldives Islands from 1602 to 1607, which was part of a ten-year sojourn in South Asia, et al...

    , sailor
  • Pascal Rannou, writer
  • Jean-Yves Reuzeau, writer
  • Henri Rousseau
    Henri Rousseau
    Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French Post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier , a humorous description of his occupation as a toll collector...

     (1844–1910), known as le Douanier, painter (birthplace)
  • Robert Tatin, artist
  • Augustine Tuillerie, alias G.Bruno, writer
  • Grégory Bourillon
    Grégory Bourillon
    Grégory Bourillon is a French footballer. He currently plays for FC Lorient in Ligue 1, the top division in French soccer.-Career:Bourillon signed for Stade Rennais in 2000 from Laval, and has represented France at Under-21 level...

    , football player

Twinnings

Laval is twinned with:
Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire
Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...

, United Kingdom. An agreement dating formally from June 1958. Modesto, USA Chalkidiki, Greece. Gandia
Gandia
Gandia is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar, 65 km south of Valencia and 96 km north of Alicante....

, Spain Garango
Garango
Garango is a city located in Boulgou Province of Burkina Faso. The main ethnic group is the Bissa. The population as of 2005 is 30,469....

, Burkina Faso Laval
Laval, Quebec
Laval is a Canadian city and a region in southwestern Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the 14th largest city in Canada with a population of 368,709 in 2006...

, Canada Mettmann
Mettmann
Mettmann is a Rhenish town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Mettmann, Germany's most densely populated rural district...

, Germany. The source of the Bergian Christmas market organised in 2004 Vătava, Romania

Sources

  • Michel Dloussky, Invasions allemandes et pénurie de monnaie en Mayenne, in La Mayenne : archéologie, histoire, 1994, N° 17, p. 159–193.
  • Michel Dloussky, L’été 1944 en Mayenne, in L’Oribus, 1994, N° 36, p. 74, and N° 37, p. 38–60.
  • Denis Glemain, Le Cinéma en Mayenne sous l’Occupation (1940–1944), Multigraphié, 1998, p. 166 , Mémoire de Maîtrise, University of Nantes
    University of Nantes
    The University of Nantes is a well-known French university, located in the city of Nantes. Currently, it is attended by approximately 34,000 students. 10% of them are international students coming from 110 countries.-History:...

    .
  • Jean Grangeot, Laval, Rennes, Ouest-France
    Ouest-France
    Ouest-France is a provincial daily French newspaper known for its emphasis on local news and events. The paper is produced in 47 different editions covering events in different French départments within the régions of Brittany, Lower Normandy and Pays de la Loire...

    , 1977.
  • Pierre Le Baud, Histoire de Bretagne avec les Chroniques des maisons de Laval et de Vitré
    Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine
    Vitré is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of around 17,000 inhabitants . It lies on the edge of Brittany, near Normandy, Maine, and Anjou...

    ,
    Paris, 1638.
  • Jules Marcheteau, La libération de Laval par les Américains, in L'Oribus, 1988, N° 26, p. 22–33.
  • Gaston Pavard, Chronique des années sombres (années 1939–1945), in L'Oribus, 1996, N° 40 and 42, p. 49–71.
  • Francis Robin, La Mayenne sous l’Occupation : déportations, internements, fusillades, Laval, Imprimerie Administrative, 1966, p. 32.
  • Malcolm Walsby, The Counts of Laval: Culture, Patronage and Religion in Fifteenth and Sixteenth-Century France Ashgate, Aldershot, 2007

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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