Sucé-sur-Erdre
Encyclopedia
Sucé-sur-Erdre is a commune
in the Loire-Atlantique
department in western France
.
Its name comes from the Latin
sulcus, meaning "furrow", and the Celtic
erdam, meaning "small river".
Sucé-sur-Erdre, as its name indicates, is located on the Erdre
River, which at this point is near its junction to the Loire River. The town was fairly small (2,000 or so) for quite some time until it began to be absorbed into the greater suburbia of Nantes. As of 2004, it has about 6,500 inhabitants, a significant portion of which commute to Nantes. In general, the area is middle-class with a good portion of upper-middle class and upper-class homes, especially on the river banks.
Sucé-sur-Erdre is relatively well known in the area for its scenic river landscapes, and its many water sports opportunities, including fishing
, sailing
, windsurfing
in Mazerolles (Funboard44), kayaking
, and water skiing
. It has essentially no industry, the main employer is a large convalescence home. There are many shops (butcher, baker, etc...) and one small supermarket.
Sucé-sur-Erdre has had few encounters with history, its greatest claim to fame being that the famous philosopher René Descartes
spent some time there (although this is not very well documented). It has a few old houses, but the church is modern (late nineteenth century) and uninteresting. There are many picturesque farm houses in the area, although they are disappearing quickly due to the accelerated modernization brought by the expansion of Nantes.
The inhabitants of Sucé-sur-Erdre are called Sucéens.
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 Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
department in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Its name comes from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
sulcus, meaning "furrow", and the Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
erdam, meaning "small river".
Sucé-sur-Erdre, as its name indicates, is located on the Erdre
Erdre
The Erdre is a river in western France, right tributary to the river Loire. Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire département, near La Pouëze. It flows through the départements Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. It flows into the river Loire in the city Nantes...
River, which at this point is near its junction to the Loire River. The town was fairly small (2,000 or so) for quite some time until it began to be absorbed into the greater suburbia of Nantes. As of 2004, it has about 6,500 inhabitants, a significant portion of which commute to Nantes. In general, the area is middle-class with a good portion of upper-middle class and upper-class homes, especially on the river banks.
Sucé-sur-Erdre is relatively well known in the area for its scenic river landscapes, and its many water sports opportunities, including fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
in Mazerolles (Funboard44), kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, and water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
. It has essentially no industry, the main employer is a large convalescence home. There are many shops (butcher, baker, etc...) and one small supermarket.
Sucé-sur-Erdre has had few encounters with history, its greatest claim to fame being that the famous philosopher René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
spent some time there (although this is not very well documented). It has a few old houses, but the church is modern (late nineteenth century) and uninteresting. There are many picturesque farm houses in the area, although they are disappearing quickly due to the accelerated modernization brought by the expansion of Nantes.
The inhabitants of Sucé-sur-Erdre are called Sucéens.
Facts and statistics
- Sister cities: CrickladeCrickladeCricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire in England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester.On 25 September 2011 Cricklade was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society's 'Champion of Champions' award in the Britain in Bloom competition.Cricklade is twinned with...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), KleinblittersdorfKleinblittersdorfKleinblittersdorf is a village and a municipality in the district of Saarbrücken, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Saar, opposite Grosbliederstroff in France, approx. 10 km south of Saarbrücken....
(GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) - Climate: mild, often wet
See also
- Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department
- Official site of Sucé sur Erdre (in French)
- Official site of Sucé sur Erdre (in English via Google Translate)