Moulins, Allier

Moulins (French pronunciation: [mulɛ̃] ⓘ; Occitan: Molins) is a commune in central France, capital of the Allier department. It is located on the river Allier.

Moulins
Prefecture and commune
Views of Moulins
Views of Moulins
Coat of arms of Moulins
Coat of arms
Location of Moulins
Moulins is located in France
Moulins
Moulins
Moulins is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Moulins
Moulins
Coordinates: 46°33′55″N 3°20′00″E
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentAllier
ArrondissementMoulins
CantonMoulins-1
Moulins-2
IntercommunalityCA Moulins Communauté
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Pierre-André Périssol[1] (LR)
Area
1
8.61 km2 (3.32 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
19,444
 • Density2,300/km2 (5,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
03190 /03000
Elevation202–240 m (663–787 ft)
(avg. 220 m or 720 ft)
Websiteville-moulins.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Among its many tourist attractions are the Maison Mantin, the Anne de Beaujeu Museum and The National Center of Costume and Scenography.

Geography

Moulins is located on the banks of the river Allier.

Moulins-sur-Allier station, in the centre of the town, has direct trains to Paris (Gare de Bercy), which take about 2 hours 25 minutes. The A79 motorway passes south of the town. Montbeugny Airport is a small airport located near Moulins.

History

Before the French Revolution, Moulins was the capital of the province of Bourbonnais and the seat of the Dukes of Bourbon. It appears in documented records at least as far back 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.

This was the birthplace of the great 19th-century operatic baritone and art collector Jean-Baptiste Faure. In the 20th century, Coco Chanel went to school in Moulins as an orphan, before moving to Paris, where she became a fashion designer and major innovator in women's clothing.

Politics and administration

Territorial division

Moulins in the prefecture of Allier, even though it is not the most populated commune of the department.

Mayors of Moulins

The position of mayor has existed in Moulins since 1518.[3][4] The current mayor is Pierre-André Périssol, in office since 1995 and last re-elected at the 2020 elections.[1]

List of successive mayors of Moulins since the liberation of France
In office Name Party Capacity Ref.
August 1944 May 1945 Jean Dufloux
May 1945 October 1947 Henri Gromolard CNR
October 1947 March 1959 Maurice Tinland
March 1959 1971 Jacques Pligot RI
1971 1989 Hector Rolland RPR Deputy for Allier (1968–1981 & 1986–1988)
1989 25 June 1995 Paul Chauvat DVD
25 June 1995 Incumbent Pierre-André Périssol RPR then UMP then LR Minister of Housing (2002–2007)

Other elections
Election 1st round 2nd round
1st % 2nd % 3rd % 4th % 1st % 2nd % 3rd %
2014 - European UMP 25.04 FN 21.53 PS 16.31 UDI 10.74 Single round election only.
2015 - Regional UMP 38.14 PS 22.93 FN 20.52 PCF 7.90 UMP 44.77 PS-PCF-EELV 36.81 FN 18.42
2017 - Presidential LREM 26.61 LR 21.15 LFI 19.94 FN 18.22 LREM 70.71 FN 29.29 No 3rd party.
2017 - Legislative LR 29.79 LREM 28.61 PCF 17.28 FN 8.54 LREM 50.42 PCF 49.58 No 3rd party.
2019 - European FN 22.71 LREM 21.77 LR 11.93 EELV 9.82 Single round election only.
2020 - Municipal LR 45.89 DVD 29.70 PCF 21.83 LO 2.56 LR 48.14 DVD 30.82 PCF 21.03

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Moulins is twinned with:

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 13,249—    
1800 13,509+0.28%
1806 14,101+0.72%
1821 13,697−0.19%
1831 14,672+0.69%
1836 15,231+0.75%
1841 15,377+0.19%
1846 17,110+2.16%
1851 17,318+0.24%
1856 18,069+0.85%
1861 17,581−0.55%
1866 19,890+2.50%
1872 20,385+0.41%
1876 21,774+1.66%
1881 21,156−0.57%
1886 21,721+0.53%
1891 22,665+0.85%
1896 22,215−0.40%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 22,340+0.11%
1906 21,888−0.41%
1911 21,990+0.09%
1921 22,968+0.44%
1926 23,306+0.29%
1931 22,225−0.95%
1936 22,369+0.13%
1946 23,254+0.39%
1954 24,441+0.62%
1962 23,909−0.27%
1968 25,979+1.39%
1975 26,067+0.05%
1982 25,159−0.51%
1990 22,799−1.22%
1999 21,892−0.45%
2007 20,251−0.97%
2012 18,959−1.31%
2017 19,664+0.73%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

Museums

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Faure, Henri. Histoire de Moulins (in French).
  4. Thierry, Augustin (1853). Essais sur la formation et les progrès du Tiers-État. p. 258. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  5. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Moulins, EHESS (in French).
  6. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
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