1. The City of Tours
By Chae Won Park
Giant Cedar Tree

2. Tours
Population: 140,000
Nickname: “Le Jardin de la France” (The Garden of France)
Location: Indre-Loire department, on Loire river
Touraine – famous for wines
Largest city in Centre region
Touraine – former province of France; region around Tours (its capital)
Centre – one of 26 regions of France

3. Tours (cont.)
Inhabitants (Tourangeaux) – known for speaking purest form of French
Most standard pronunciation
Battle of Tours – 732 A.D.
Site of Paris-Tours cycling race
Battle of Tours – one of most decisive battles in history; Christians vs. Muslims – stopped Islamic conquests and preserved Christianity in Europe
Tours doesn’t have a major chateau because of World War II.

4. Source: http://www.infoplease.com/atlas/country/france.html

5. Famous Sites
The Old City (le Vieux Tours) – original medieval district
Half-timbered buildings
la Place Plumereau – town square
( France)
Half-timbering – method of building used in 13th-18th centuries

6. La Place Plumereau
Source:

7. Famous Sites (cont.)
Saint Gatien’s Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint- Gatien de Tours)
Roman Catholic
Romanesque and Gothic architecture
Romanesque – tower buttresses
Gothic – ornamentation

8. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tours_Cathedral

9. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tours_Cathedral

10. Famous Sites (cont.)
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours (Museum of Fine Arts of Tours)
Palais des Archevêques (Archbishop’s Palace) – former building
Classified as “monument historique” on 27 June 1983
Fairly large collection of paintings, including two by Andrea Mantegna (
Museum of Fine Arts of Tours – near St. Gatien’s Cathedral

11. Source: http://en. wikipedia

12. Jésus au jardin des oliviers by Andrea Mantegna, 1459
La Résurrection by Andrea Mantegna, 1459

13. Transportation TGV – one of main lines
Tours Loire Valley Airport - connects the Loire Valley to London Stansted Airport and Dublin
Bus service
Main central stop - Jean Jaures – next to the Hôtel de Ville and Rue Nationale, the main street of Tours
Tours does not have a metro rail system.
Hôtel de Ville – City Hall
Hôtel de Ville

14. TGV Map
Source:

15. References
“Tours.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 30 January Web. 31 January <
“Site de la Ville de Tours.” <
Vieux-Tours-France
guide/france/tours/index.html