Blois

Blois is a town and commune in France, the préfecture (capital) of the Loir-et-Cher département, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours. The town has a population of 49,171 (1999).

Miscellaneous

Births

Blois was the birthplace of:

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• Louis XII of France (1462-1515), King of France from 1498 to 1515
• Jean Morin (1591-1659), theologian and biblical of Protestant parents
• Denis Papin (1647-c.1712), physicist, mathematician and inventor
• Thomas de Mahy, Marquis de Favras (1744-1790), royalist
• Jean Marie Pardessus (1772-1853), lawyer
• Jacques Nicolas Augustin Thierry (1795-1856), historian
• Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805-1871), magician
• René Guénon (also Sheikh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya), (1886-1951), author, philosopher, social critic, the founder of the Traditionalist School

Twin towns

Blois is twinned with:

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• Waldhut-Tiengen, Germany, since June 30, 1963
• Weimar, Germany, since February 18, 1995
• Lewes, United Kingdom, since June 30, 1963
• Sighisoara, Romania, since November 18, 1995
• Urbino, Italy, since May 1, 2003 ("friendship protocol)