Le Mans Hotels

Town, capital of Sarthe département, Pays de la Loire région, northwestern France. Situated in the former province of Maine, the town lies 76 miles (122 kilometres) by road southwest of Chartres, roughly midway between Rennes and Orléans, at the confluence of the Sarthe and Huisne rivers.

Le Mans derives its name from the ancient Gallic tribe of the Cenomani, whose capital it was. In the late 3rd century AD the Gallo-Romans surrounded the town with walls, parts of which still survive. Also in the 3rd century, St. Julien evangelized the city and established a bishopric there. After the 6th century Le Mans became the seat of the counts of Maine. In the early 12th century the countship passed to the Plantagenets, counts of Anjou. Henry II, the first Plantagenet king of England, was born in Le Mans in 1133. Le Mans reverted to the French crown in the 13th century. The English invaded it during the Hundred Years' War between England and France (1337-1453). Royalists and republicans successively took over the town during the French Revolution. During World War II Le Mans was the headquarters of the German 7th Army, which was responsible for the occupation and defense of all of Normandy and Brittany. The town was heavily damaged by Allied bombing of major transportation centres in preparation for the Normandy Invasion, and it was liberated by U.S. General George S. Patton's 3rd Army on August 8, 1944.

The old city, which includes Renaissance and 17th-century houses, is mainly cramped within the old Gallo-Roman walls on the left bank of the Sarthe; it contrasts strikingly with the new town, which surrounds it. Saint-Julien Cathedral (11th-15th century), which towers over the old city, combines Romanesque and Gothic styles. On the right side there is a sculptured 12th-century portal and, at the end of the transept, a 12th-15th-century tower. The choir (13th century), which is one of the tallest and handsomest in France, is exteriorly supported by buttresses of a light and elegant design. The cathedral features 13th-century stained-glass windows and two fine Renaissance tombs. The Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Couture (10th-14th century) possesses a Gothic facade with remarkable medieval sculptures. The Church of Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc, which was founded by Henry II of England (reigned 1154-89), is also of interest.

Le Mans is a market town for the agricultural products of the region. From the mid-19th century new industries developed and later expanded, principally producing railway equipment, motorcars, agricultural machinery, textiles, and tobacco. From the late 20th century, the plastics and electrical-machinery industries were added, as well as a growing service sector, especially the insurance industry.

Every year the Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance (also called the Le Mans 24-Hour Race), one of the world's best-known automobile races, is held at the Sarthe road-racing circuit just south of the town. Nearby there is a museum of early motorcars. Pop. (1982) 150,331; (1990) 148,465.

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