Montluçon Facts for Kids

Montluçon is a city in central France. It is located on the Cher River. Montluçon is the largest city in the Allier department. This department is part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Even though Montluçon is the biggest city, the main government office (called a préfecture) for the department is in a smaller town named Moulins.

This city was once the capital of an old area called Bourbonnais. It was also part of the medieval Duchy of Bourbon.

History of Montluçon
Where is Montluçon?
Population of Montluçon
Interesting Places to See
Gallery
Famous People from Montluçon
Sister Cities
Related pages
See also

History of Montluçon

Montluçon was first built a long time ago, during the Middle Ages. The first time anyone wrote about a place called Monte Lucii was in the 11th century. A man named Guillaume, who was the son of Archambaud IV of Bourbon, built a castle here. He built it on a small rocky hill next to the Cher River.

The town was part of the duchy of Bourbon. The English took control of Montluçon in 1171. Then, Philip II of France took it back in 1181. Finally, in the 14th century, the English had to leave the town for good.

In the 14th century, Louis II de Bourbon rebuilt the castle and the town's walls. Montluçon and other lands later became part of the French kingdom in 1529. King Henry IV then made the town's defenses even stronger.

Where is Montluçon?

The city of Montluçon is in the northwestern part of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is also on the northern edge of the Massif Central, a mountain range. The Cher River flows through the city.

Montluçon covers an area of about 20.67 square kilometers (about 8 square miles). The average height of the city above sea level is 279 meters (about 915 feet). At the city hall, the height is 207 meters (about 679 feet).

The city is about 61 kilometers (38 miles) from Moulins. It is also about 72 kilometers (45 miles) from Clermont-Ferrand. The capital city, Paris, is about 281 kilometers (175 miles) away.

Montluçon and its neighboring towns
Map of the city of Montluçon and its surroundings.

Montluçon is surrounded by several other towns. These include Saint-Victor, Désertines, Saint-Angel, Néris-les-Bains, Lavault-Sainte-Anne, Prémilhat, and Domérat.

Domérat	Saint-Victor	Désertines
Domérat		Saint-Angel
	Montluçon

Prémilhat	Lavault-Sainte-Anne	Néris-les-Bains

Population of Montluçon

Montluçon has a population of 38,072 people. This makes it the largest city in the Allier department. There are about 1,842 people living in each square kilometer. This is called the population density.

People who live in Montluçon are called Montluçonnais in French. If they are women, they are called Montluçonnaises.

Interesting Places to See

Here are some interesting places you can visit in Montluçon:

The Church of Saint-Pierre (Église Saint-Pierre de Montluçon) is a Roman Catholic church. It was built in the 12th century. It has a special old style of building called Romanesque architecture.
The Church of Notre-Dame (Église Notre-Dame de Montluçon) is another Roman Catholic church. It was built in the 15th century. This church shows a different style of building called Gothic architecture.
The Dukes of Bourbon castle (Château des ducs de Bourbon) is a very old castle. Its construction started way back in 1070.