Châteaudun

Châteaudun is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It was the site of the Battle of Châteaudun during the Franco-Prussian War.

Geography
Châteaudun is located about 45 km northwest of Orléans, and about  50 km  south-southwest of Chartres. It lies on the river Loir, a tributary of the Sarthe.

History
Châteaudun (Latin Castrodunum), which dates from the Gallo-Roman period, was in the middle ages the capital of the County of Dunois.

The streets, which radiate from a central square, have a uniformity due to the reconstruction of the town after fires in 1723 and 1870.

Employment
The area is rich agricultural land, but a major local employer is the Châteaudun Air Base just to the east of the town, and much larger than the town itself.

Main sights
The town has a château, founded in the 10th century, known for being the first on the road to Loire Valley from Paris. Châteaundun also has a museum, the "Musée des beaux arts et d'histoire naturelle". The museum is diverse, the most popular exhibition being the big collection of stuffed birds. In addition, there are often temporary exhibitions, recent examples including the war of Asia, ancient Egypt and insects.

Personalities
Châteaudun was the birthplace of:
 * Pierre Guédron (1570–1620), composer
 * Nicolas Chaperon (1612–1656) painter
 * Edmond Modeste Lescarbault (1814), doctor and amateur astronomer
 * Romain Feillu (1984) road racing cyclist
 * Brice Feillu (1985) road racing cyclist

Twin towns - sister cities
Châteaudun is twinned with:
 * 🇮🇪 Arklow, Ireland
 * 🇨🇿 Kroměříž, Czech Republic
 * 🇪🇸 Marchena, Spain
 * 🇩🇪 Schweinfurt, Germany
 * 🇨🇦 Trois-Rivières, Canada