Les Sables-d'Olonne

Les Sables-d'Olonne (French meaning: "The Sands of Olonne"; Poitevin: Lés Sablles d'Oloune) is a seaside town on the Atlantic coast of western France. A subprefecture of the department of Vendée, Pays de la Loire, it has the administrative level of commune. On 1 January 2019, the municipalities of Olonne-sur-Mer, Château-d'Olonne and Les Sables-d'Olonne merged, retaining the latter name.

Location and geography
Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in western France, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated on the coast between La Rochelle and Saint-Nazaire, near the coastal terminus of the A87 that connects it and nearby communities to La Roche-sur-Yon, Cholet, and Angers to the northeast. The nearest major metropolitan center of France, to Les Sables-d'Olonne, is Nantes, to the north (approximately 105 km, by road). Les Sables-d'Olonne station has rail connections to Paris, La Roche-sur-Yon and Nantes.

It is at the level of administrative division in the French Republic of a commune and is a sub-prefecture of the Department of Vendée.

Climate
Les Sables-d'Olonne has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) closely bordering on a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb). The average annual temperature in Les Sables-d'Olonne is 13.2 C. The average annual rainfall is 746.7 mm with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 19.8 C, and lowest in January, at around 7.0 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Les Sables-d'Olonne was 40.5 C on 18 July 2022; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -8.3 C on 12 February 2012.

History
Les Sables-d'Olonne is French for "the sands of Olonne". It was founded in 1218 from Havre d'Olonne by Savary I de Mauléon, the Lord of Mauléon, Sénéchal of Poitou and prince of Talmont. Its history is tied to the ocean for which it has served as a port and point of maritime commerce. Louis XI separated Les Sables d'Olonne from the town of Olonne in 1472. It became the largest cod-fishing port in France, with 14,000 inhabitants, in the 17th century. During the French Revolution, unlike the surrounding Vendée, the city supported the Republic, and so was often besieged—unsuccessfully, because of its port. The current local tourism industry traces its roots to bathing establishments, first begun in 1825. Rail service reached Les Sables on 29 December 1866, via the line from La Roche-sur-Yon, Bressuire, Saumur, and Tours; express service to and from Paris would arrive in 1971. The city's port served as a base port for American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Germany occupied Les Sables d'Olonne during World War II and, upon evacuation of that army at war's end, the German army made an effort to destroy the port, and mined the harbor.

Population
The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Les Sables-d'Olonne proper, in its geography at the given years. The populations of Olonne-sur-Mer and Château-d'Olonne, absorbed in 2019, are not included.

Interests and events
The Vendée Globe yacht race, which takes place every four years, starts and ends at Les Sables-d'Olonne.

The Vendée Air Show has been held on the beach "La Grande Plage" on three occasions, first in 2017, then in 2019, and most recently in 2022.

The Musée de l'Abbaye Sainte-Croix is a municipal museum situated in a 17th-century building that is devoted to modern and contemporary art, and that has "Musée de France" status. It includes works of Gaston Chaissac (1910–1964) and Victor Brauner (1903–1966).

Les Sables-d'Olonne is the setting for 1948 novel , by Georges Simenon.

The town is the birthplace of pirate François l'Olonnais.

Twin towns – sister cities
Les Sables-d'Olonne is twinned with:


 * 🇺🇸 Niceville, Florida, United States
 * 🇧🇫 Gourcy, Burkina Faso
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 * 🇫🇷 Murat, France
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 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Worthing, England, United Kingdom