Bellême

Bellême (French pronunciation: ​[bɛlɛm]) is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. The musicologist Guillaume André Villoteau (1759–1839) was born in Bellême; as was Aristide Boucicaut (1810-1877), owner of Le Bon Marché, the world's first department store.

Bellême
Commune
An aerial view of Bellême
Coat of arms
Location of Bellême
Bellême Bellême
Coordinates: 48°22′38″N 0°33′41″E
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Orne
Arrondissement	Mortagne-au-Perche
Canton	Ceton
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Rémy Tessier
Area ^1	1.71 km^2 (0.66 sq mi)
Population  (2017-01-01)[1]	1,464
• Density	860/km^2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	61038 /61130
Elevation	162–230 m (531–755 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Location

At the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche, in the Orne Department, Bellême is on a hill that dominates the Perche area.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1793 2,771 —     1800 2,708 −2.3% 1806 2,862 +5.7% 1821 3,103 +8.4% 1836 3,263 +5.2% 1841 3,143 −3.7% 1846 3,350 +6.6% 1851 3,126 −6.7% 1856 3,130 +0.1% 1861 3,153 +0.7% 1866 3,108 −1.4% 1872 3,199 +2.9% 1876 2,935 −8.3% 1881 2,825 −3.7% 1886 2,656 −6.0% 1891 2,563 −3.5% 1896 2,599 +1.4%

Year Pop. ±% 1901 2,627 +1.1% 1906 2,338 −11.0% 1911 2,187 −6.5% 1921 1,944 −11.1% 1926 1,992 +2.5% 1931 1,938 −2.7% 1936 1,792 −7.5% 1946 1,697 −5.3% 1954 1,627 −4.1% 1962 1,844 +13.3% 1968 1,742 −5.5% 1975 1,843 +5.8% 1982 1,849 +0.3% 1990 1,788 −3.3% 1999 1,774 −0.8% 2009 1,547 −12.8%

Heraldry

Arms of Bellême

The arms of Bellême are blazoned : Sable, a triple-towered keep Or. or Azure semy de lys Or, a bordure gules bezanty (Or).

Sights

• Church of Saint-Sauveur 15th century, 16th century, rebuilt between 1675 and 1710.
• Crypt of the Saint-Santin Chapel, dating from the tenth century.
• Château Gatehouse 15th century, and Moat.
• Remains of the Ramparts, bearing a plaque commemorating the capture of the château and the town by King Saint Louis and his mother, Blanche of Castile in 1229.
• 17th century and eighteenth century houses.
• 17th century Hôtel de ville.
• Sundials on rue du Château, place de la République and place Liègeard.

Landscape

• The town is built around the crest of a natural bowl, in which sits an outdoor lido (swimming pool), moto-cross circuit, stables and an expansive 18-hole golf course with adjacent hotel and holiday apartments.

Events

• Les Mycologiades internationales : Annual international wild mushroom festival.

International relations

Bellême is twinned with:

• Goring-on-Thames  United Kingdom since 1979.
• Stühlingen  Germany since 1980.

Sports

• The town's football club, FC Pays Bellêmois, compete in the Ligue de Football Basse-Normandie and the Coupe de France, playing their home games at the town's Terrain Intercommunal.
• Moto Club Bellêmois hosts motocross events that welcome an international field of competitors.

See also

• Communes of the Orne department
• House of Bellême
• Robert de Belleme
• Perche

References

• INSEE commune file

1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.

External links

• Belleme Tourist Information (in French)
• Piscine à Bellême
• Moto Club Bellêmois
• Golf de Bellême
• FC Du Pays Bellêmois
• Goring and District Twinning Association
• Stuhlingen Web page (in German)