Laval



Laval is a city in France, a commune in the Mayenne department in northwestern France and one of the main cities of the Region [Pays-de-la-Loire]]. It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois. Laval is located on the River Mayenne in the région called the Pays-de-la-Loire in north-west central France (around the Loire Valley). It is the centre of an urban area of about 100,000 inhabitants.

HISTORY OF LAVAL
The lords of Laval are of a dynasty which has made a mark in the history of France. The "Grande Rue" was for several centuries one of the principal ways into Brittany.

After the Hundred Years' War (1337 to 1453), during which the town had been taken and re-taken by one army and another, the fifteenth century marked a new period of expansion. The walls were completed by the addition of a powerful artillery fort in an innovative design, the Tour Renaise. The lords, governors of Brittany, which country's independence was formally ended in 1491, spent a large sum on building a prestigious hall near the keep of their castle. They built a grand vault for the interment of the lordly family in the Minster of St. Tugal. The town of timber framed buildings was partially rebuilt. The urban aristocracy built elegant houses and turrets in the upper town around the Rue des Cheveaux. The Abbots of Clermont preferred to assert their rank with carved decoration on panels (consoles) set between the members of the timber framing of their grand town house and in the manner of a cornice below the eves guttering.

During the Second Republic, the Second Empire and the early Third Republic the city saw its zenith. During this period a number of linen factories and foundries sprung up in the city and it began to thrive economically. On November 21, 1871, the Samelaine Monument was inaugurated to remind the Lavallois of their historic feats. The Museum for the Fine Arts and Sciences was completed in 1897 at the Herce Place next to it the Perrines, the terraced gardens and scenic promenade overlooking the city.

Between 1914 to 1918, with the Great War, many sons of the city died on the battle fields of Flanders to defend their home country against the onslaught by the Imperial German army, stalling the development of the city. In the period between 1918-1939 a new upper class emerged in the city, until in 1940 when the Democratic France was raided by the forces of Nazi Germany and Laval was occupied by the German Army. During the time of occupation the city suffered severe hardship, with Laval's Jewish inhabitants being deported to Death camps and many Lavallois taken Prisoner of War, having to work partially under slave-like conditions in the War Industries of Nazi Germany. The German occupation forces of Laval proved to be utmost brutal, with arbitrary internments, torture and executions of Laval's citizens being almost a daily occurrence. With its vicinity to the English Channel, however, there was the horizon of Liberty on the other side of the Channel, where the Free French Government under General de Gaulle prepared the liberation of France. With the freedom of their city in mind, the French Resistance Movement of Laval, thus, inflicted on several occasions serious casualties on the German occupiers facilitating the liberation of France by the Allied Forces on D-Day. The German occupation was terminated in the afternoon of August 6th, 1944, when the U.S. Third Army under General Patton liberated Laval for good.

More informations about the History of Laval on the Laval !

WHAT TO VISIT ?
More informations about the places to visit in Laval on the Laval and/or visit the Official Website of the Office of Tourism.

Free Internet/Wifi Access
Here are some places where you could have a free Internet and/or Wifi Access:


 * Cyber Espace - Adress: 13 rue du Vieux St louis. Galerie du Vieux St Louis - Tel: 02.43.59.03.57

COUCHSURFERS
There are about 40 Couchsurfers in Laval and the area, feel free to contact them by searching them on a couchsurf or by posting some messages on the CS Group of La Mayenne.

Meetings
There are some meetings organised in Laval, you can check on the CS Group of La Mayenne if there is something happened or check on the Regional CS Group of Pays de la Loire to see if there is an event organised in the area.

Coffee or a Drink
Here is a list of local couchsurfers who could be ready to show you the city or/and have a drink with you:

How to get to Laval

 * By Car: The motorway A81 goes through Laval, coming from Paris to Rennes.


 * By Train: It's really easy, the TGV is coming in Laval : it's the route of Paris / Rennes. You can also take the regional trains coming from all the big cities of the area.


 * By Plane: It's a small city with no airport but you can arrived in Paris, Rennes or Nantes and take a train after.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY



 * Police Station: 02.43.67.81.81

Police secours 17

Gendarmerie Nationale 02.43.59.57.10
 * Health Urgency:

SAMU 15

Ambulances agréées 02.43.66.10.10
 * Hospital:

Polyclinique du Maine 02.43.66.36.00
 * Fireman Station:

Pompiers 18
 * Embassy:
 * Emergency Doctor:

INTERESTED LINKS</FONT>
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 * Regional CS Group: Pays de la Loire
 * Local CS Group: La Mayenne


 * Laval on Wikivoyage
 * Laval on Hitchwiki
 * Laval on Wikipedia



hitch:Laval