Orne (; or Orne) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.[ Populations légales 2019: 61 Orne, INSEE]
History
Orne is one of the original 83 départements created during the French Revolution, on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of
Normandy and
Perche. It is the birthplace of
Charlotte Corday,
Girondist and the assassin of
Jean-Paul Marat.
Geography
Orne is in the region of Normandy neighbouring
Eure,
Eure-et-Loir,
Sarthe,
Manche,
Mayenne, and Calvados. It is the only department of Normandy not to border the
English Channel.
Economy
The largest town by a considerable margin is the prefecture, Alençon, which is an administrative and commercial centre for what is still an overwhelmingly rural department. There are no large industrial centres, and agriculture remains the economic focus.
Demographics
The inhabitants of the department are called
Ornais.
The recorded population level peaked at 443,688 in 1836. Declining farm incomes and the lure of better prospects in the overseas empire led to a sustained reduction in population levels in many rural departments. By the time of the 1936 census, the recorded population stood at just 269,331. Once motor car ownership started to surge in the 1960s, employment opportunities became less restricted and by 1982, the population level had recovered a little to 295,000, after which it slowly decreased.
Principal towns
The most populous commune is Alençon, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:
[
]
|
| Alençon | 25,870 |
| Flers | 14,762 |
| Argentan | 13,395 |
| L'Aigle | 7,961 |
| La Ferté Macé | 5,186 |
Politics
The president of the Departmental Council is Christophe de Balorre, elected in 2017.
Presidential elections 2nd round
Current National Assembly Representatives
|
|
| | Orne's 1st constituency | Joaquim Pueyo | Socialist Party |
| | Orne's 2nd constituency | Véronique Louwagie | The Republicans |
| | Orne's 3rd constituency | Jérôme Nury | The Republicans |
Culture
Alençon is the chief town of the Orne department.
Camembert, the village where Camembert cheese is made, is located in Orne.
The local dialect is known as Augeron.
Tourism
File:Chateau Carrouges.jpg|Château de Carrouges
File:Château de Domfront.jpg|Château de Domfront
File:Abbaye Saint-Evroult-Notre-Dame-du-Bois 2.jpg|Abbey of Saint-Evroult-Notre-Dame-du-Bois
File:Tour de Bonvouloir 001.jpg|Juvigny-sous-Andaine
File:Camembert.JPG|Camembert
File:Haras du Pin main.jpg|Haras national du Pin
File:Eglisebellême18052018.jpg|Saint-Sauveur de Bellême Church
File:Suisse Normande Orne.jpg|Suisse Normande
File:SéesCathédrale.jpg|Sées Cathedral
See also
-
Cantons of the Orne department
-
Communes of the Orne department
-
Arrondissements of the Orne department
-
Haras National du Pin, a French stud farm
External links
