La Roche-sur-Yon

▪ France

      town, capital of Vendée département, Pays de la Loire région, western France, south of Nantes. The Vendée region had been pacified at the time of the French Revolution but still remained disaffected after the counterrevolutionary insurrection of 1793; Napoleon in 1804 established a military and administrative town in the centre of the département. It was built on the site of the decayed township of La Roche-sur-Yon, which had been burned down by the Republican troops. The new town was built according to plan, with wide rectangular streets, barracks, stables, and a vast parade ground. Today, La Roche-sur-Yon is an administrative centre and market town for the surrounding agricultural region. Its more traditional local industries have been replaced by the manufacture of electrical appliances and tires. Pop. (1999) 49,262; (2005 est.) 50,800.

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