Le Blanc

For other uses, see Le Blanc (disambiguation).

Le Blanc (French pronunciation: [lə blɑ̃] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Lo Blanc; Latin: Oblincum Cuborum) is a commune and a subprefecture of the department of Indre, and the region of Centre-Val de Loire, central France.

Le Blanc
Subprefecture and commune
Château de Naillac
Coat of arms
Location of Le Blanc
Le Blanc Show map of France Le Blanc Show map of Centre-Val de Loire
Coordinates: 46°38′04″N 1°03′49″E
Country	France
Region	Centre-Val de Loire
Department	Indre
Arrondissement	Le Blanc
Canton	Le Blanc
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Gilles Lherpiniere[1]
Area 1	57.61 km2 (22.24 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	6,188
• Density	110/km2 (280/sq mi)
Demonym	Blancois.e
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	36018 /36300
Elevation	72–140 m (236–459 ft) (avg. 120 m or 390 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Le Blanc is the main city of the Parc naturel régional de la Brenne, on the banks of the river Creuse.

History

Le Blanc, which is identified with the Roman Oblincum, was in the middle ages a lordship belonging to the house of Naillac and a frontier fortress of the province of Berry.^[3]

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 4,780 —     1800 4,723 −0.17% 1806 3,662 −4.15% 1821 4,452 +1.31% 1831 4,804 +0.76% 1836 5,095 +1.18% 1841 5,290 +0.75% 1846 6,075 +2.81% 1851 6,788 +2.24% 1856 5,731 −3.33% 1861 5,882 +0.52% 1866 5,956 +0.25% 1872 5,709 −0.70% 1876 6,122 +1.76% 1881 6,558 +1.39% 1886 7,140 +1.72% 1891 7,389 +0.69% 1896 6,764 −1.75%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 6,663 −0.30% 1906 6,520 −0.43% 1911 6,493 −0.08% 1921 5,284 −2.04% 1926 5,511 +0.84% 1931 5,426 −0.31% 1936 5,789 +1.30% 1946 6,719 +1.50% 1954 6,427 −0.55% 1962 6,402 −0.05% 1968 6,767 +0.93% 1975 8,024 +2.46% 1982 7,769 −0.46% 1990 7,361 −0.67% 1999 6,998 −0.56% 2007 6,926 −0.13% 2012 6,840 −0.25% 2017 6,389 −1.35%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968–2017)[5]

Buildings

The church of St Génitour dates from the 12th, 13th and 15th centuries. There is an old castle restored in the 19th century.^[3]

Facilities

Near Le Blanc, there is a VLF-transmitter of French Navy. It transmits messages on 18.3 kHz and 21.7 kHz to submerged submarines ^[6]

Climate

Climate data for Le Blanc (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1947–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	19.0 (66.2)	26.0 (78.8)	27.8 (82.0)	32.0 (89.6)	34.6 (94.3)	41.2 (106.2)	43.3 (109.9)	43.7 (110.7)	38.9 (102.0)	33.1 (91.6)	24.8 (76.6)	21.0 (69.8)	43.7 (110.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.6 (47.5)	10.1 (50.2)	14.2 (57.6)	17.5 (63.5)	21.3 (70.3)	25.2 (77.4)	27.7 (81.9)	27.6 (81.7)	23.4 (74.1)	18.2 (64.8)	12.4 (54.3)	9.0 (48.2)	17.9 (64.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.5 (41.9)	6.0 (42.8)	9.2 (48.6)	11.8 (53.2)	15.5 (59.9)	19.1 (66.4)	21.2 (70.2)	21.1 (70.0)	17.3 (63.1)	13.6 (56.5)	8.8 (47.8)	5.9 (42.6)	12.9 (55.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.5 (36.5)	2.0 (35.6)	4.1 (39.4)	6.1 (43.0)	9.6 (49.3)	13.1 (55.6)	14.7 (58.5)	14.5 (58.1)	11.2 (52.2)	9.0 (48.2)	5.2 (41.4)	2.9 (37.2)	7.9 (46.2)
Record low °C (°F)	−18.4 (−1.1)	−18.0 (−0.4)	−10.5 (13.1)	−5.2 (22.6)	−1.2 (29.8)	3.0 (37.4)	3.8 (38.8)	3.8 (38.8)	0.8 (33.4)	−5.8 (21.6)	−9.1 (15.6)	−13.0 (8.6)	−18.4 (−1.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	68.3 (2.69)	53.8 (2.12)	56.0 (2.20)	60.8 (2.39)	74.7 (2.94)	61.6 (2.43)	51.3 (2.02)	54.3 (2.14)	57.8 (2.28)	78.1 (3.07)	79.2 (3.12)	80.5 (3.17)	776.4 (30.57)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	12.4	10.5	9.9	10.2	10.4	8.3	7.6	7.2	7.8	11.0	12.3	12.6	120.1
Source: Meteociel[7]

See also

• Saint-Benoît-du-Sault
• Communes of the Indre department
• Marcel Gaumont. Sculptor of war memorial