Guide to Loiret and Properties in Department 45

The Loiret department is a historical region located in north-central France. It was named after the Loiret River, which flows into the Loire River and is entirely within the department. The capital of Loiret is Orléans, located approximately 110 km southwest of Paris. It is a city with a rich history, featuring a large central area with numerous historic buildings, mansions, and a cathedral dating back to the 13th century, which was reconstructed after being destroyed by Protestant forces in 1568. Loiret (department numer 45) is renowned for its numerous châteaux, and it is one of the original 83 departments created by the National Constituent Assembly during the French Revolution in March 1790. The new departments were created to be uniformly administered and roughly equal in size and population. Loiret was formed from the former province of Orléanais, which was too large to continue in its previous form.

Today, Loiret, along with the departments of Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir, forms the region Centre-Val de Loire. It borders Eure-et-Loir, Essonne, and Seine-et-Marne to the north, Yonne to the east, Nièvre to the southeast, Cher to the south, and Loir-et-Cher to the west. The department is mostly flat low-lying land through which flows the River Loire.

The northwestern part of the department is in the cereal-growing region known as Beauce, an undulating plateau with some of France's best agricultural land. This area was popular with the French aristocracy during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period and is home to many historic châteaux, including Château d'Augerville, Château de Sully-sur-Loire, and Château de Trousse-Barrière.

The southern part of the department, situated south of the River Loire, is known as the Sologne. It is a region of heathland and marshland interspersed with hills where vines are grown. The eastern part of the department is known as Gâtinais and was part of a province of that name. Until the beginning of the 21st century, it was famous for producing saffron.

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