Fougères

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Administration
Commune of Fougères
Location
Longitude	01° 11' 55" W
Latitude	48° 21' 09" N
Country	France
Région	Bretagne
Département	Ille-et-Vilaine
Arrondissement	Fougères
Canton	Chief town of 2 cantons Canton of Fougères-Nord Canton of Fougères-Sud
Intercommunality	Fougères Communauté
Mayor	Jacques Faucheux (2001)
Statistics
Altitude	62 m–171 m (avg. 97 m)
Land area¹	10.47 km²
Population² (1999)	21,779
- Density (1999)	2,080/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	35115/ 35300
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).
Image:Flag of France.svg

Image:Fougerestown.jpg Image:FougeresChateu.jpg

Fougères (Felger in Breton, Foujerr in Gallo)is a town, a commune and a sous-préfecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine département in France.

1 Sights
2 Economy
3 Miscellaneous
4 External links

[edit] Sights

Fougères' major monument is a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the ultimately unsuccessful defence system of the Duchy of Brittany against French aggression. Fougeres also has one of only three Belfries in Brittany. Its location serves as the center of the weekend market. Fougères is a town of Art and History

[edit] Economy

There used to be an important shoemaking industry which is now extinct. There was also an important glass making industry.

During the Middle Ages, salt was heavily taxed and was imported from the Breton regions to the rest of France. Fougeres was made a stronghold for "salt smugglers," who would creep along the wall of the city with confiscated salt, to sell in other regions. There is a communal garden in modern Fougeres that commemorates this interesting and little known fact.