Ancenis
# Ancenis

Ancenis (French pronunciation: ​; Breton: Ankiniz) is a former commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Ancenis-Saint-Géréon. It is a former sub-prefecture of the department, and was the seat of the former arrondissement of Ancenis.

It played a great historical role as a key location on the road to Nantes (23 miles to the southwest), the historical capital of Brittany. It was named "the key of Brittany" and the door of Brittany.

## Population

| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| - | - | - |
| 1793 | 3,295 | — |
| 1800 | 2,923 | −11.3% |
| 1806 | 2,945 | +0.8% |
| 1821 | 3,888 | +32.0% |
| 1831 | 3,749 | −3.6% |
| 1836 | 3,667 | −2.2% |
| 1841 | 3,802 | +3.7% |
| 1846 | 3,824 | +0.6% |
| 1851 | 3,689 | −3.5% |
| 1856 | 4,198 | +13.8% |
| 1861 | 4,628 | +10.2% |
| 1866 | 4,148 | −10.4% |
| 1872 | 4,358 | +5.1% |
| 1876 | 5,177 | +18.8% |
| 1881 | 5,361 | +3.6% |
| 1886 | 5,544 | +3.4% |
| 1891 | 5,141 | −7.3% |
| 1896 | 5,048 | −1.8% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1901 | 5,199 | +3.0% |
| 1906 | 4,998 | −3.9% |
| 1911 | 5,013 | +0.3% |
| 1921 | 4,222 | −15.8% |
| 1926 | 3,942 | −6.6% |
| 1931 | 4,040 | +2.5% |
| 1936 | 4,149 | +2.7% |
| 1946 | 4,815 | +16.1% |
| 1954 | 5,050 | +4.9% |
| 1962 | 5,102 | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 5,648 | +10.7% |
| 1975 | 6,997 | +23.9% |
| 1982 | 7,076 | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 6,896 | −2.5% |
| 1999 | 7,009 | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 7,407 | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 7,543 | +1.8% |

## Sights

* Château d'Ancenis, a medieval and Renaissance castle
* The Loire river on which Ancenis is located (on the north bank)
* Church of Saint Peter, 15-16-17th century
* Chapel of the Ursulines
* Chapel Notre-Dame de Délivrance
* Old quarter with mediaeval houses
* Dolmen at Pierre-Couvretière

## Sport

The soccer team is called RCA 44, (Racing Club D'Ancenis 44)

## Personalities

* Henri Ottmann, painter
* Jordan Veretout, French footballer
* William Louiron, footballer

## Twin towns

Ancenis is twinned with both the town of Kirkham in Lancashire, UK and Bad Brückenau, a spa town in Bad Kissingen district, northern Bavaria which is situated in the Rhön Mountains in Germany.

