Orléans
large city and commune in Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire, France
Orléans (US: ; French: [ɔʁleɑ̃] ) is a city in north-central France, about 120 kilometres (74 miles) southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the department of Loiret, within the region of Centre-Val de Loire.
Orléans is located on the river Loire nestled in the heart of the Loire Valley, a region classified as a World Heritage Site where the river curves west to head to the Atlantic ocean after its northward journey from the Massif Central. In 2023, the city had 116,357 inhabitants within its municipal boundaries. Orléans is the center of Orléans Métropole that has a population of 297,350 (2023). The larger metropolitan area has a population of 454,208, the 20th largest in France.
The city owes its development from antiquity to the commercial exchanges resulting from the river. An important river trade port, it was the headquarters of the community of merchants frequenting the Loire. It was the capital of the Kingdom of France during the Merovingian period and played an important role in the Hundred Years' War, particularly known for the role of Joan of Arc during the siege of Orléans. Every first week of May since 1432, the city pays homage to the "Maid of Orléans" during the Johannic Holidays which has been listed in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage in France.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Orléans” as large city and commune in Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as large city and commune in Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire, France. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6548. VIAF identifies the subject as 139548210. The Library of Congress control number is n80010348. Authority coordinates are 47.902, 1.904. 4 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2023 and 1432.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Orléans”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Orléans primary sources, Orléans archive and Orléans research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Orléans”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Orléans” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.