Moulin

Overview

Moulins is the capital of the Allier département (postal code 03) in the Auvergne region. It is a fairly provincial town, surrounded by a very green landscape of hilly fields and woods. The town is build on the eastern bank of the Allier river. There are about 40 000 inhabitants and one of the main activities (on top of the various administrations) is tourism.

The town is about one thousand years old and was the capital of the Bourbonnais Duchy, at the time of the kings. Its is the origin of the last French king dynasty. It features numerous historical monuments dating back to the Middle Ages. Most of them are concentrated in the medieval centre, around the "Jacquemart" (the clock tower with its automatons ringing each quarter), the "Malcoiffée" dungeon and the cathedral.

Though the town has had better times, it is now getting busier and several investments have been made to better accomodate the visitors. There are two museums: one is the archeological museum, in the old Renaissance palace of the Duchess Anne of Beaujeu, while the second, in a former barrack on the western bank of the river, shows scene (theater) costumes. The eastern and western banks of the river are linked by the Règes-Morte bridge. Damaged during Second World War, but now restaurated, it is still an important monument in the heart of the inhabitants. It has the particularity to have been build with a mortar mixed with egg whites!

The gothic cathedral is mostly famous for its treasure which includes a rare medieval masterpiece: the tryptic...more

History