Essay, Orne

Commune in Normandy, France

Location of Essay

(2020–2026) Pascale Leroy^[1]Area

15.99 km² (6.17 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

540 • Density34/km² (87/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

61156 /61500

Elevation141–206 m (463–676 ft)
(avg. 160 m or 520 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Essay (French pronunciation: [ɛsɛ] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. The town is mainly known nowadays for its motorsports tracks, and hosted a round of the 2011 European Rallycross Championship.

Notable buildings and places

Le circuit des Ducs - is a racing circuit that was built in 1975.^[3] The circuit that has been used to stage a round of the French rallycross championship and Fol'Car races.^[4]^[5]

National heritage sites

The commune has two buildings/areas listed as a Monument historique.^[6]

Domaine de Beaufossé is an 18th century House and Estate, declared as a Monument historique in 2001.^[7] The gardens of the Estate were landscaped by Henri and Achille Duchêne.^[7] The Estate grounds are shared with the neighbouring commune of Boitron.^[8]
Chapel of the Dukes of Alençon is a 12th century chapel that was part of a castle originally built by William of Bellême in 1088.^[9] It was listed as a monument in 1975.^[9]

Notable People

François Robichon de La Guérinière (1688–1751) was a French riding master and one of the most influential writers on the art of dressage, was born here.^[10]

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ "Circuit des Ducs (Essay) - Informations". en.europatrackdays.com.
^ "Rallycross. Premier feu vert pour le circuit des Ducs, le championnat de France espéré en 2024". actu.fr. 25 March 2023.
^ "Ce qu'il faut savoir avant le Fol'Car des Ducs, samedi 25 et dimanche 26 mars". actu.fr. 23 March 2023.
^ "Les Monuments Historiques en Orne - 61". monumentum.fr.
^ ^a ^b "Domaine de Beaufossé (également sur commune de Boitron) à Essay - PA61000055". monumentum.fr.
^ "Domaine de Beaufossé à Boitron - PA61000054". monumentum.fr.
^ ^a ^b "Chapelle des ducs d'Alençon à Essay - PA00110801". monumentum.fr.
^ Daniel, Roche. "François Robichon de la Guérinière". FranceArchives.