Essay, Orne

For other uses, see Essay (disambiguation).

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.

Essay
Commune
The church in Essay
Location of Essay
Essay Show map of France Essay Show map of Normandy
Coordinates: 48°32′30″N 0°14′52″E
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Orne
Arrondissement	Alençon
Canton	Écouves
Intercommunality	Sources de l'Orne
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Pascale Leroy[1]
Area 1	15.99 km2 (6.17 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	540
• Density	34/km2 (87/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	61156 /61500
Elevation	141–206 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.

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]

See also

• Communes of the Orne department
• Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park

References

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

External links

• Local motor sports