- Laval
-
/leuh val"/; Fr. /lann vannl"/, n.1. Pierre /pyerdd/, 1883-1945, French lawyer and politician: premier 1931-32, 1935-36; premier of the Vichy government 1942-44; executed for treason 1945.2. a city in S Quebec, in E Canada, NW of Montreal, on the St. Lawrence. 268,335.3. a city in and the capital of Mayenne, in W France. 54,537.
* * *
IIt occupies the whole of Jesus Island, 20 mi (32 km) long and 8 mi (12 km) wide, and is located north of Montreal. First settled in 1681, it was granted to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1699 and named for François de Laval, the first Roman Catholic Canadian bishop. Development of Jesus Island's Montreal suburbs began after 1945; in 1965 they were merged to form Laval. Development has been rapid with the opening of industrial parks there.II(as used in expressions)Hoare Laval PactLaval Carl Gustaf Patrik deLaval Pierre* * *
▪ Francetown, capital of Mayenne département, Pays de la Loire région, northwestern France, east of Rennes. The old quarters of the town, which have fine 16th- and 18th-century houses and two châteaus, are located on the west bank slopes of the Mayenne River and are surrounded by the modern town on both sides of the river. The old castle of the counts of Laval, a medieval stronghold, has been restored and houses a museum. The Château Neuf (New Chateau), a Renaissance building also called the Gallery of the Counts of Laval, was restored and enlarged in the 19th century to become the Palais de Justice. The cathedral, dating partly from the 11th century, has been considerably reconstructed and enlarged. The old castle, around which the town of Laval grew, was built early in the 10th century by Guy II, one of the first lords of Laval. The lords, and later the counts, of Laval among whom were the Montmorencys and the Montforts, played a prominent role in French history. After the French Revolution the counterrevolutionary Vendéen army, during the Wars of the Vendée at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, twice captured the castle from the Republicans. When the Republicans crushed the insurgents they executed the Prince de Talmont, lord of Laval and general of the Vendéen cavalry, in front of the castle gates. Today, Laval still plays the role of a regional market town and administrative centre, but industry has also developed, including the manufacture of machinery, electronics, and plastics. There is also a science park. Pop. (1999) town, 50,947; (2005 est.) 50,700.city, seat of Laval region, southern Quebec province, Canada. It occupies the whole of Île Jésus (Jesus Island), just north of Île de Montréal from which it is separated to the south by the Rivière des Prairies and from the mainland to the north by the Rivière des Mille Îles; both rivers are extensions of the Ottawa, which flows into the St. Lawrence below Montreal city. Île Jésus, 20 miles (32 km) long by 8 miles (13 km) wide, with an area of 95 square miles (246 square km), was first settled in 1681. In 1699 it was granted to the Society of Jesus, and named for François de Montmorency Laval, the first Roman Catholic bishop of Canada. By 1702 a parish known as Saint-François de Sales was established.Development of Montreal suburban communities on the island was relatively slow until the post-World War II years. In 1959, because of industrialization and urban growth, the Interurban Corporation of Île Jésus was formed. In 1965 the city of Laval was created by merging the island's cities of Chomedey, Duvernay, Laval-des-Rapides, Laval Ouest, Pont-Viau, Sainte-Rose, and the towns of Auteuil, Fabreville, Îles-Laval, Laval-sur-le-Lac, Sainte-Dorothée, Saint-François, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, and Vimont.Since the opening of industrial parks in the 1960s, planned industrial development has been rapid. Manufactures include television and radio sets, lithographic printed materials, paper, aluminum, iron and steel products, pharmaceuticals, and dairy foods. Inc. city, 1965. Pop. (2006) 368,709.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
