dates from the end of the 17th century. In 1814 Blois was for a short time the seat of the regency ofMarie Louise, wife of Napoleon I.
Blois was occupied during World War II by the German army, which took the city on 18 June 1940. The city was liberated by American soldiers during the last two weeks of August 1944. On both occasions, the city withstood several days of bombing
