LOCHES

town, Indre-et-Loire dpartement, Centre region, west central France, southeast of Tours, on the left bank of the Indre River. The town is dominated by the medieval citadel, which is surrounded by 1.5 mi (2 km) of old walls. It embraces three separate buildings: the Royal Lodge (mainly 15th century), the Collgiale Saint-Ours (10th11th century), and a ruined fortress with an 11th-century keep and a 15th-century tower cut into the rock. Fortified in the 6th century, Loches was fought over by the French and English during the 12th and 13th centuries. It became a royal residence and a state prison in the 15th century, when Louis XI imprisoned his enemies there in iron cages. Today it is a centre for agricultural trade. Recently developed industry includes food preparations and electronics. To the northeast of the town is the Fort de Loches, about 8,900 ac (3,600 ha) in area. Pop. (1982) 5,847.