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{{about|the city in France|the sportscar endurance race|24 Hours of Le Mans|racecar type|Le Mans Prototype|other uses|Le Mans (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Le Mans 
|commune status     = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]]
|image              = Montage du Mans.jpg
|image size         = 280
|caption            = '''Top, from left to right:''' [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] automobile race at night; Le Mans Justice Department Office<br>'''Middle:''' View of [[Sarthe River]] and historic area, including the Palais of Comtes du Maine<br>'''Bottom, from left to right:''' [[Le Mans tramway]] in Gambetta Street; Facade of Le Mans Commerce Center; [[Le Mans Cathedral|Saint Julien Cathedral]]
|arrondissement     = Le Mans
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Le Mans (Sarthe) (orn ext).svg
|canton             = [[Canton of Le Mans-1|Le Mans-1]], [[Canton of Le Mans-2|2]], [[Canton of Le Mans-3|3]], [[Canton of Le Mans-4|4]], [[Canton of Le Mans-5|5]], [[Canton of Le Mans-6|6]] and [[Canton of Le Mans-7|7]]
|INSEE              = 72181
|postal code        = 72000
|dialling code      = (0)243
|mayor              = [[Stéphane Le Foll]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|website=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=2 December 2020|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality   = [[Le Mans Métropole]]
|coordinates        = {{coord|48.0077|0.1984|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m        = 51
|elevation min m    = 38
|elevation max m    = 134
|area km2           = 52.81
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
|demonym=''Manceau'' (masculine)<br>''Mancelle'' (feminine)}}

'''Le Mans''' ({{IPAc-en|l|ə|ˈ|m|ɒ̃}}; {{IPA|fr|lə mɑ̃|lang|Fr-Paris--Le Mans.ogg}}) is a [[Communes of France|city]] in northwestern [[France]] on the [[Sarthe (river)|Sarthe River]] where it meets the [[Huisne]]. Traditionally the capital of the [[Provinces of France|province]] of [[Maine (province)|Maine]], it is now the capital of the [[Sarthe]] [[Departments of France|department]] and the seat of the Roman Catholic [[diocese of Le Mans]]. Le Mans is a part of the [[Pays de la Loire]] [[Regions of France|region]].

Its inhabitants are called ''Manceaux'' (male) and ''Mancelles'' (female). Since 1923, the city has hosted the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]], the world's oldest active endurance sports car race. The event is among the most attended and [[Triple Crown of Motorsport|prestigious motor sports events]] in the world.

==History==
{{see also|Timeline of Le Mans}}

First mentioned by [[Claudius Ptolemy]],<ref>''Geography'' 2.8.8</ref> the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] city ''Vindinium'' was the capital of the [[Aulerci]], a sub tribe of the [[Aedui]]. Le Mans is also known as ''Civitas Cenomanorum'' (City of the [[Aulerci Cenomani|Cenomani]]), or ''Cenomanus''. Their city, seized by the Romans in 47 BC, was within the ancient [[Roman province]] of [[Gallia Lugdunensis]]. A 3rd-century [[amphitheatre]] is still visible. The ''[[thermae]]'' were demolished during the [[Crisis of the Third Century|crisis of the third century]] when workers were mobilized to build the city's defensive walls. The ancient wall around Le Mans is one of the most complete circuits of [[Gallo-Roman]] city walls to survive.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Butler |first1=R. M. |date=1958 |title=The Roman Walls of le Mans |journal=The Journal of Roman Studies |volume=48 |issue=1/2 |pages=33–39 |doi=10.2307/298210 |jstor=298210 |s2cid=162544388 }}</ref>

As the use of the French language replaced late [[Vulgar Latin]] in the area, ''Cenomanus'', with [[Dissimilation (phonology)|dissimilation]], became known as ''Celmins''. ''Cel-'' was taken to be a form of the French word for "this" and "that", and was replaced by ''le'', which means "the".

As the principal city of [[Maine (province of France)|Maine]], Le Mans was the stage for struggles in the eleventh century between the counts of [[County of Anjou|Anjou]] and the dukes of [[Normandy]]. When the Normans had control of Maine, [[William the Conqueror]] successfully invaded England and established an occupation. In 1069 the citizens of Maine revolted and expelled the Normans, resulting in [[Hugh V of Maine|Hugh V]] being proclaimed [[List of Counts and Dukes of Maine|count of Maine]]. [[Geoffrey V of Anjou]] married [[Matilda of England]] in the [[Le Mans Cathedral|cathedral]]. Their son [[Henry II of England|Henry II Plantagenet, king of England]], was born in the town.<ref>{{Cite book |last=King |first=Edmund |title=King Stephen |date=2010 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-11223-8 |location=New Haven, Connecticut, United States |page=37}}</ref>

In the 13th century Le Mans came under the control of the French crown.  It was subsequently invaded by England during the [[Hundred Years' War]].<ref name="britannica.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Le-Mans|title = Le Mans &#124; History, Geography, & Points of Interest &#124; Britannica| date=11 June 2023 }}</ref>

Industrialization took place in the 19th century which saw the development of railway and motor vehicle production as well as textiles and tobacco manufacture.<ref name="britannica.com"/>

[[Wilbur Wright]] began official public demonstrations of the airplane he had developed with his younger brother [[Orville Wright|Orville]] on 8 August 1908, at the Hunaudières horse racing track near Le Mans.<ref name="hc">{{cite book |last1=Combs |first1=Harry |title=Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers |date=1979 |publisher=TernStyle Press, Ltd. |location=Englewood |isbn=0940053020 |pages=266–281}}</ref>

===World War II===
Just outside Le Mans city centre there used to be an [[Le Mans Airfield|airfield]], built to protect the [[Renault]] factory.

Soon after Le Mans was liberated by the U.S. [[79th Infantry Division (United States)|79th]] and [[90th Infantry Division (United States)|90th]] Infantry Divisions on 8 August 1944,<ref>Blumenson, Martin, ''Breakout and Pursuit'', Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1989, pp. 436–8</ref> engineers of the [[Ninth Air Force]] Engineering Command began construction of a combat [[Advanced Landing Ground]] on a location the Germans had used a simple airfield. The airfield was declared operational on 3 September and designated as "[[Le Mans Airfield|A-35]]". It was used by several American fighter and transport units in additional offensives across France; the airfield was closed in November 1944.<ref>Johnson, David C. (1988), ''U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day;'' Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.</ref><ref>Maurer, Maurer. ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II.'' Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. {{ISBN|0-89201-092-4}}.</ref>

==Main sights==
* Le Mans has a well-preserved old town (''Cité Plantagenêt'', also called ''Vieux Mans'') and the [[Cathédrale St-Julien]], dedicated to [[St Julian of Le Mans]], who is honoured as the city's first bishop.
* Remnants of a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] wall are visible in the old town and Roman baths are located by the river. These walls are highlighted every summer (July and August) evening in a light show that tells the history of the town.
* [[Arboretum de la Grand Prée]]
* [[Notre-Dame de la Couture]], medieval church
* [[Notre Dame de Sainte Croix, Le Mans|Notre Dame de Sainte Croix]], neogothic church
* Part of the former Cistercian abbey de l'Epau, founded by [[Berengaria of Navarre|Queen Berengaria]] and currently maintained in extensive grounds by the Département de la Sarthe.
* [[Jardin des Plantes du Mans]]
* Musée de la reine [[Berengaria of Navarre|Bérengère]], a museum of Le Mans history located in a gothic manor house.
* {{lang|fr|{{ill|Musée de Tessé|fr}}}}, the fine arts museum of the city, displaying painting (including artworks by [[Philippe de Champaigne]], [[Charles Le Brun]], [[François Boucher]], [[John Constable]], [[Ingres]], [[Théodore Géricault]] and [[Camille Corot]]) and archaeological collections as well as decorative arts.
* The [[Hôtel de Ville, Le Mans|Hôtel de Ville]] (City Hall)<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.persee.fr/doc/bulmo_0007-473x_1898_num_63_1_11164_t1_0296_0000_1   |title= L'Hotel-de-Ville du Mans (1471-1898)|first=Robert |last=Triger|year= 1898 |publisher= Marsy Arthur de Bulletin Monumental |pages= 296–298}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200" heights="150">
File:Palais des comtes du Maine - Le Mans.jpg|''Le Palais des Comtes du Maine''<ref group="n">birthplace of [[Henry II of England]] (now part of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) and not open to the public)</ref>
File:Le Mans muraille Gallo Romaine nord-est.JPG|Gallo-Roman walls
File:Organ in the cathedral.JPG|Organ in the cathedral
File:Street Le Mans 2009 SK.jpg|A street in the old town
File:LeMansCoatArms.JPG|Manhole cover depicting the city's coat-of-arms
File:Yvre - Abbaye Epau RB 01.jpg|Effigy of Berengaria of Navarre in the chapter house of Épau abbey. 
File:Place de la mairie Le Mans.JPG|The [[Hôtel de Ville, Le Mans|Hôtel de Ville]] (City Hall) 
</gallery>

==Climate==
Le Mans has a temperate [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb'') influenced by the mild Atlantic air travelling inland. Summers are warm and occasionally hot, whereas winters are mild and cloudy. Precipitation is relatively uniform and moderate year round.

{{Weather box
|location = Le Mans (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1944-present)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 17.2
|Feb record high C = 21.8
|Mar record high C = 25.6
|Apr record high C = 30.3
|May record high C = 32.6
|Jun record high C = 39.7
|Jul record high C = 41.1
|Aug record high C = 40.5
|Sep record high C = 35.0
|Oct record high C = 30.1
|Nov record high C = 22.2
|Dec record high C = 18.3
|year record high C = 41.1
|Jan avg record high C = 14.4
|Feb avg record high C = 16.2
|Mar avg record high C = 20.4
|Apr avg record high C = 24.8
|May avg record high C = 28.2
|Jun avg record high C = 32.4
|Jul avg record high C = 33.9
|Aug avg record high C = 34.0
|Sep avg record high C = 29.2
|Oct avg record high C = 23.5
|Nov avg record high C = 17.6
|Dec avg record high C = 14.3
|year avg record high C = 35.4
|Jan high C = 8.4
|Feb high C = 9.7
|Mar high C = 13.3
|Apr high C = 16.6
|May high C = 20.1
|Jun high C = 23.6
|Jul high C = 26.0
|Aug high C = 26.0
|Sep high C = 22.2
|Oct high C = 17.2
|Nov high C = 11.9
|Dec high C = 8.8
|year high C = 17.0
|Jan mean C = 5.5
|Feb mean C = 5.9
|Mar mean C = 8.7
|Apr mean C = 11.3
|May mean C = 14.9
|Jun mean C = 18.2
|Jul mean C = 20.3
|Aug mean C = 20.1
|Sep mean C = 16.7
|Oct mean C = 13.0
|Nov mean C = 8.6
|Dec mean C = 5.9
|year mean C = 12.4
|Jan low C = 2.7
|Feb low C = 2.2
|Mar low C = 4.0
|Apr low C = 6.0
|May low C = 9.7
|Jun low C = 12.9
|Jul low C = 14.6
|Aug low C = 14.3
|Sep low C = 11.2
|Oct low C = 8.8
|Nov low C = 5.2
|Dec low C = 2.9
|year low C = 7.9
|Jan avg record low C = -6.1
|Feb avg record low C = -5.1
|Mar avg record low C = -3.0
|Apr avg record low C = -0.6
|May avg record low C = 2.7
|Jun avg record low C = 6.8
|Jul avg record low C = 8.8
|Aug avg record low C = 7.7
|Sep avg record low C = 4.5
|Oct avg record low C = 0.8
|Nov avg record low C = -2.8
|Dec avg record low C = -5.2
|year avg record low C = -8.0
|Jan record low C = -18.2
|Feb record low C = -17.0
|Mar record low C = -11.3
|Apr record low C = -4.9
|May record low C = -3.7
|Jun record low C = 1.6
|Jul record low C = 3.9
|Aug record low C = 3.2
|Sep record low C = -0.5
|Oct record low C = -5.4
|Nov record low C = -12.0
|Dec record low C = -21.0
|year record low C = -21.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 65.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 49.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 52.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 51.1
|May precipitation mm = 63.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 55.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 49.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 49.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 50.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 65.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 67.1
|Dec precipitation mm = 75.0
|year precipitation mm = 693.4
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 11.0
|Feb precipitation days = 9.6
|Mar precipitation days = 9.4
|Apr precipitation days = 9.0
|May precipitation days = 9.5
|Jun precipitation days = 7.9
|Jul precipitation days = 7.3
|Aug precipitation days = 7.1
|Sep precipitation days = 7.7
|Oct precipitation days = 10.6
|Nov precipitation days = 11.3
|Dec precipitation days = 11.6
|year precipitation days = 112.1
|Jan humidity = 87
|Feb humidity = 83
|Mar humidity = 78
|Apr humidity = 74
|May humidity = 75
|Jun humidity = 73
|Jul humidity = 72
|Aug humidity = 74
|Sep humidity = 79
|Oct humidity = 86
|Nov humidity = 88
|Dec humidity = 88
|year humidity = 79.8
|Jan sun = 65.0
|Feb sun = 93.6
|Mar sun = 139.2
|Apr sun = 180.0
|May sun = 206.6
|Jun sun = 220.7
|Jul sun = 232.9
|Aug sun = 226.1
|Sep sun = 185.2
|Oct sun = 117.8
|Nov sun = 75.0
|Dec sun = 66.5
|year sun = 1808.5
|source 1 = [[Meteo France]]<ref name=MFclimat1>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_72181001.pdf
| title = Données climatiques de la station de Le Mans
| publisher = Meteo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 10 September 2023
}}</ref>
|source 2 = Infoclimat (humidity 1961–1990)<ref name=Infoclimat>{{cite web
| url = http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07235-le-mans-arnage.html
| title = Normes et records 1961–1990: Le Mans – Arnage (72) – altitude 51m 
| language = fr
| publisher = Infoclimat
| access-date = 9 January 2016}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{As of|2022}}, there were 370,280 inhabitants in the metropolitan area (''[[functional area (France)|aire d'attraction]]'') of Le Mans, with 145,182 of these living in the city proper ([[commune in France|commune]]).<ref>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/1405599?geo=AAV2020-034+COM-72181 Comparateur de territoire: Aire d'attraction des villes 2020 du Mans (034)], INSEE</ref> In 1855 Le Mans absorbed four neighbouring communes.<ref name=ehess/> The population data for 1851 and earlier in the table and graph below refer to the pre-1855 borders.
{{Historical populations
|title=Historical population of Le Mans
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|20932|Le Mans}}</ref> and INSEE (1968–2023)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/8643952?geo=COM-72181#tableau-POPREF_G1 Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 | 18855
|1800 | 18081
|1806 | 19030
|1821 | 18881
|1831 | 19792
|1836 | 23164
|1841 | 25189
|1846 | 27461
|1851 | 27059
|1856 | 34664
|1861 | 37209
|1866 | 45230
|1872 | 46981
|1876 | 50175
|1881 | 55347
|1886 | 57591
|1891 | 57412
|1896 | 60075
|1901 | 63272
|1906 | 65467
|1911 | 69361
|1921 | 71783
|1926 | 72867
|1931 | 76868
|1936 | 84525
|1946 | 100455
|1954 | 111891
|1962 | 132181
|1968 | 143246
|1975 | 152285
|1982 | 147697
|1990 | 145502
|1999 | 146105
|2007 | 144164
|2012 | 143599
|2017 | 142946
|2023 |146249
}}

==Transportation==
[[File:Tram Le Mans - Avenue du Général Leclerc.JPG|thumb|right|Tram in town center of Le Mans]]
The [[Gare du Mans]] is the main railway station of Le Mans. It takes 1 hour to reach Paris from Le Mans by [[TGV]] high speed train. There are also TGV connections to Lille, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes and Brest. Gare du Mans is also a hub for regional trains. Le Mans inaugurated a light rail system, [[Le Mans tramway]] (French: ''Tramway du Mans''), on 17 November 2007.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//le-mans-light-rail-takes-off.html | title=Le Mans light rail takes off | date=6 January 2008 | magazine=[[Railway Gazette International]] | access-date=5 March 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616040209/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/le-mans-light-rail-takes-off.html | archive-date=16 June 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[Le Mans Airfield]] ([[:fr:Aéroport Le Mans-Arnage]] ([[Le Mans Airfield|LME]] LFRM, until 1971 ''Aérodrome des Raineries'') located in the [[Arnage, Sarthe|Arnage]] community to the south of the City serves as regional airport.

==Sport==
===Motorsport===
[[File:Le Mans 2007 - Dunlop Curve.jpg|right|thumb|Dunlop Curve at the Circuit de la Sarthe]]
[[File:Empreinte pilotes 24h.jpg|thumbnail|right|Handprints and signatures from the winners of the 1992 edition of the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]], [[Mark Blundell]], [[Derek Warwick]], and [[Yannick Dalmas]], at Le Mans]]

The first [[French Grand Prix]] took place on a {{convert|64|mi|km|0|adj=on}} ''Circuit de la Sarthe'' based outside of Le Mans [[1906 French Grand Prix|in 1906]].

Since the introduction of the [[24 Hours of Le Mans]] [[Sports car racing|sports car endurance race]] in 1923, the city has been best known for its connection with motorsports. The [[Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans]] originally used public roads to the South of the city leading to [[Mulsanne]]. Some parts were replaced by permanent race track sections. The [[Circuit de la Sarthe#Bugatti Circuit|Bugatti Circuit]] (named after [[Ettore Bugatti]], founder of the [[Bugatti|car company]] bearing his name), a relatively short permanent circuit without public roads, can be used for racing throughout the year and regularly hosts the [[French motorcycle Grand Prix]]. 

The "[[Le Mans start]]" was used in the 24-hour race until 1969: drivers lined up across the track from their cars, ran across the track, jumped into their cars, started them, and began the race. The use of safety belts prevented this. The drivers have to be properly strapped in by mechanics.

The [[1955 Le Mans disaster]] was a large accident during the race that killed eighty-four spectators.

===Basketball===
The city is home to [[Le Mans Sarthe Basket]], 2006 Champion of the [[LNB Pro A]], France's top professional basketball division.

The team plays its home games at the [[Antarès]], which served as one of the host arenas of the FIBA [[EuroBasket 1999]].

===Football===
*[[Le Mans FC]]

===Cycling===
*[[Circuit de la Sarthe (cycling)]]

==Notable people==
{{See also|List of 24 Hours of Le Mans fatalities}}

Le Mans was the birthplace of:
[[File:Basile Moreau CSC.jpg|thumb|150px|Basil Moreau around 1860]]
* [[Elijah ben Menahem Ha-Zaken]], born 980
* [[Henry II of England]], born 1133
* [[Geoffrey of Anjou|Geoffroy V d'Anjou]], born 1113
* [[Geoffrey de Goreham]] or Gorron, became [[Abbot of St Albans]], Hertfordshire, UK in 1119
* [[John II of France]], born 1319
* [[Louis Le Pelletier|Dom Louis Le Pelletier]], born 1663, linguist of the [[Breton language]] 
* [[Gilles-François de Beauvais]], born 7 July 1693, Jesuit writer and preacher
* [[Jean-Marie-Joseph Coutelle]] (1748–1835), engineer, scientist and pioneer of ballooning
* [[Basil Moreau]], born 1799, priest of Le Mans, founded the [[Congregation of Holy Cross]], beatified in Le Mans in 2007
* [[Léon Bollée]], born 1870, car manufacturer and inventor
* [[Henri Fournier]], born 1871, racing driver
* [[Christine and Lea Papin]], whose murder (1933) of their employers inspired [[Jean Genêt]]'s ''[[The Maids]]''
* [[Jean Françaix]], born in 1912, composer
* [[Jean Lucas (racing driver)|Jean Lucas]], born 1917, racing driver
* [[Anny-Charlotte Verney]], born 1943, racing driver
* [[François Migault]], born 1944, racing driver
* [[Jean Rondeau (racing driver)|Jean Rondeau]], born in 1946, racing driver and constructor
* Gérard Tremblay, born 1950, racing driver
* [[Jean-Yves Empereur]] born 1952, archeologist
* [[Bertrand Lançon]], born 1952, Roman history scholar
* [[François Fillon]], born in 1954, former Prime Minister of France
* [[Yves Jumeau]], born in 1955, visual artist
* [[François Vallejo]], born 1960, novelist
* [[Sylvie Tolmont]], born 1962, politician
* [[Lionel Robert]], born 1962, racing driver
* [[Sabine Toutain]], born in 1966, violist
* [[Doan Bui]], born in the 1970s, journalist
*[[Amaelle Landais-Israël]], born 1977, climatologist
* [[Emmanuel Moire]], born 1979, French singer
* [[Sébastien Bourdais]], born 1979, race car driver
* [[Julien Canal]], born 1982, race car driver
* [[Jo-Wilfried Tsonga]], born 1985, professional tennis player
* [[Guillaume Loriot]], born 1986, footballer
* [[Leslie (singer)|Leslie]], born 4 February 1985, French singer
* [[Louis Rossi]] born 1989, Grand Prix motorcycle racer
* [[Emma Mackey]], born 1996, French-British actress

Notable residents include:
* [[Gilles Villeneuve]], lived temporarily in Le Mans in 1973.
* [[Gérard Genette]], literary theorist, lived and taught in Le Mans from 1956 to 1963. 
* [[Jacques Derrida]], philosopher, lived and taught in Le Mans in 1959–1960. 
* [[David Jason]], English actor, lived in Le Mans between 1965–1968 and 1999–2001.
* [[Andy Wallace (racing driver)|Andy Wallace]], born 1961, racecar driver.

Died in Le Mans:
* [[Liborius of Le Mans]] (c. 348–397), [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Mans|bishop of Le Mans]]
* [[André d'Arbelles]] (1767–1825), journalist and historiographer
* [[Lawrence Aubrey Wallace]] (1857–1942), British Colonial Administrator
* [[Gojko Nikoliš]] (1911–1995), Yugoslavian physician, historian and general

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}

Le Mans is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Les jumelages|url=http://www.lemans.fr/dynamique/bienvenue/les-jumelages/|website=lemans.fr|publisher=Le Mans|language=fr|access-date=2019-11-14}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Bolton]], England, United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|MAR}} [[Haouza]], Morocco
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Paderborn]], Germany
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [[Rostov-on-Don]], Russia
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Suzuka, Mie|Suzuka]], Japan
*{{flagicon|GRC}} [[Volos]], Greece
*{{flagicon|CHN}} [[Xianyang]], China
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Indianapolis]], Indiana, United States
{{div col end}}

==Gastronomy==
The culinary specialty of Le Mans is ''[[rillettes]]'', a shredded pork [[pâté]].

==Landmarks==
Located at Mayet near Le Mans, the [[Transmitter Le Mans-Mayet|Le Mans-Mayet transmitter]] has a height of 342&nbsp;m and is one of the tallest radio masts in France.

{{wide image|PanoramaLeMans.JPG|800px|Panorama of Le Mans, facing north-west}}

==Representation in popular culture==
*Le Mans has been a setting for numerous feature films that feature its famous race.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/the-best-24-hours-of-le-mans-movies/|title = The 5 Best 24 Hours of le Mans Movies|date = 14 June 2016}}</ref>
*Le Mans is a setting for sections of the 2020 novel, ''The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue'', by V.E. Schwab.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-10-05|title=The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: Recap & Summary|url=https://the-bibliofile.com/the-invisible-life-of-addie-larue-summary-recap-spoilers/|access-date=2022-02-15|website=The Bibliofile|language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* The [[Cenomanian]] Age of the [[Cretaceous]] Period of geological time is named for Cenomanus (Gallo-Roman Le Mans)
*[[Communes of the Sarthe department]]
*[[Gallo-Roman enclosure of Le Mans]]
*[[Museum of Archaeology and History of Le Mans]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="n"}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{See also|Timeline of Le Mans#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Le Mans}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{wikivoyage}}
* [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160515093543/http://www.ville-lemans.fr/ Official website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.le-mans.fr/ Le Mans d'Antan] {{in lang|fr}}

{{Cities in France}}
{{Prefectures of departments of France}}
{{Sarthe communes}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mans}}
[[Category:Le Mans| ]]
[[Category:Communes of Sarthe]]
[[Category:Prefectures in France]]
[[Category:Cenomani]]
[[Category:Gallia Lugdunensis]]
[[Category:Cenomanian| ]]
[[Category:Cities in France]]