Derval

For the Irish given name Derval, see Dervla.

Derval Derva (Gallo) Derwal (Breton)
Commune
Town hall
Coat of arms
Location of Derval
Derval Show map of France Derval Show map of Pays de la Loire
Coordinates: 47°40′06″N 1°40′12″W / 47.6683°N 1.67°W / 47.6683; -1.67
Country	France
Region	Pays de la Loire
Department	Loire-Atlantique
Arrondissement	Châteaubriant-Ancenis
Canton	Guémené-Penfao
Intercommunality	Châteaubriant-Derval
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Dominique David[1]
Area ^1	63.51 km^2 (24.52 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	3,578
• Density	56.34/km^2 (145.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	44051 /44590
Elevation	8–77 m (26–253 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Derval (French pronunciation: [dɛʁval] ^ⓘ; Gallo: Derva, Breton: Derwal) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.

Geography

The river Chère forms all of the commune's northern border.

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,750 —     1821 1,936 +0.36% 1846 2,309 +0.71% 1872 2,968 +0.97% 1901 3,329 +0.40% 1926 3,226 −0.13% 1946 2,859 −0.60% 1962 2,702 −0.35%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1968 2,675 −0.17% 1975 2,591 −0.45% 1982 2,558 −0.18% 1990 2,558 +0.00% 1999 2,491 −0.29% 2007 2,919 +2.00% 2012 3,422 +3.23% 2017 3,489 +0.39%
Source: EHESS[3] and INSEE (1968-2017)[4]

International relations

Derval is twinned with Llanidloes, a small town in Wales.

Architecture

The castle, also known as the Saint-Clair Tower, is an ancient fortified castle, the remains of which stand in the woods, 2.5 kilometers north-northeast of the town. The building was first partially registered as a historic monument by decree of July 16, 1925 by the French Ministry of Culture, to protect the Saint-Clair tower. In November 2021, protection was extended to the entire site, both built and unbuilt parts, in order to protect the surrounding area, the moats and the buried remains.^[5]

See also

• Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
3. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Derval, EHESS (in French).
4. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
5. "Château Tour Saint-Clair". Patrimoine architectural (Mérimée) - Monuments historiques (in French). Ministry of Culture (France). 17 July 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2025.