Vienne
| Vienne | ||
|---|---|---|
| Department | ||
|
Prefecture building of the Vienne department, in Poitiers | ||
| ||
 Location of Vienne in France | ||
| Coordinates: 46°30′N 00°30′E / 46.500°N 0.500°ECoordinates: 46°30′N 00°30′E / 46.500°N 0.500°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Prefecture | Poitiers | |
| Subprefectures |
Châtellerault Montmorillon | |
| Government | ||
| • President of the General Council | Claude Bertaud | |
| Area1 | ||
| • Total | 6,990 km2 (2,700 sq mi) | |
| Population (2013) | ||
| • Total | 431,248 | |
| • Rank | 56th | |
| • Density | 62/km2 (160/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Department number | 86 | |
| Arrondissements | 3 | |
| Cantons | 19 | |
| Communes | 280 | |
| ^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 | ||
Vienne (French pronunciation: [vjɛn]) is a department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne.
History
Established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution, Vienne is one of the original 83 departments. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou, Touraine, and Berry, the latter being a part of the Duchy of Aquitaine until the 15th century.
The original Acadians, who settled in and around what is now Nova Scotia, left Vienne for North America after 1604. Kennedy (2014) argues that the emigrants carried to Canada their customs and social structure. They were frontier peoples, who dispersed their settlements based on kinship. They optimized use of farmland and emphasized trading for a profit. They were hierarchical and politically active.[1]
Politics
Édith Cresson, France's first woman Prime Minister from 1991-1992, was a deputy (MP) for the department.
It has three arrondissements : Poitiers, the prefecture, and the subprefectures Châtellerault and Montmorillon.
Religion
The capital Poitiers is the see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers, which pastorally serves the department.
Tourism and sights
The most famous tourist sites include the Futuroscope theme park, Poitiers (city of Art and History), the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, a UNESCO world heritage site, the animal parks of Monkey's Valley in Romagne & the Crocodile Planet in Civaux.
Economy
Goat cheese making is an important industry of Vienne.
International relations
Vienne has a partnership relationship with:
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Gallery
Tympan of the church of Civray
See also
- Communes of the Vienne department
- Cantons of the Vienne department
- Arrondissements of the Vienne department
- Anjou wine
References
- ↑ Gregory M.W. Kennedy. Something of a Peasant Paradise? Comparing Rural Societies in Acadie and the Loudunais, 1604-1755 (MQUP, 2014)
- ↑ "Partneri- ja kummikaupungit (Partnership and twinning cities)". Oulun kaupunki (City of Oulu) (in Finnish). Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- ↑ 友好城市 (Friendly cities), 市外办 (Foreign Affairs Office), 2008-03-22. (Translation by Google Translate.)
- ↑ 国际友好城市一览表 (International Friendship Cities List), 2011-01-20. (Translation by Google Translate.)
- ↑ 友好交流 (Friendly exchanges), 2011-09-13. (Translation by Google Translate.)
External links
- (English) French Vienne Tourism Agency
- (French) General Council website
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vienne. |