Vienne

Vienne
Department
Prefecture building of the Vienne department, in Poitiers
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Vienne in France
Coordinates: 45.5221°N 4.8453°E / 45.5221; 4.8453
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Prefecture	Poitiers
Subprefectures	Châtellerault Montmorillon
Government
• President of the Departmental Council	Alain Pichon
Area
• Total	6,990 km2 (2,700 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2021)
• Total	439,385
• Rank	56th
• Density	63/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Department number	86
Arrondissements	3
Cantons	19
Communes	266
^1 French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2

Vienne (French pronunciation: [vjɛn] ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: Viéne) is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.

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 last 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.

Geography

The department of Vienne has an area of 6,990 km² (2,700 sq mi). Part of the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine, it borders Maine-et-Loire to the northwest, Indre-et-Loire to the north, Indre to the east, Haute-Vienne to the southeast, Charente to the south and Deux-Sèvres to the west. It is crossed by the river Vienne, a tributary of the Loire.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Poitiers, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 7,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

Population development since 1801:

Politics

Édith Cresson, France's first woman prime minister from 1991 to 1992, was a deputy (MP) for the department. The president of the Departmental Council is Alain Pichon, elected in 2020.

Vienne has three arrondissements: Poitiers, the prefecture, and the subprefectures Châtellerault and Montmorillon.

Current National Assembly Representatives

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 and the Crocodile Planet in Civaux.

Economy

The production of goat cheese is an important industry in Vienne.

International relations

Vienne has a partnership relationship with:

Notable people

• Benoît-François Bernier (1720–1799), New France army officer, served as financial commissary of wars

Gallery

• 
  Notre-Dame of Poitiers
• 
  Saint-Martin-l'Ars
• 
  Romagne
• 
  Blanzay
• 
  Tympanum of the church of Civray

See also

• Communes of the Vienne department
• Cantons of the Vienne department
• Arrondissements of the Vienne department
• Anjou wine