Vienne (French pronunciation: [vjɛn] vyen; 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.
Vienne | |
|---|---|
 Prefecture building of the Vienne department, in Poitiers | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Vienne in France | |
| Coordinates: 45°31′20″N 4°50′43″E / 45.5221°N 4.8453°E | |
| 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 (2022) | |
• Total | 438,688 |
| • Rank | 56th |
| • Density | 63/km2 (160/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | FR-86 |
| 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 | |
History
Established on 4 March 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:
| Commune | Population (2019) |
|---|---|
| Poitiers | 89,212 |
| Châtellerault | 31,487 |
| Buxerolles | 10,060 |
| Jaunay-Marigny | 7,600 |
| Saint-Benoît | 7,267 |
| Chauvigny | 7,062 |
Demographics
Population development since 1801:
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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
| Constituency | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienne's 1st constituency | Lisa Belluco | The Ecologists (France) | |
| Vienne's 2nd constituency | Sacha Houlié | La République En Marche! | |
| Vienne's 3rd constituency | Pascal Lecamp | MoDem | |
| Vienne's 4th constituency | Nicolas Turquois | MoDem | |
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:
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Notable people
- Benoît-François Bernier (1720–1799), New France army officer, served as financial commissary of wars
Gallery
-
![image]()
Notre-Dame of Poitiers -
![image]()
Saint-Martin-l'Ars -
![image]()
Romagne -
![image]()
Blanzay -
![image]()
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
References
- "Répertoire national des élus: les conseillers départementaux". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 4 May 2022.
- "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
- Populations légales 2019: 86 Vienne, INSEE
- Gregory M.W. Kennedy. Something of a Peasant Paradise? Comparing Rural Societies in Acadie and the Loudunais, 1604-1755 (MQUP, 2014)
- "Historique de la Vienne". Le SPLAF.
- "Évolution et structure de la population en 2016". INSEE.
- Nationale, Assemblée. "Assemblée nationale ~ Les députés, le vote de la loi, le Parlement français". Assemblée nationale.
- "Partneri- ja kummikaupungit (Partnership and twinning cities)". Oulun kaupunki (City of Oulu) (in Finnish). Retrieved 2013-07-27.
- 友好城市 (Friendly cities) Archived 2013-09-23 at the Wayback Machine, 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) Archived 2012-06-02 at the Wayback Machine, 2011-01-20. (Translation by Google Translate.)
- 友好交流 (Friendly exchanges) Archived 2014-04-10 at the Wayback Machine, 2011-09-13. (Translation by Google Translate.)
External links
- Departmental Council website (in French)
- Prefecture website (in French)
- Vienne Tourism Agency
Vienne French pronunciation vjɛn vyen Poitevin Saintongeais Viene 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 VienneDepartmentPrefecture building of the Vienne department in PoitiersFlagCoat of armsLocation of Vienne in FranceCoordinates 45 31 20 N 4 50 43 E 45 5221 N 4 8453 E 45 5221 4 8453CountryFranceRegionNouvelle AquitainePrefecturePoitiersSubprefecturesChatellerault MontmorillonGovernment President of the Departmental CouncilAlain PichonArea1 Total6 990 km2 2 700 sq mi Population 2022 Total438 688 Rank56th Density63 km2 160 sq mi Time zoneUTC 1 CET Summer DST UTC 2 CEST ISO 3166 codeFR 86Department number86Arrondissements3Cantons19Communes266 1 French Land Register data which exclude estuaries and lakes ponds and glaciers larger than 1 km2HistoryEstablished on 4 March 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 GeographyThe 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 Sevres 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 Commune Population 2019 Poitiers 89 212Chatellerault 31 487Buxerolles 10 060Jaunay Marigny 7 600Saint Benoit 7 267Chauvigny 7 062DemographicsPopulation development since 1801 Historical populationYearPop p a 1801240 990 1806252 351 0 93 1821260 697 0 22 1831282 731 0 81 1841294 250 0 40 1851317 305 0 76 1861322 028 0 15 1872320 598 0 04 1881340 295 0 66 1891344 355 0 12 1901336 343 0 24 1911332 276 0 12 1921306 248 0 81 YearPop p a 1931303 072 0 10 1936306 820 0 25 1946313 932 0 23 1954319 208 0 21 1962331 619 0 48 1968340 256 0 43 1975357 366 0 70 1982371 428 0 55 1990380 005 0 29 1999399 130 0 55 2006418 460 0 68 2011427 193 0 41 2016436 069 0 41 Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension which will be known as the Chart extension can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki org Sources PoliticsEdith 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 Chatellerault and Montmorillon Current National Assembly Representatives Constituency Member PartyVienne s 1st constituency Lisa Belluco The Ecologists France Vienne s 2nd constituency Sacha Houlie La Republique En Marche Vienne s 3rd constituency Pascal Lecamp MoDemVienne s 4th constituency Nicolas Turquois MoDemReligionThe capital Poitiers is the see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers which pastorally serves the department Tourism and sightsThe 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 EconomyThe production of goat cheese is an important industry in Vienne International relationsVienne has a partnership relationship with Esslingen am Neckar Germany Berkshire England Oulu Piotrkow Trybunalski Poland Shenzhen China since 1993 Udine Italy Velenje Slovenia Wroclaw PolandNotable peopleBenoit Francois Bernier 1720 1799 New France army officer served as financial commissary of warsGalleryNotre Dame of Poitiers Saint Martin l Ars Romagne Blanzay Tympanum of the church of CivraySee alsoCommunes of the Vienne department Cantons of the Vienne department Arrondissements of the Vienne department Anjou wineReferences Repertoire national des elus les conseillers departementaux data gouv fr Plateforme ouverte des donnees publiques francaises in French 4 May 2022 Populations de reference 2022 in French The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies 19 December 2024 Populations legales 2019 86 Vienne INSEE Gregory M W Kennedy Something of a Peasant Paradise Comparing Rural Societies in Acadie and the Loudunais 1604 1755 MQUP 2014 Historique de la Vienne Le SPLAF Evolution et structure de la population en 2016 INSEE Nationale Assemblee Assemblee nationale Les deputes le vote de la loi le Parlement francais Assemblee nationale Partneri ja kummikaupungit Partnership and twinning cities Oulun kaupunki City of Oulu in Finnish Retrieved 2013 07 27 友好城市 Friendly cities Archived 2013 09 23 at the Wayback Machine 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 Archived 2012 06 02 at the Wayback Machine 2011 01 20 Translation by Google Translate 友好交流 Friendly exchanges Archived 2014 04 10 at the Wayback Machine 2011 09 13 Translation by Google Translate External linksDepartmental Council website in French Prefecture website in French Vienne Tourism AgencyWikimedia Commons has media related to Vienne
