The Sorgue is a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

in Southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

lying between the foothills of the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

and the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

. It is long. Its source is near the town of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse,

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.

department. It is the biggest spring in France and the fifth biggest in the world. The Sorgue divides into two river courses at

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (; or ) is a town and Communes of France, commune on the Sorgue river in Southeastern France. Politically, the commune is in the arrondissement of Avignon within the Departments of France, department of Vaucluse, in the Re ...

, at a point on the river called the , then further downstream it divides into dozens of separate waterways with different names, such as Sorgue de l’Isle, Sorgue de Velleron, Sorgue de Monclar, Sorgue de la Faible. All these arms of the Sorgue flow along the plain of the Sorgues, between

and

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

. The two largest streams, the Sorgue of Velleron and the Sorgue d'Entraigues, rejoin with one another and enter the

Ouvèze The Ouvèze (; ) is a river in southern France and left tributary of the Rhône. It rises in the southern French Prealps (the Baronnies), in the commune of Montauban-sur-l'Ouvèze. It flows into the Rhône in Sorgues, north of Avignon. Its leng ...

Bédarrides Bédarrides (; Provençal: ''Bedarrida'') is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Name The settlement is attested as ''villa Betorrida'' in 814, ''Biturrita'' in 898, ''Bistur ...

. The , which is the third-largest river course, joins with the

at Sorgues, and flows into the

at Avignon.

History

In the mid-fourteenth century, the Italian humanist,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and scholar

Petrarch Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, as well as one of the earliest Renaissance humanism, humanists. Petrarch's redis ...

visited the region of Vaucluse, climbing Mont Ventoux in 1336. Notable as the eternal lover of

Laura de Noves Laura de Noves (c. 1310–1348) was the wife of Count Hugues de Sade (ancestor of the Marquis de Sade). It has been speculated that she may be the Laura of Petrarch Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Franc ...

, Petrarch returned repeatedly to the Fontaine de Vaucluse to listen to the "voice of the waters". The poet expresses his happiness: "The beautiful source of the river Sorgue, famous in her own right since time immemorial, is celebrated once more by my own extended stay and by my songs." (''La très illustre source de la Sorgue, fameuse par elle-même depuis longtemps, est devenue plus célèbre encore par mon long séjour et par mes chants'').Petrarca, ''Senil'', X, 2.

Economy

The management and upkeep of the waterways that make up the river Sorgue is not conducted directly by the State. Local towns have delegated the management of the river to three Unions of Local Rivers, which are federated within the Mixed Union of the Pool of the Sorgues. The Sorgue has historically provided power and water for many

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

s along its course, as well as many

watermills A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

. The river is now used extensively by fishermen. It is a tourist destination and is photographed and traveled on by those wishing to enjoy its beauty. Along its course, especially near its source, several canoeing centres provide boats for rent.

Weirs

More than one hundred weirs are used for the management of this river, as it makes its journey from the source at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, through its bifurcation at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and subsequent splitting into streams and courses that run into the rivers Ouvèze and Rhone.

References

External links

More information about the Sorgue
{{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Rivers of Vaucluse