Haute-Vienne (; oc, Nauta Vinhana, ; English: Upper Vienne) is a department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in southwest-central France. Named after the

Vienne River The Vienne (; oc, Vinhana, ) is a major river in south-western France. It is long. It is a significant left tributary of the lower Loire. It supports numerous hydroelectric dams, and it is the main river of the northern part of the Nouvelle-Aq ...

, it is one of the twelve departments that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The prefecture and largest city in the department is Limoges, the other towns in the department each having fewer than twenty thousand inhabitants. Haute-Vienne had a population of 372,359 in 2019.Populations légales 2019: 87 Haute-Vienne
INSEE

Geography

Haute-Vienne is part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is bordered by six departments; Creuse lies to the east,

Corrèze Corrèze (; oc, Corresa) is a department in France, named after the river Corrèze which runs through it. Although its prefecture is Tulle, its most populated city is Brive-la-Gaillarde. Corrèze is located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regio ...

to the south,

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named ...

to the southwest,

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...

to the west, Vienne to the northwest and

Indre Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...

to the north. The department has two main rivers which cross it from east to west; the Vienne, on which the two main cities, Limoges and Saint-Junien, are situated, and the

Gartempe The Gartempe () is a French river, long. It is a left tributary of the Creuse, which it joins in La Roche-Posay. Its source is in the municipality of Peyrabout. Among its tributaries are the Anglin, the Brame, the Semme and the Ardour. The ...

, a tributary of the Creuse. To the southeast of the department lies the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

, and the highest point in the department is Puy Lagarde, . The source of the

is in the department, in the commune of Chéronnac, near

Rochechouart Rochechouart (, ; oc, Rechoard, link=no, earlier ''La Ròcha Choard'') is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, west central France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The name of the town comes from Lati ...

. At the west end of the department is the

Rochechouart impact structure Rochechouart impact structure or Rochechouart astrobleme is an impact structure in France. Erosion has over the millions of years has mostly destroyed its impact crater, the initial surface expression of the asteroid impact leaving highly deforme ...

, an impact crater caused by a

meteorite A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object ...

that crashed into the earth's surface over 200 million years ago; because of subsequent

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is d ...

, little sign of the crater is in evidence today apart from the geologic effects on the surrounding rock.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Limoges, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 7,000 inhabitants:

Subdivisions

The three

arrondissements An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...

of the Haute-Vienne department are: # Arrondissement of Bellac, ( subprefecture: Bellac) with 57 communes. # Arrondissement of Limoges, ( prefecture of the Haute-Vienne department: Limoges) with 108 communes. # Arrondissement of Rochechouart, (subprefecture:

) with 30 communes. Haute-Vienne consists of 21 cantons.

History

A few Paleolithic and Mesolithic remains have been found in the department, Neolithic inhabitants are attested to by standing stones and by burial chambers, like the dolmen Chez Boucher in La Croix-sur-Gartempe, and others at Berneuil and

Breuilaufa Breuilaufa (; oc, Lo Bruèlh au Fag) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Inhabitants are known as ''Breuilaufais'' in French. See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne department The f ...

. Artefacts from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

include axe heads found at

Châlus Châlus (; oc, Chasluç) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. History Richard I, King of England was besieging Châlus in 1199 when Pierre Basile wounded him with a crossbow bol ...

. With the coming of the Romans, trade was opened up and gold and tin were mined. Agriculture developed and grapes were grown;

amphora An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...

e for storing wine were found at Saint-Gence. During the reign of Augustus, the city of Augustoritum was founded (later to become Limoges) at a strategic ford across the Vienne. The Romans built roads from here to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

and the Mediterranean. The city declined in the 3rd Century when barbarian invasions of the region took place. The domination of the Visigoths was short-lived and Clovis I seized control of Limousin after the battle of Vouillé in 507. By 674, the region was attached to the duchy of Aquitaine, and the Viscount of Limoges was created. There followed an unsettled period with various powers vying for control. In 1199,

Richard Cœur de Lion Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ove ...

was mortally wounded during the siege of the

Château de Châlus-Chabrol The Château de Châlus-Chabrol ( Occitan Limousin : ''Chasteu de Chasluç-Chabròl'') is a castle in the ''commune'' of Châlus in the ''département'' of Haute-Vienne, France. The castle dominates the town of Châlus. It consists today of an ...

. The region was much involved in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

and at the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360, France granted England a large area of territory comprising much of Limousin. Limoges city rebelled and gave its allegiance to the French crown, and as a result was sacked in 1370. Further troubled years followed but when peace was restored, the department benefited economically; tanneries sprang up by the Vienne, paper was produced, printing developed and the area became known for fine enamelwork. After a revolt by the peasants, Henri IV brought peace and prosperity to the region of Limousin. He visited Limoges in 1607 and was greeted enthusiastically. The Counter-Reformation led to the creation of numerous convents and religious orders, especially in Limoges. In 1761, Anne Robert Jacques Turgot was appointed ''intendent'' (tax collector) of Limoges. He negotiated a reduction in taxes payable by the region and developed fairer methods of collecting taxes, as well as improving the road system and encouraging agricultural development. Around 1765,

kaolin Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedra ...

was discovered near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in the south of the department, and the

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

industry developed. The department was created on 4 March 1790, during the French Revolution, the southern half being a subdivision of the Region of Limousin while the northern half was carved out of the county of Marche, as well as some parts of

Angoumois Angoumois (), historically the County of Angoulême, was a county and province of France, originally inferior to the parent duchy of Aquitaine, similar to the Périgord to its east but lower and generally less forested, equally with occasional ...

and Poitou. At first it was given the number 81, but in the nineteenth century, the number was changed to the 87th department, when further land to the east and northeast was added. It takes its name from the upper reaches of the Vienne which flows through it. In 1998, the southwest part of the department, together with the northern part of the region of Périgord was designated as the Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin.

Economy

In 2013, twenty million euros were earned from agriculture in the province, as against twenty-one million three hundred thousand from Limousin. There were 351,475 cattle in Haute-Vienne, 22,780 pigs, 320,500 sheep and 6,500 goats. 723,340 hectolitres of milk were produced from cows and 30,690 hectolitres from sheep. In the same year, 1,897,800 hectares of cereals were grown and in the previous year, 12,294 hectares of land were producing organic foodstuffs.

Demographics

In 1801, the population of the department was 245,150. It grew steadily over the next century so that in 1901 it was 381,753. It peaked at 385,732 in 1906, fell back slightly in 1911 to 384,736 and fell sharply to 350,235 in 1921, after the Great War. By 1954 it had dwindled to 324,429 but after that it began to rise again, and in 2007 stood at 371,102.

Politics

The president of the Departmental Council is Jean-Claude Leblois, first elected in 2015.

Current National Assembly Representatives

Tourism

File:Château de Montbrun (1).jpg, Château de Montbrun File:Car in Oradour-sur-Glane4.jpg, Ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane File:Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche - Mairie.jpg, Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche File:Chateau-Rocher 09.JPG, Maisonnais-sur-Tardoire File:Mortemart-la-halle.jpg, Mortemart File:Saint-Laurent-les-Églises (Haute-Vienne, Fr), paysage matinal.JPG, Limousin cows near Saint-Laurent-les-Églises File:Rochechouart chateau.jpg, Château de Rochechouart

Notable people

* Martial of Limoges or

Saint Martial Saint Martial (3rd century), called "the Apostle of the Gauls" or "the Apostle of Aquitaine", was the first bishop of Limoges. His feast day is 30 June. Life There is no accurate information as to the origin, dates of birth and death, or the act ...

(third century), also called the apostle of Gaul or the apostle of Aquitaine, is traditionally the first bishop of Limoges. *

Richard the Lion Heart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was ...

(8 September 1157, Beaumont Palace in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

- 6 April 1199, the castle of Chalus Chabrol) was King of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, count of

Poitiers Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglome ...

, Count of Maine and Count of Anjou 1189 until his death in 1199. Son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. *

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Count Jourdan (29 April 1762 – 23 November 1833), was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon I i ...

(1762-1833), Marshal of France. * Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud (1753-1793), revolutionary. * Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778-1850), chemist and physicist *

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His ...

(1882-1944) novelist and diplomat. *

Maryse Bastié Maryse Bastié (27 February 1898 – 6 July 1952) was a French aviator who set several international records for female aviators during the 1930s. Early life She was born Marie-Louise Bombec in Limoges, Haute-Vienne; Bastié's father died wh ...

(1898-1952) aviator. *

Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...

(1841-1919), impressionist painter. * Sadi Carnot (1837-1894), French president. * Jean Chassagne (26 July 1881– 13 April 1947) was a pioneer submariner, aviator and French racecar driver active 1906-1930. * Tōson Shimazaki (1872 - 1943), Japanese writer, exiled to Limoges in 1914. * Suzanne Valadon (1865-1938), painter and artist's model. *

Martial Valin Martial Henri Valin (14 May 1898 in Limoges – 19 September 1980 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a French Air Force general. He initially served as a cavalryman in the First World War. After nine years cavalry service in the ''chasseurs d'Afrique'', dr ...

(1898-1980), commander of the Free French Air Force. *

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoc ...

(Lucien Ginzburg) (1928-1991), took refuge in 1944 in the local high school, to escape the persecution of Jews (his parents had immigrated from

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

). * Pierre Desproges (9 May 1939 in Pantin - 18 April 1988 in Paris) is a French comedian known for his dark humor, his nonconformity and sense of the absurd. *

Paul Rebeyrolle Paul Rebeyrolle (3 November 1926 in Eymoutiers – 7 February 2005 in Côte-d'Or) was a French painter. Life and works As a child he had tuberculosis of the bone, which caused for long periods of immobility. Later he studied in Limoges and join ...

(1926-2005), artist. *

Edmond Gondinet Edmond Gondinet (7 March 1828 – 19 November 1888) was a French playwright and librettist. This author, nearly forgotten today, produced forty plays of which several were successful. He collaborated with Alphonse Daudet and Eugène Labiche, amo ...

(1828-1888), playwright. *

Roland Dumas Roland Dumas (; born 23 August 1922) is a French lawyer and Socialist politician who served as Foreign Minister under President François Mitterrand from 1984 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1993. He was also President of the Constitutional Council ...

(1922), politician. *

Georges-Emmanuel Clancier Georges-Emmanuel Clancier (3 May 1914 – 4 July 2018) was a French poet, novelist, and journalist. He won the Prix Goncourt (poetry), the Grand Prize of the Académie française, and the grand prize of the Société des gens de lettres. Life C ...

, born 3 May 1914 in Limoges, was a French writer and poet. *

Xavier Darcos Xavier Darcos (born 14 July 1947) is a French politician, scholar, civil servant and former Minister of Labour. An ''agrégé'' professor in literature and general inspector of the National Education system, he has been Mayor of Périgueux, ...

(1947), politician. * Bob Maloubier (2 February 1923 in Neuilly-sur-Seine - 20 April 2015 in Paris) was, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, a secret agent of the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its p ...

. *

Pascal Sevran Pascal Sevran (16 October 1945 – 9 May 2008) was a French TV presenter and author. Biography Son of a communist taxi driver, and a Spanish seamstress, Pascal Sevran was born on 16 October 1945 in Paris. His real name was Jean-Claude Jouhaud. He ...

(1945-2008), songwriter, television host, who died in Limoges. *

Theo Sarapo Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

is a singer and actor of Greek origin, born Theophanis Lamboukas 26 January 1936 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, died 28 August 1970 in Limoges. * Jean-Paul Denanot, is a French politician, member of the

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

Party (PS). * Robert Hébras (born 29 June 1925 in Oradour-sur-Glane) is one of six people who survived the

Oradour-sur-Glane massacre On 10 June 1944, four days after D-Day, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne in Nazi-occupied France was destroyed when 643 civilians, including non-combatant women and children, were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company. A ne ...

on 10 June 1944. * Raymond Poulidor, said "Poupou" is a French cyclist, born 15 April 1936 in

Masbaraud-Mérignat Masbaraud-Mérignat (Limousin: ''Lo Mas de Barèu e Mairinhac'') is a former commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Saint-Dizier-Masbaraud.

in the department of Creuse. * Henri Rabaute, (26 May 1943 in Limoges - 11 November 2000) was a French cyclist. * Vincent Perrot, (born 3 August 1965) is a French journalist, radio and television presenter and drag racing driver. *

Nathanaël de Rincquesen Nathanaël de Rincquesen, born Nathanaël de Willecot de Rincquesen on 9 March 1972 in Paris is a French journalist and TV presenter. Biography A former student of college ''Langevin-Wallon'' at Saint-Gratien in the Val-d'Oise and a former s ...

, born Nathanael Willecot Rincquesen on 9 March 1972 in

, is a French journalist and television presenter. *

Luc Leblanc Luc Leblanc (born 4 August 1966 in Limoges, France) is a retired French professional road cyclist. He was World Road Champion in 1994. Biography In 1978, a drunk driver hit Luc Leblanc, aged 11, and his younger brother Gilles Leblanc, aged 8. ...

(1966), French cyclist. * Richard Dacoury (1959), French basketball player, former international player and emblematic player of the Limoges CSP. * Laurent Koscielny, born 10 September 1985 in Tulle, French international footballer who played in Limoges FC. He played in the Premier League as a central defender with

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

. * Laetitia Milot (born 5 July 1980), actress, model and French writer.

References

External links

*
Prefecture website
*
Departmental Council website
*
Tourism
{{Authority control Massif Central Departments of Nouvelle-Aquitaine 1790 establishments in France States and territories established in 1790