:''This article has been expanded with material from the corresponding page in French Wikipedia'' The ''lac de Vassivière'' or Vassivière Lake (; Vacivièra in

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

), one of France's largest artificial lakes, is a large man-made

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

of about . It is situated on the

Plateau de Millevaches 220px, Plateau de Millevaches The Plateau de Millevaches (; oc, Replanat de Miuvachas) is an upland area in Limousin a former administrative region of France. It covers approximately 3,500 km² and crosses the boundaries of three French dep ...

in the

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

s of

Creuse Creuse (; oc, Cruesa or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the eas ...

and

Haute-Vienne Haute-Vienne (; oc, Nauta Vinhana, ; English: Upper Vienne) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwest-central France. Named after the Vienne River, it is one of the twelve departments that together constitute Nouvelle-Aquitai ...

. It is the largest area of water in the

Limousin Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...

region of France and provides water supplies, hydroelectricity, and leisure facilities.

Construction

The lake was constructed after

World War II 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 opposin ...

and opened at Christmas 1950. It is the product of two dams in the valley of the Maulde River, an important tributary of 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-Aqu ...

The Maulde is the most important source of water for the lake, and the lac de Lavaud-Gelade, a

to the east, is able to feed it via an underground canal. The lac de Vassivière feeds water to a hydro-electric station at Mazet, to the west.

Geography and environment

The lac de Vassivière is surrounded by more than of land of ecological or natural interest (ZNIEFF:

Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique A Zone naturelle d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique (Natural zone of ecological interest, fauna and flora), abbreviated as ZNIEFF, is a type of natural environment recognized by France. The inventory of a ZNIEFF area is an invent ...

), level 1, grouped in 15 distinct areas. These present the full range of landscapes characteristic of the

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

and

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

. The bogs, in particular, are unique and fragile small ecosystems, composed of many strata of plant material, and forming a

carbon sink A carbon sink is anything, natural or otherwise, that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period and thereby removes carbon dioxide () from the atmosphere. Globally, the two most important carbon si ...

. They are the sources of many of the streams and rivers that flow from the region. The climate is heavily influenced by the elevated, inland location. Milevaches winters are cold with snowfalls heavy enough for some winter sports. Spring is generally cool and wet, and summer is warm and pleasant, albeit with occasional fierce thunderstorms. Autumn often brings a period of considerable sun and warmth. The lac de Vassivière is the 16th largest lake in France by area, but sixth among the artificial lakes, and tenth among fresh water lakes. It is surrounded by many different communes, including: * in

Faux-la-Montagne Faux-la-Montagne (; oc, Faus) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Geography An area of lakes and streams, forestry and farming comprising the village and several hamlets some southwest of ...

, Royère-de-Vassivière. * in

Beaumont-du-Lac Beaumont-du-Lac (, literally ''Beaumont of the Lake''; oc, Beumont) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne department The following is a list of th ...

, Peyrat-le-Château,

Amenities

As the lac de Vassivière is entirely inside the Millevaches Regional Natural Park, large parts of its shoreline are protected from excessive development, and form an important haven for wildlife, and wild flowers in particular. However, with 45 kilometres of shoreline there has still been room for a good deal of tourist development, mostly at well-separated, small sites. This provides camping and picnic facilities, small-scale catering, hotels, artificial beaches, and small ports. There are demarcated zones for motor boating and

water skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...

, but most of the surface is dominated by small sailing boats. Much of the surrounding housing caters for tourists. There are numerous organised cycling and walking events. The lake has, in fact, become the most important area for sport, and especially water sports, in the region.

Isle of Vassivière

The Isle of Vassivière is an island at the centre of the lake with an area of 0.75 km². It is dominated by a

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

and features a number of exhibition and performance spaces, a landscape sculpture park and small menagerie. It is also the site of the lake's main

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

, designed in 1988 by

Aldo Rossi Aldo Rossi (3 May 1931 – 4 September 1997) was an Italian architect and designer who achieved international recognition in four distinct areas: architectural theory, drawing and design and also product design. He was one of the leading exponen ...

. The island is connected to the shore by a causeway. Only authorised vehicles are allowed, so it is normally accessed on foot or by road train.

Transport

The Lake is entirely encircled by roads and footpaths. The nearest railway station is

Eymoutiers Eymoutiers () is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region in western France. Inhabitants are known as ''Pelauds'' in French. History The foundation of ...

/Lac de Vassivière. As well as guided tours by boat, there is a free water taxi on the lake.

Gallery

File:Vassiviere Chateau01.JPG, Chateau on the Isle of Vassivière. File:Vassiviere Auphelle port.JPG, Small port and leisure facilities on the lakeside at Auphelle. File:Vassiviere Beach.jpg, Leisure beach on the south side of the lake, with typical

landscape in the background.

External links

Official Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lac De Vassiviere Vassiviere Massif Central Vassiviere Landforms of Creuse Landforms of Haute-Vienne