The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

. It rises in the southeastern quarter of the French

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 10,00 ...

in the Cévennes range (in the

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Ardèche Ardèche (; oc, Ardecha; frp, Ardecha) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.Mont Gerbier de Jonc Mont Gerbier de Jonc is a mountain of volcanic origin located in the Massif Central in France. It is made of a type of rock called phonolite. It rises to an altitude of , and its base contains three springs that are the source of the Loire, France ...

; it flows north through

Nevers Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the principal city of the ...

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

and

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

until it reaches the

Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...

(Atlantic Ocean) at

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...

. Its main tributaries include the rivers

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

and the

Erdre The Erdre (; br, Erzh) is a long river in western France, right tributary to the Loire. Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire '' department'', near La Pouëze. It flows through the ''departments'' Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. The Erdre me ...

on its right bank, and the rivers

Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

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 ...

Vienne Vienne (; 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.Sèvre Nantaise The Sèvre Nantaise () is a river in the Pays de la Loire regions in western France. It is a left-bank tributary of the Loire. Its total length is . Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres department, near Secondigny. It flows from south to north thro ...

on the left bank. The Loire gives its name to six departments:

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

, Haute-Loire,

Loire-Atlantique Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...

Indre-et-Loire Indre-et-Loire () is a department in west-central France named after the Indre River and Loire River The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it ...

Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-e ...

, and

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is Bo ...

. The lower-central swathe of its valley straddling the

Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" (). ...

and

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...

regions was added to the World Heritage Sites list of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

on December 2, 2000.

Vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

and châteaux are found along the banks of the river throughout this section and are a major tourist attraction. The human history of the Loire river valley is thought by some to begin with the

Middle Palaeolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...

period of 90–40

kya Kya, kya or KYA may also refer to: People or fictional characters * Kya Lau, chef and contestant on ''MasterChef Junior'', season 4 * Kya, mother of Katara and Sokka, in ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'' * Kya, daughter of Aang and Katara in ''The ...

(thousand years ago), followed by modern humans (about 30 kya), succeeded by the Neolithic period (6,000 to 4,500 BC), all of the recent Stone Age in Europe. Then came the

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

, the local tribes during the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

period of 1500 to 500 BC. They used the Loire as a key trading route by 600 BC, using pack horses to link its trade, such as the metals of the Armorican Massif, with

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

and

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

via

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 t ...

on the Rhône. Gallic rule ended in the valley in 56 BC when

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

conquered the adjacent provinces for

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Christianity was introduced into this valley from the 3rd century AD, as missionaries (many later recognized as

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

), converted the

pagans Pagans may refer to: * Paganism, a group of pre-Christian religions practiced in the Roman Empire * Modern Paganism, a group of contemporary religious practices * Order of the Vine, a druidic faction in the ''Thief'' video game series * Pagan's ...

. In this period, settlers established vineyards and began producing wines. The Loire Valley has been called the "Garden of France" and is studded with over a thousand

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 ...

x, each with distinct architectural embellishments covering a wide range of variations, from the early

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

to the late

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

periods. They were originally created as

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

strongholds, over centuries past, in the strategic divide between southern and northern France; now many are privately owned.

Etymology

The name "Loire" comes from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''Liger'', which is itself a transcription of the native

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...

(

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

) name of the river. The Gaulish name comes from the Gaulish word ''

liga Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga ...

'', which means "silt, sediment, deposit, alluvium", a word that gave French ''

lie A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deceiving or misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a liar. Lies can be inter ...

'', as in ''

sur lie Lees are deposits of dead yeast or residual yeast and other particles that precipitate, or are carried by the action of " fining", to the bottom of a vat of wine after fermentation and aging. The same while brewing beer at a brewery is known as ...

'', which in turn gave English '' lees''. ''Liga'' comes from the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...

root *''legʰ-'', meaning "to lie, lay" as in the Welsh word ''Lleyg'', and also which gave many words in English, such as to lie, to lay, ledge, law, etc.

Geography

The source of the river lies in the eastern

, in springs to the south side of

Mont Gerbier de Jonc Mont Gerbier de Jonc is a mountain of volcanic origin located in the Massif Central in France. It is made of a type of rock called phonolite. It rises to an altitude of , and its base contains three springs that are the source of the Loire, France ...

at . This lies in the north-eastern part of the southern Cévennes highlands, in the

above sea-level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. The presence of an

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...

under Mont Gerbier de Jonc gives rise to multiple sources, three of them located at the foot of Mount have been highlighted as river sources. The three streams converge to form the Loire, which descends the valley south of Mount through the village of Sainte-Eulalie itself. Le Port de Roanne (1)

The Loire changed its course, due to tectonic deformations, from the original outfall into the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

to its new outfall into the Atlantic Ocean thereby forming today's narrow terrain of gorges, the Loire Valley with alluvium formations and the long stretch of beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. The river can be divided into three main zones: * the Upper Loire, the area from the source to the confluence with the Allier * the middle Loire Valley, the area from the Allier to the confluence with the Maine, about * the Lower Loire, the area from Maine to the estuary In the upper basin the river flows through a narrow, incised valley, marked by gorges and forests on the edges and a distinct low population. In the intermediate section, the alluvial plain broadens and the river meanders and forks into multiple channels. River flow is particularly high in the river area near Roanne and

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a Spa town, spa and resort town and in World ...

up to the confluence with the Allier. In the middle section of the river in the Loire Valley, numerous dikes built between the 12th and 19th century exist, providing mitigation against flooding. In this section the river is relatively straight, except for the area near

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and The lower course of the river is characterized by wetlands and fens, which are of major importance to conservation, given that they form unique habitats for migratory birds. 15 Bec d'allier (Vue de cuffy 18)

The Loire flows roughly northward through Roanne and

, where it forms an

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean at between

and

Saint-Brevin-les-Pins Saint-Brevin-les-Pins (; also ; br, Sant-Brewenn) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is known as the site of the serpent d'océan, a giant sea serpent sculpture by artist Huang Yong Ping. Population History ...

, connected by a bridge over the river near its mouth. Several départements of France were named after the Loire. The Loire flows through the following départements and towns: *

Feurs Feurs (; frp, Fuèrs) is a commune in the department of Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. History Antiquity The city was founded by the Romans. The name Feurs is a contraction of ''Segusiavorum Forum''. With a forum the Gallo-Roman era, cit ...

** Roanne *

Digoin Digoin () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. The junction of the '' Canal du Centre'' and the '' Canal latéral à la Loire'' is near Digoin. Geography The river Bourbinc ...

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Decize **

La Charité-sur-Loire La Charité-sur-Loire (before 1961: ''La Charité'') is a commune in the Nièvre department and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. Geography La Charité-sur-Loire lies on the right, eastern bank of the river Loire, about 25 km no ...

** Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire *

Sancerre Sancerre () is a medieval hilltop town (ville) and commune in the Cher department, France overlooking the river Loire. It is noted for its wine. History Located in the area of Gaul settled by the powerful Celtic (Gaule Celtique) tribe, the Bitu ...

Loiret Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.

Briare Briare (, also known as Briare-le-Canal) is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France, in the historical region of Puisaye. The composer and organist Henri Nibelle Henri Jules Joseph Nibelle (6 November 1883 – 18 November 1967) ...

Gien Gien () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. Gien is on the river Loire, from Orléans. Gien station has rail connections to Montargis, Nevers and Paris. The town was bought for the royal domain by Philip II of Franc ...

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

** Blois *

Amboise Amboise (; ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Today a small market town, it was once home of the French royal court. Geography Amboise lies on the banks of the river Loire, east of Tours. It is also about away f ...

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

: **

Montsoreau Montsoreau () is a commune of the Loire Valley in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast and from Paris. The village is listed among '' The Most Beautiful Villages of France'' (french: Les Plus ...

Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

Ancenis Ancenis (; ) is a former Communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique Departments of France, department in western France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Ancenis-Saint-Géréon. It is a former Subprefectures in France ...

The Loire Valley in the Loire river basin, is a stretch in the western reach of the river starting with Orléans and terminating at

, short of the

Loire estuary The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...

and the Atlantic Ocean. The tidal stretch of the river extends to a length of and a width of , which has oil refineries, the port of

and of wetland whose formation is dated to 7500 BC (caused by inundation by sea waters on the northern bank of the estuary), and the beaches of

Le Croisic Le Croisic (; br, Ar Groazig; french: label=Gallo, Le Croèzic) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, western France. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire. History The United States Navy established a naval air station on 27 ...

and La Baule along the coastline.Williams & Boone, p. 33

Tributaries

Its main tributaries include the rivers

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Erdre The Erdre (; br, Erzh) is a long river in western France, right tributary to the Loire. Its source is in the Maine-et-Loire '' department'', near La Pouëze. It flows through the ''departments'' Maine-et-Loire and Loire-Atlantique. The Erdre me ...

on its right bank, and the rivers

Vienne Vienne (; 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.Sèvre Nantaise The Sèvre Nantaise () is a river in the Pays de la Loire regions in western France. It is a left-bank tributary of the Loire. Its total length is . Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres department, near Secondigny. It flows from south to north thro ...

on the left bank. The largest tributary of the river is the

, in length, which joins the Loire near the town of

at . Downstream of Nevers lies the Loire Valley, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

due to its fine assortment of castles. The second-longest tributary, the

Vienne Vienne (; 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.Candes-Saint-Martin Candes-Saint-Martin () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, central France. It overlooks the confluence of the Vienne and Loire rivers from a steep hill on the left bank of the Loire, and marks the boundary between the modern department ...

at , followed by the

, which joins the Loire near

Cinq-Mars-la-Pile Cinq-Mars-la-Pile () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Population Sights * Pile of Cinq-Mars: the town derives its name from a thirty metres high, brick Roman tower perched on the hillside. It is remarkably well ...

at and the

, which joins the Loire near Néman at . * Acheneau (in

Le Pellerin Le Pellerin (; br, Pentelloù) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population Personalities Le Pellerin was the birthplace (21 May 1759) of Joseph Fouché. See also *Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department ...

) *

Sèvre Nantaise The Sèvre Nantaise () is a river in the Pays de la Loire regions in western France. It is a left-bank tributary of the Loire. Its total length is . Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres department, near Secondigny. It flows from south to north thro ...

(in

) *

(in Nantes) *

Èvre The Èvre () is a long river in western France, left tributary of the Loire. Its source is at Vezins, northeast of the village. It flows into the Loire at Le Marillais, east of the village. The Èvre flows through the following communes in t ...

(in

Le Marillais Le Marillais () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2015, it was merged into the new commune Mauges-sur-Loire.Layon The Layon () is a long river in the Deux-Sèvres and Maine-et-Loire departments in western France. Its source is near Saint-Maurice-la-Fougereuse. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Loire, into which it flows near Chal ...

(in Chalonnes-sur-Loire) *

(near Angers) **

Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-et ...

(near Angers) ***

Oudon Oudon () is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. Population Gallery ChateauDeOudon-20120401.jpg, Oudon Castle OudonMenhir 4.jpg, Menhir of "Pierre blanche" Town twinning * Batheaston, Somerset, Great Britain R ...

(in

Le Lion-d'Angers Le Lion-d'Angers is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Andigné was merged into Le Lion-d'Angers.Verzée The Verzée () is a river in the Loire-Atlantique and Maine-et-Loire ''départements'', western France. Its source is at Soudan. It flows generally east-southeast. It is a right tributary of the Oudon into which it flows at Segré. Communes ...

(in

Segré Segré () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Segré-en-Anjou Bleu.Ernée (in

Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne (, literally ''Saint-Jean on Mayenne'') is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Mayenne department The following is a list of the 240 communes of the Mayenne department o ...

) ** Sarthe (near Angers) ***

Loir The Loir () is a long river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir department, north of Illiers-Combray. It joins the river Sarthe in Briollay, north of the city of Angers. It is indirectly a ...

(north of Angers) **** Braye (in

Pont-de-Braye Lavenay () is a former commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Loir en Vallée.Aigre (near Cloyes-sur-le-Loir) **** Yerre (near Cloyes-sur-le-Loir) **** Conie (near

Châteaudun Châteaudun () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It was the site of the Battle of Châteaudun during the Franco-Prussian War. Geography Châteaudun is located about 45& ...

) ****

Ozanne The Ozanne is a 46.0 km long French river, a tributary of the Loir, which is a tributary of the Loire. Geography The river spring is located at Perche-Gouët, Béthonvilliers at 222 m high at le Burail locality in le Bois de Beaumont. ...

(in Bonneval) ***

Vaige The Vaige () is a long river in the Mayenne and Sarthe departments in western France. This list is ordered from source to mouth: *In Mayenne, the Vaige has its source in Saint-Léger then waters the following villages: Vaiges, Saint-Georges- ...

(in

Sablé-sur-Sarthe Sablé-sur-Sarthe (, literally ''Sablé on Sarthe''), commonly referred to as Sablé, is a commune in the Sarthe department, in the Pays de la Loire region, western France. It is about 50 km northeast of Angers. Population Geography The Va ...

) ***

Vègre The Vègre () is an long river in the Sarthe department in western France. Its source is near Rouessé-Vassé. It flows generally south. It is a right tributary of the Sarthe, into which it flows near Avoise. Communes along its course This list ...

(in

Avoise Avoise () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. Geography The Vègre flows southward through the western part of the commune, then flows into the Sarthe River, which forms all of the co ...

) ***

Huisne The Huisne () is a long river in France. It is a left tributary of the river Sarthe, which it meets in Le Mans. Its source is near the town of Pervenchères, in the Orne department. The Huisne flows through the following departments and towns: ...

(in

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

) *

Authion The Authion is a long river in western France located in the departments of Indre-et-Loire (Centre-Val de Loire) and Maine-et-Loire (Pays de la Loire). It is a tributary of the river Loire on the right side. It flows into the Loire in Sainte-Gem ...

(in

Sainte-Gemmes-sur-Loire Sainte-Gemmes-sur-Loire (, literally ''Sainte-Gemmes on Loire'') is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. See also * Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department The following is a list of the 177 communes of the Maine-et- ...

) * Thouet (near

) **

Dive Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

(near Saint-Just-sur-Dive) ** Losse (near

Montreuil-Bellay Montreuil-Bellay () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is located approximately 15 km to the south of Saumur, and is famous for the Château de Montreuil-Bellay, which is situated in the town. Montreuil-Bell ...

) ** Argenton (near

Saint-Martin-de-Sanzay Saint-Martin-de-Sanzay () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. See also *Communes of the Deux-Sèvres department The following is a list of the 256 communes of the Deux-Sèvres department of France. The communes coo ...

) **

Thouaret The Thouaret () is a river in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. It is a right tributary of the Thouet. Its source is in the commune of Chanteloup, and its course crosses the department of Deux-Sèvres, where it flows northeast t ...

(near Taizé) ** Cébron (near Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet) **

Palais Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace **Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in t ...

(near

Parthenay Parthenay () is an ancient fortified town and Communes of France, ''commune'' in the Deux-Sèvres Departments of France, department of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region in western France. It is sited on a rocky spur that is ...

) **

Viette Viette is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Viette Brown Sprague (1846–1923), American teaching missionary in Kalgan, China *Pierre Viette Pierre E. L. Viette (29 June 1921 – 30 April 2011) was a French e ...

(near Parthenay) *

Vienne Vienne (; 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.Montsoreau Montsoreau () is a commune of the Loire Valley in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast and from Paris. The village is listed among '' The Most Beautiful Villages of France'' (french: Les Plus ...

and

Candes-Saint-Martin Candes-Saint-Martin () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, central France. It overlooks the confluence of the Vienne and Loire rivers from a steep hill on the left bank of the Loire, and marks the boundary between the modern department ...

) ** Creuse (north of

Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; oc, Chastelairaud) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the re ...

) ***

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 Ga ...

(in

La Roche-Posay La Roche-Posay () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Vienne department The following is a list of the 266 communes of the Vienne department of F ...

) ****

Anglin The Anglin () is a long river in the Creuse, Indre and Vienne departments in central France. Its source is near Azerables. It flows generally northwest. It is a right tributary of the Gartempe, into which it flows near Angles-sur-l'Anglin. Its ...

(in Angles-sur-l'Anglin) ***** Salleron (in Ingrandes, Indre, Ingrandes) ***** Benaize (in Saint-Hilaire-sur-Benaize) ***** Abloux (in Prissac) **** Brame (in Darnac) **** Semme (in Droux) *** Petite Creuse (in Fresselines) ** Clain (in Châtellerault) *** Clouère (in Château-Larcher) ** Briance (in Condat-sur-Vienne) ** Taurion (in Saint-Priest-Taurion) *

(east of Candes-Saint-Martin) ** Indrois (in Azay-sur-Indre) *

(in Villandry) ** Sauldre (in Selles-sur-Cher) *** Rère (in Villeherviers) ** Arnon (river), Arnon (near Vierzon) *** Théols (in Bommiers) ** Yèvre (Cher), Yèvre (in Vierzon) *** Auron (river), Auron (in Bourges) *** Airain (in Savigny-en-Septaine) ** Tardes (river), Tardes (in Évaux-les-Bains) *** Voueize (in Chambon-sur-Voueize) * Beuvron (Loire), Beuvron (in Chaumont-sur-Loire) ** Cosson (in Candé-sur-Beuvron) * Loiret (river), Loiret (in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named afte ...

(near

) ** Sioule (in La Ferté-Hauterive) *** Bouble (in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule) ** Dore (river), Dore (near Puy-Guillaume) ** Alagnon, Allagnon (near Jumeaux) ** Senouire (near Brioude) ** Ance, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Ance (in Monistrol-d'Allier) ** Chapeauroux (in Saint-Christophe-d'Allier) *

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Nevers Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the principal city of the ...

) * Acolin (near Decize) * Aron (Loire), Aron (in Decize) ** Alène (in Cercy-la-Tour) * Besbre (near Dompierre-sur-Besbre) * Arroux (in

) ** Bourbince (in

) * Arconce (in Varenne-Saint-Germain) * Lignon du Forez (in

) * Furan (river), Furan (in Andrézieux-Bouthéon) * Ondaine (in Unieux) * Lignon du Velay (in Monistrol-sur-Loire)

Geology

The geological formations in the Loire river basin can be grouped into two sets of formations, namely, the basement domain and the domain of sedimentary formations. The basement domain primarily consists of metamorphic and siliceous fragmented rocks with groundwater occurring in fissures. The sedimentary domain consists of limestone and carbonaceous rocks, that, where saturated, form productive aquifers. Rock outcrops of granite or basalt also are exposed in the river bed in several stretches. The middle stretches of the river have many limestone caves which were inhabited by humans in the prehistoric era; the caves are several types of limestone formations, namely tuffeau (a porous type of chalk, not to be confused with tufa) and Falun (formed 12 million years ago). The coastal zone shows hard dark stones, granite, schist and thick soil mantle.

Discharge and flood regulation

The river has a discharge rate of , which is an average over the period 1967–2008. The discharge rate varies strongly along the river, with roughly at Orléans and at the mouth. It also depends strongly on the season, and the flow of only is not uncommon in August–September near Orléans. During floods, which usually occur in February and March but also in other periods, the flow sometimes exceeds for the Upper Loire and in the Lower Loire. The most serious floods occurred in 1856, 1866 and 1911. Unlike most other rivers in western Europe, there are very few dams or locks creating obstacles to its natural flow. The flow is no longer partly regulated by three dams: Grangent Dam and Villerest Dam on the Loire and Naussac Dam on the

. The Villerest dam, built in 1985 a few kilometres (a few miles) south of Roanne, has played a key-role in preventing recent flooding. As a result, the Loire is a very popular river for boating excursions, flowing through a pastoral countryside, past limestone cliffs and Château, historic castles. Four nuclear power plants are located on the river: Belleville Nuclear Power Plant, Belleville, Chinon Nuclear Power Plant, Chinon, Dampierre Nuclear Power Plant, Dampierre and Saint-Laurent Nuclear Power Plant, Saint-Laurent.

Navigation

In 1700 the port of Nantes numbered more inland waterway craft than any other port in France, testifying to the historic importance of navigation on France’s longest river. Shallow-draught ''gabares'' and other river craft continued to transport goods into the industrial era, including coal from Saint-Étienne loaded on to barges in Orléans. However, the hazardous free-flow navigation and limited tonnages meant that railways rapidly killed off the surviving traffic from the 1850s. In 1894 a company was set up to promote improvements to the navigation from Nantes to Briare. The works were authorised in 1904 and carried out in two phases from Angers to the limit of tides at Oudon. These works, with groynes and submersible embankments, survive and contribute to the limited navigability under present-day conditions. A dam across the Loire at Saint-Léger-des-Vignes provides navigable conditions to cross from the Canal du Nivernais to the Canal latéral à la Loire. , the following sections are navigable: *Loire maritime: 53 km from the Atlantic Ocean at

to Nantes, no locks *Loire: 84 km from Nantes to Bouchemaine near Angers, no locks *Canal latéral à la Loire: 196 km from

, parallel to the river, 36 locks *Canal de Roanne à Digoin: 56 km from

to Roanne, parallel to the river, 10 locks

Climate

The French language adjective ''ligérien'' is derived from the name of the Loire, as in ''le climat ligérien'' ("the climate of the Loire Valley"). The climate is considered the most pleasant of northern France, with warmer winters and, more generally, fewer extremes in temperatures, rarely exceeding . It is identified as temperate maritime climate, and is characterised by the lack of dry seasons and by heavy rains and snowfall in winter, especially in the upper streams. The number of sunny hours per year varies between 1400 and 2200 and increases from northwest to southeast. The Loire Valley, in particular, enjoys a pleasant temperate climate. The region experiences a rainfall of along the coast and inland.

Flora

The Centre region of the Loire river valley accounts for the largest forest in France, the forest of Orléans (French: Forêt d'Orléans), covering an area of , and the forested park known as the "Foret de Chambord". Other vegetation in the valley, mostly under private control, consists of tree species of oak, beech and pine. In the marshy lands, ash tree, ash, alder and willows are grown with Lemnoideae, duckweed providing the needed natural fertilizing effect. The Atlantic coast is home to several aquatic herbs, the important species is Salicornia, which is used as a culinary ingredient on account of its diuretic value. Greeks introduced vines. Romans introduced melons, apples, cherry, cherries, quinces and pears during the Middle Ages, apart from extracting saffron from Crocus, purple crocus species in the

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Williams & Boone, p. 35-36

Wildlife

The river flows through the continental ecoregions of Massif central and Bassin Parisien south and in its Lower course partly through South Atlantic and Brittany (administrative region), Brittany.

Plankton

With more than 100 alga species, the Loire has the highest phytoplankton diversity among French rivers. The most abundant are diatoms and green algae (about 15% by mass) which mostly occur in the lower reaches. Their total mass is low when the river flow exceeds and become significant at flows of or lower which occur in summer. With decreasing flow, first species which appear are single-celled diatoms such as ''Cyclostephanos invisitatus'', ''C. meneghiniana'', ''S. Hantzschii'' and ''Thalassiosira pseudonana''. They are then joined by multicellular forms including ''Fragilaria crotonensis'', ''Nitzschia fruticosa'' and ''Skeletonema potamos'', as well as green algae which form star-shaped or prostrate colonies. Whereas the total biomass is low in the upper reaches, the biodiversity is high, with more than 250 taxa at Orléans. At high flows and in the upper reaches the fraction of the green algae decrease and the phytoplankton is dominated by diatoms. Heterotrophic bacteria are represented by Coccus, cocci (49%), Bacillus (shape), rods (35%), colonies (12%) and filaments (4%) with a total density of up to cells per litre.

Fish

Nearly every freshwater fish species of France can be found in the Loire river basin, that is, about 57 species from 20 families. Many of them are migratory, with 11 species ascending the river for spawning. The most common species are the Atlantic salmon (''Salmo salar''), sea trout (''Salmo trutta''), shads (''Alosa alosa'' and ''Alosa fallax''), sea lamprey (''Petromyzon marinus'') European river lamprey (''Lampetra fluviatilis'') and smelt (''Osmerus eperlanus''). The European eel (''Anguilla anguilla'') is common in the upper streams, whereas the flounder (''Platichtys flesus'') and flathead mullet (''Mugil'' spp.) tend to stay near the river mouth. The tributaries host brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), European bullhead (''Cottus gobio''), European brook lamprey (''Lampetra planeri''), zander (''Sander lucioperca''), Chondrostoma, nase (''Chondrostoma nasus'' and ''C. toxostoma'') and wels catfish (''Siluris glanis''). The endangered species include Thymallus thymallus, grayling (''Thymallus thymallus''), burbot (''Lota lota'') and Rhodeus, bitterling (''Rhodeus sericeus'') and the non-native species are represented by the rock bass (''Ambloplites rupestris''). Although only one native fish species has become extinct in the Loire, namely the European sea sturgeon (''Acipenser sturio'') in the 1940s, the fish population is declining, mostly due to the decrease in the spawning areas. The latter are mostly affected by the industrial pollution, construction of dams and drainage of oxbows and swamps. The loss of spawning grounds mostly affects the Esox, pike (''Esox lucius''), which is the major predator of the Loire, as well as eel, carp, rudd and salmon. The great Loire salmon, a subspecies of Atlantic salmon, is regarded as the symbolic fish of the river. Its population has decreased from about 100,000 in the 19th century to below 100 in the 1990s that resulted in the adoption of a total ban of salmon fishing in the Loire basin in 1984. A salmon restoration program was initiated in the 1980s and included such as measures as removal of two obsolete hydroelectric dams and introduction of juvenile stock. As a result, the salmon population increased to about 500 in 2005.

Amphibians

Most amphibians of the Loire are found in the slow flow areas near the delta, especially in the floodplain, marshes and oxbows. They are dominated by the fire salamander (''Salamandra salamandra''), frogs and toads. The toads include ''Common toad, Bufo bufo'', ''Common Midwife Toad, Alytes obstetricans'', ''Yellow-bellied toad, Bombina variegata'', ''Natterjack Toad, Bufo calamita'', ''Pelobates fuscus'' and ''Pelobates cultripes''. The frogs are represented by the Parsley frog (''Pelodites punctatus''), European tree frog (''Hyla arborea''), Common Frog (''Rana temporaria''), Agile Frog (''R. dalmatina''), Edible Frog (''R. esculenta''), Perez's Frog (''R. perezi''), marsh frog (''R. ridubunda'') and Pool Frog (''R. lessonae''). Newts of the Loire include the Marbled Newt (''Triturus marmoratus''), Smooth Newt (''T. vulgaris''), Alpine Newt (''T. alpestris'') and Palmate Newt (''T. helveticus'').

Avifauna

Larus melanocephalus aka Mediterranean Gull rare guest in Sweden2

The Loire hosts about 64% of nesting bird species of France, that is 164 species, of which 54 are water birds, 44 species are common for managed forests, 41 to natural forests, 13 to open and 12 to rocky areas. This avifauna has been rather stable, at least between the 1980s and 2000s, with significant abundance variations observed only for 17 species. Of those, five species were growing in population, four declining, and other eight were fluctuating. Some of these variations had a global nature, such as the expansion of the Mediterranean gull in Europe.

Conservation

The Loire has been described as "constantly under threat of losing its status as the last wild river in France". The reason for this is its sheer length and possibility of extensive navigation, which severely limits the scope of river conservation. The Federation, a member of the IUCN since 1970, has been very important in the campaign to save the Loire river system from development. Manifestation contre le barrage de Serre de la Fare 3

Manifestation contre le barrage de Serre de la Fare 3

In 1986, the French government, the Loire-Brittany Water Agency and the EPALA settled an agreement on flood prevention and water storage programme in the basin, involving construction of four large dams, one on the Loire itself and three on the Allier and Cher. The French government proposed a construction of a dam at Serre de la Fare on the upper Loire which would have been an environmental catastrophe, as it would have inundated some of pristine gorges. As a result, the World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF and other NGOs established the Loire Vivante (Living Loire) network in 1988 to oppose this and arranged an initial meeting with the French Minister of the Environment. The French government initially rejected the conservation concerns and in 1989 gave the projects the green light. This sparked public demonstrations by the WWF and conservation groups. In 1990, Loire Vivante met with the French Prime Minister and the government, successfully, as the government demanded that the EPALA embark upon major reforms in its approach to managing the river. Due to extensive lobbying, the proposal and the other dam proposals were eventually rejected in the 1990s. The gorges zone has since been protected as a ‘Natura 2000’ site under European Union environmental legislation. Gorges de la Loire

The WWF were particularly important in changing the perception of the French authorities in support for dam building to environmental protection and sustainable management of its river basin. In 1992, they aided the ‘Loire Nature’ project, which received funds of some $US 9 million under the EU's ‘LIFE’ programme until 1999, embarking upon restoration to the river's ecosystems and wildlife. That year, the Upper Loire Valley Farmers Association was also established through a partnership between SOS Loire Vivante and a farmers’ union to promote sustainable rural tourism. The French government adopted the Natural Loire River Plan (Plan Loire Grandeur Nature) in January 1994, initiating the decommissioning of three dams on the river. The final dam was decommissioned by Électricité de France at a cost of 7 million French franc, francs in 1998. The basis of the decision was that the economic benefits of the dams did not outweigh their significant ecological impacts, so the intention was to restore the riverine ecosystems and replenish great Loire salmon stocks. The Loire is unique in this respect as the Atlantic salmon can swim as far as up the river and spawn in the upper reaches of the Allier. The French government undertook this major plan, chiefly because pollution and overfishing had reduced approximately 100,000 salmon migrating annually to their spawning grounds in the headwaters of the Loire and its tributaries to just 67 salmon in 1996 on the upper Allier. The WWF, BirdLife International, and local conservation bodies have also made considerable efforts to improve the conservation of the Loire estuary and its surroundings, given that they are unique habitats for migrating birds. The estuary and its shoreline are also important for fishing, shellfish farming and tourism. The major commercial port at

has caused severe damage to the ecosystem of the Loire estuary. In 2002, the WWF aided a second Loire Nature project and expanded its scope to the entire basin, addressing some of land under a budget of US$18 million, mainly funded by government and public bodies, such as the Établissement Publique Loire (EPL), a public institution which had formerly advocated large-scale dam projects on the river.

History

Prehistoric period

Studies of the palaeo-geography of the region suggest that the palaeo-Loire flowed northward and joined the Seine, while the lower Loire found its source upstream of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Gien Gien () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. Gien is on the river Loire, from Orléans. Gien station has rail connections to Montargis, Nevers and Paris. The town was bought for the royal domain by Philip II of Franc ...

, flowing westward along the present course. At a certain point during the long history of uplift in the Paris Basin, the lower, Atlantic Loire captured the "palaeo-Loire" or ''Loire séquanaise'' ("Seine Loire"), producing the present river. The former bed of the ''Loire séquanaise'' is occupied by the Loing. The Loire Valley has been inhabited since the Middle Palaeolithic period from 40–90 kiloannus, ka.Williams & Boone, p.11 Neanderthal man used stone tools to fashion boats out of tree trunks and navigated the river. Modern man inhabited the Loire valley around 30 ka. By around 5000 to 4000 BC, they began clearing forests along the river edges and cultivating the lands and rearing livestock. They built megaliths to worship the dead, especially from around 3500 BC. The

arrived in the valley between 1500 and 500 BC, and the Carnutes settled in Cenabum in what is now

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and By 600 BC the Loire had already become a very important trading route between the Celts and the Greeks. A key transportation route, it served as one of the great "highways" of France for over 2000 years. The Phoenicians and ancient Greece, Greeks had used pack horses to transport goods from

to the Loire to get from the Mediterranean basin to the Atlantic coast.

Ancient Rome, Alans and the Vikings

The Ancient Rome, Romans successfully subdued the Gauls in 52 BC and began developing Cenabum, which they named Aurelianis. They also began building the city of Caesarodunum, now

, from AD 1. The Romans used the Loire as far as Roanne, around downriver from the source. After AD 16, the Loire river valley became part of the Roman province of Aquitania, with its capital at Avaricum. From the 3rd century, Christianity spread through the river basin, and many religious figures began cultivating vineyards along the river banks. In the 5th century, the Roman Empire declined and the Franks and the Alemanni came to the area from the east. Following this there was ongoing conflict between the Franks and the Visigoths.Williams & Boone, p.12 In 408, the Iranian peoples, Iranian tribe of Alans crossed the Loire and large hordes of them settled along the middle course of the Loire in Gaul under King Sangiban. Many inhabitants around the present city of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and In 877 Charles the Bald died, marking an end to the Carolingian dynasty. After considerable conflict in the region, in 898 Foulques le Roux of County of Anjou, Anjou gained power.Williams & Boone, p. 14

Medieval period

During the Hundred Years' War from 1337 to 1453, the Loire marked the border between the French and the English, who occupied territory to the north. One-third of the inhabitants died in the epidemic of the Black Death of 1348–9. The English defeated the French in 1356 and Aquitaine came under English control in 1360. In 1429, Joan of Arc persuaded Charles VII of France, Charles VII to drive out the English from the country. Her successful Siege of Orléans, relief of the siege of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and In 1477, the first printing press in France was established in Angers, and around this time the Chateau de Langeais and Château de Montsoreau, Chateau de Montsoreau were built.Williams & Boone, p.16 During the reign of François I from 1515 to 1547, the Italian Renaissance had a profound influence upon the region, as people adopted its elements in the architecture and culture, particularly among the elite who expressed its principles in their chateaus. In the 1530s, the Reformation ideas reached the Loire valley, with some people becoming Protestant. Religious wars followed and in 1560 Catholics drowned several hundred Protestants in the river. During the Wars of Religion from 1562 to 1598, Orléans served as a prominent stronghold for the Huguenots but in 1568, Protestants blew up Orléans Cathedral. In 1572 some 3000 Huguenots were slaughtered in Paris in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Hundreds more were drowned in the Loire by Catholics.

1600–present

For centuries local people used wooden embankments and dredging to try to maintain a navigable channel on the river, as it was critical to transportation. River traffic increased gradually, with a toll system being used in medieval times. Today some of these toll bridges still remain, dated to over 800 years. During the 17th century, Jean-Baptiste Colbert instituted the use of stone retaining walls and quays from Roanne to

, which helped make the river more reliable, but navigation was still frequently stopped by excessive conditions during flood and drought. In 1707, floods were said to have drowned 50,000 people in the river valley, with the water rising more than in two hours in

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and But competition from the railway, beginning in the 1840s, caused a decline in trade on the river. Proposals to develop a fully navigable river up to

came to nothing. The opening of the Canal latéral à la Loire in 1838 enabled navigation between Digoin and Briare to continue, but the river level crossing at Briare remained a problem until the construction of the Briare aqueduct in 1896. At , this was the longest such structure in the world for quite some time. The Canal de Roanne à Digoin was also opened in 1838. It was nearly closed in 1971 but, in the early 21st century, it still provides navigation further up the Loire valley to

. The Canal de Berry, a narrow canal with locks only wide, which was opened in the 1820s and connected the Canal latéral à la Loire at Marseilles-lès-Aubigny to the river

at Noyers-sur-Cher, Noyers and back into the Loire near Tours, was closed in 1955. The river is officially navigable as far as Bouchemaine, where the

joins it near Angers. Another short stretch much further upstream at Decize is also navigable, where a river level crossing from the Canal latéral à la Loire connects to the Canal du Nivernais. In 2022, a 2022 European drought, drought rendered parts of the Loire unnavigable for fish and water vessels as they were partially or completely dried up.

Timeline

The monarchy of France ruled in the Loire Valley for several centuries, giving it the name of "The Valley of Kings". These rulers started with the Gauls, followed by the Romans, and the Frankish Empire, Frankish dynasty. They were succeeded by the kings of France, who ruled from the late 14th century till the French Revolution; together these rulers contributed to the development of the valley. The chronology of the rulers is presented; in the table below.

Loire Valley

The Loire Valley (french: Vallée de la Loire) lies in the middle stretch of the river, extends for about and comprises an area of roughly . It is also known as the ''Garden of France'' – due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, artichoke, asparagus and cherry fields which line the banks of the riverWilliams & Boone, p.10 – and also as the "cradle of the French language". It is also noteworthy for its architectural heritage: in part for its historic towns such as

, Angers, Blois, Chinon,

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Saumur Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...

, and

, but in particular for its castles, such as the Château d'Amboise, Château d'Angers, Château de Chambord, Château de Montsoreau, Château d'Ussé, Château de Villandry and Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceau, and also for its many cultural monuments, which illustrate the ideals of the

and the The Enlightenment, Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. On December 2, 2000,

added the central part of the Loire valley, between Bouchemaine in County of Anjou, Anjou and Sully-sur-Loire in

, to its list of World Heritage Sites. In choosing this area that includes the French ''departments of France, départements'' of Loiret,

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

, and

, the committee said that the Loire Valley is: "an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments – the Châteaux – and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself."

Architecture

Architectural edifices were created in Loire valley from the 10th century onwards with the defensive fortress like structures called the "keeps" or "donjons" built between 987 and 1040 by Anjou Foulques Nerra, Count Foulques Nerra of County of Anjou, Anjou (the Falcon). However, one of the oldest such structures in France is the Château de Langeais, Donjon de Foulques Nerra built in 944.Williams & Boone, p. 19 This style was replaced by the religious architectural style in the 12th to 14th centuries when the impregnable château fortresses were built on top of rocky hills; one of the impressive fortresses of this type is the Château d'Angers, which has 17 gruesome towers. This was followed by aesthetically built châteaux (to also function as residential units), which substituted the quadrangular layout of the keep. However, the exterior defensive structures, in the form of portcullis and moats surrounding the thick walls of the châteaux' forts were retained.Williams & Boone, p. 17 There was further refinement in the design of the châteaux in the 15th century before the Baroque style came into prominence with decorative and elegantly designed interiors and which became fashionable from the 16th to the end of the 18th century. The Baroque style artists who created some of the exquisite château structures were: the Parisian, François Mansart (1598–1662) whose classical symmetrical design is seen in the Château de Blois; Jacques Bougier (1635) of Blois whose classical design is the Château de Cheverny; Guillaume Bautru remodelled the Château de Serrant (at the extreme western end of the valley). In the 17th century, there was feverish pace in the design of châteaux for introducing exotic styles; a notable structure of this period is the Pagode de Chanteloup at

, which was built between 1773 and 1778. The Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical architectural style, was a revival of Classical architecture, Classical style of architecture, which emerged in the mid 18th century; one such notable structure is the Château de Menars built by Jacques Ange Gabriel (1698–1782) who was the royal architect in the court of Louis XV of France, Louis XV (1715–74). This style was perpetuated during the reign of Louis XVI of France, Louis XVI (1774–92) but with more refinements; one such refined château seen close to Angers is the Château de Montgeoffroy. Furnishings inside the châteaux also witnessed changes to suit the living styles of its occupants.Williams & Boone, pp. 22–26 Gardens, both ornamental fountains, footpaths flower beds and tended grass) and kitchen type (to grow vegetables), also accentuated the opulence of the châteaux. The French Revolution (1789) brought a radical change for the worse in the scenarios for chateaus, as monarchy ended in France.Williams & Boone, p. 28

Châteaux

The

x, numbering more than three hundred, represent a nation of builders starting with the necessary castle fortifications in the 10th century to the splendour of those built half a millennium later. When the French kings began constructing their huge châteaux here, the nobility, not wanting or even daring to be far from the seat of power, followed suit. Their presence in the lush, fertile valley began attracting the very best landscape designers. Today, these privately owned châteaux serve as homes, a few open their doors to tourist visits, while others are operated as hotels or bed and breakfasts. Many have been taken over by a local government authority or the giant structures like those at Château de Chambord, Chambord are owned and operated by the national government and are major tourist sites, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Some notable Châteaux on the Loire include Château de Beaufort, Beaufort- Château de Mareuil Sur Cher, Mareuil sur Cher – Château de Lavoûte-Polignac, Lavoûte-Polignac – Château de Bouthéon, Bouthéon – Château de Montrond (Montrond-les-Bains), Montrond – Bastie d'Urfé – Château féodal des Cornes d'Urfé – Château de La Roche, La Roche – Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire, Château féodal de Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire – Château de Saint-Pierre-la-Noaille, Saint-Pierre-la-Noaille – Château de Chevenon, Chevenon – Palais ducal de Nevers – Château de Saint-Brisson, Saint-Brisson – Château de Gien, Gien – Château de La Bussière, La Bussière – Château de Pontchevron, Pontchevron – Château de la Verrerie (Cher), La Verrerie (near Aubigny-sur-Nère) – Château de Sully-sur-Loire, Sully-sur-Loire – Château de Châteauneuf-sur-Loire, Châteauneuf-sur-Loire – Château de Boisgibault, Boisgibault – Château de Meung-sur-Loire, Meung-sur-Loire – Château de Menars, Menars – Château de Talcy, Talcy – Château de la Ferté (La Ferté-Saint-Aubin), Château de la Ferté – Château de Chambord, Chambord – Château de Blois, Blois – Château de Villesavin, Villesavin – Château de Cheverny, Cheverny – Château de Beauregard, Loire Valley, Beauregard – Château de Troussay, Troussay – Château de Chaumont – Château d'Amboise, Amboise – Château du Clos Lucé, Clos-Lucé – Château de Langeais, Langeais – Château de Gizeux, Gizeux – Château des Réaux, Les Réaux – Château de Montsoreau, Montsoreau – Château de Montreuil-Bellay, Montreuil-Bellay – Château de Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet, Saint-Loup-sur-Thouet – Château de Saumur, Saumur – Château de Boumois, Boumois – Château de Brissac, Brissac – Château de Montgeoffroy, Montgeoffroy – Château du Plessis-Bourré, Plessis-Bourré – Château des Réaux (castle), Château des Réaux File:Loire Indre Amboise1 tango7174.jpg,

on the banks of the Loire File:Langeais-Chateau.JPG, Chateau de Langeais File:Loire Cher Blois1 tango7174.jpg, Château de Blois interior façades in Gothic architecture, Gothic,

and Classical architecture, Classic styles (from right to left). File:Chateau Valencay 20050726.jpg, Château de Valençay. File:Château de Montsoreau(Maine-et-Loire).jpg, Château de Montsoreau

Wine making

The Loire Valley wine region includes the French wine Wine region, regions situated along the Loire from the Muscadet region near the city of

on the Atlantic coast to the List of wine producing regions, region of Sancerre (wine), Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé just southeast of the city of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Loire Valley itself follows the river through the Loire province to the river's origins in the Cévennes but the majority of the wine production takes place in the regions noted above. The Loire Valley has a long history of winemaking dating back to the 1st century. In the High Middle Ages, the wines of the Loire Valley were the most esteemed wines in England and France, even more prized than those from Bordeaux.J. Robinson (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'' Third Edition, pp. 408–410, Oxford University Press 2006 Archaeological evidence suggest that the Roman Empire, Romans planted the first vineyards in the Loire Valley during their settlement of Roman Gaul, Gaul in the 1st century AD. By the 5th century, the flourishing viticulture of the area was noted in a publication by the poet Sidonius Apollinaris. In his work ''Gregory of Tours#History of the Franks, History of the Franks'', Bishop Gregory of Tours wrote of the frequent plundering by the Breton people, Bretons of the area's wine stocks. By the 11th century the wines of Sancerre had a reputation across Europe for their high quality. Historically the wineries of the Loire Valley have been small, family owned operations that do a lot of estate bottling. The mid-1990s saw an increase in the number of négociant and co-operative to where now about half of Sancerre and almost 80% of Muscadet is bottled by a négociant or co-op. The Loire river has a significant effect on the mesoclimate of the region, adding the necessary extra few degrees of temperature that allows grapes to grow when the areas to the north and south of the Loire Valley have shown to be unfavourable to viticulture. In addition to finding vineyards along the Loire, several of the river's tributary, tributaries are also well planted—including the rivers

and

Vienne Vienne (; 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. The climate can be very cool with spring time frost being a potential hazard for the vines. During the harvest (wine), harvest months rain can cause the grapes to be harvested underripe but can also aid in the development of ''Botrytis cinerea'' for the region's dessert wines. The Loire Valley has a high density of vine plantings with an average of 4,000–5,000 vines per hectare (1,600–2,000 per acre). Some Sancerre vineyards have as many as 10,000 plants per hectare. With more vines competing for the same limited resources in the soil, the density is designed to compensate for the excessive crop yield, yields that some of the grape varieties, like Chenin blanc, are prone to have. In recent times, pruning and canopy management have started to limit yields more effectively. The Loire Valley is often divided into three sections. The Upper Loire includes the Sauvignon blanc dominated areas of

and Pouilly-Fumé. The Middle Loire is dominated by more Chenin blanc and Cabernet franc wines found in the regions around Touraine,

, Chinon and Vouvray. The Lower Loire that leads to the mouth of the river's entrance to the Atlantic goes through the Muscadet region which is dominated by wines of the Melon de Bourgogne grape. Spread out across the Loire Valley are 87 appellation under the Appellation d'origine contrôlée, AOC, VDQS and Vin de Pays systems. There are two generic designation that can be used across the whole of the Loire Valley. The ''Crémant de Loire'' which refers to any sparkling wine made according to the traditional method of Champagne (wine), Champagne. The ''Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France'' refers to any varietally labelled wine, such as Chardonnay, that is produced in the region outside of an AOC designation. The area includes 87 appellations under the ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC), ''Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure'' (VDQS) and ''Vin de pays'' systems. While the majority of production is white wine from the Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc and Melon de Bourgogne grapes, there are red wines made (especially around the Chinon region) from Cabernet franc. In addition to still wines, rosé, sparkling wine, sparkling and dessert wines are also produced. With ''Crémant'' production throughout the Loire valley, it is the second largest sparkling wine producer in France after Champagne (wine region), Champagne. Among these different wine styles, Loire wines tend to exhibit characteristic fruit (wine), fruitiness with fresh, crisp flavours-especially in their youth.

Art

The Loire has inspired many poets and writers, including: Charles, Duke of Orléans, Charles d'Orléans, François Rabelais, , Clément Marot, Pierre de Ronsard, Joachim du Bellay, Jean de La Fontaine, Charles Péguy, Gaston Couté; and painters such as: Raoul Dufy, J. M. W. Turner, Gustave Courbet, Auguste Rodin, Félix Vallotton, Félix Edouard Vallotton, Jacques Villon, Jean-Max Albert, , , and Jean Chabot. File:Turner Scene of the Loire.jpg, ''Scène of the Loire'', by J. M. W. Turner. File:Courbet La source de la Loire.jpg, ''La source de la Loire'', by Gustave Courbet. File:Portrait de la Loire.jpg, ''Portrait of the Loire'', by Jean-Max Albert, 1988. Musée de la Loire, Cosne-sur-Loire. File:Jean-Jacques Delusse, vue des Rosiers, 1800.jpg, ''Les Rosiers-sur-Loire'' by , 1800 File:JMW Turner Montsoreau.jpg, ''The Loire at

'', J. M. W. Turner, 1832, Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art.

References

Bibliography

* * Garrett, Martin, ''The Loire: a Cultural History''. 2010, Signal Books. * ''Pays de la Loire, waterways guide No. 10'', Editions du Breil. pp 8–27, for the navigable section (guide in English, French and German)

External links

River Loire
guide, places, ports and moorings on the river in the navigable length from the Maine to Saint-Nazaire, by the author of ''Inland Waterways of France'', Imray.
Navigation details for 80 French rivers and canals
(French waterways website section)
Tourist Office Board Loire Valley

Waterways In Western Loire – Free Online Travel Brochure
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loire (River) Rivers of France Loire basin, Rivers of Allier Rivers of Ardèche Rivers of Cher (department) Rivers of Haute-Loire Rivers of Indre-et-Loire Rivers of Loir-et-Cher Rivers of Loire (department) Rivers of Loire-Atlantique Rivers of Loiret Rivers of Maine-et-Loire Rivers of Nièvre Rivers of Saône-et-Loire Rivers of Brittany Rivers of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Rivers of Centre-Val de Loire Rivers of Pays de la Loire Rivers of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes