Nièvre () is a department in the

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

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 ...

, central-east

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Populations légales 2019: 58 Nièvre
INSEE Its prefecture is

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 ...

. Covering an area 6,817 square kilometres (2,632 sq mi), Nièvre is landlocked between six other departments: Yonne to the north, Côte-d'Or to the east, Saône-et-Loire to the southeast, Allier to the south, Cher to the west and

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.< ...

to the northeast.

History

Nièvre is one of the original 83 departments created during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

on 4 March 1790. It was created from the former province of

Nivernais Nivernais (, ) was a province of France, around the city of Nevers Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions ...

Geography

Nièvre is part of the current

, although historically it was not part of the province of Burgundy. The department is crossed by the river

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 Rhôn ...

, the longest river in France. Industry developed around cast iron foundries using the ample supply of wood then available. Coal mining also developed during the Middle Ages around Decize and continued until the last mine closed in 1974. Forestry is now an important provider of employment. Tourists are attracted by the numerous historic sites. The Canal du Nivernais waterway is popular with houseboating enthusiasts.

Demographics

Nièvre is a rural department with about 31 inhabitants per km². Only one city (Nevers) has more than 10,000 inhabitants. It indicates the characteristic of the department, which is predominantly rural. The department is slowly losing its population since the 1970s, at the rate of 900 people a year. Abandoned houses can be seen in villages and the price of peripheral real estate is one of the lowest in France. Population development since 1801:

Principal towns

The most populous commune is

, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 4,000 inhabitants:

Wines

Nièvre is also well known for its white wine, Pouilly Fumé. The vineyards are scattered around villages including Pouilly-Sur-Loire, which lends its name to the appellation, Tracy sur Loire, Boisgibault, Saint Andelain. The word fumé is French for "smoky", and it is said the name comes from the smoky or flinty quality of these wines. The only grape allowed in the Pouilly-Fumé AC is Sauvignon blanc, which produces wines that are generally crisp, tart, and somewhat grassy.

Politics

The President of the Departmental Council is

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 ...

Fabien Bazin, elected in July 2021. The Departmental Council of Nièvre has 34 seats. The left-wing coalition led by the Socialist Party has 20 seats. Nièvre is traditionally a left-wing department. The results of the second round of voting in presidential elections reflect this consistently: * In the 2007 presidential election, Ségolène Royal received 52.91% of the department's votes, as against a national per centage of just 46.94%. * In the 1995 presidential election, Lionel Jospin received 57.07% of the department's votes, as against a national per centage of just 47.36%. * In the 1981 presidential election, François Mitterrand received 62.91% of the department's votes, as against a national per centage of 51.76%. Nièvre's best-known political representative was François Mitterrand who served as a senator and a deputy for the department, as well as mayor of Château-Chinon for 22 years before his election to the presidency of France in 1981.

Representation in Parliament

National Assembly

In the 2017 legislative election, Nièvre elected the following representatives to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

Senate

In the 2017 Senate election, Nièvre elected Patrice Joly (

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...

) and Nadia Sollogoub (

miscellaneous right Miscellaneous right (', ''DVD'') in France refers to right-wing candidates who are not members of any large party. This can include members of small right-wing parties, dissidents expelled from their party for running against their party's can ...

) to the Senate.

Tourism

File:F06.Nevers.Palais Ducal.1161.JPG, Ducal Palace in

File:La commanderie de Villemoison - Vue d'ensemble - 002.jpg, Commandry of the Knights Templar in Villemoison File:2012-07-21 20-23-03 3-33 3-49 4-03 4-12 4-23 4-34-PA00112826-La Charité sur Loire ShiftN.jpg, Notre-Dame of La Charité-sur-Loire File:Chateau-de-Villemolin-0484.jpg, Château de Villemolin File:Abbaye St Leonard a Corbigny DSC 0414.jpg, Abbey of Corbigny

Sport

The Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours hosted the

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

French Grand Prix from 1991 to 2008, the Bol d'Or from 2000 to 2014, and the French round of the Superbike World Championship since 2003.

USO Nevers Union Sportive Olympique Nivernaise is a French rugby union club from Nevers, currently playing in the second level of the country's professional rugby system, Pro D2. History The team origins dates back to 1 August 1903, when Gustave Bossut cr ...

is a professional rugby team that plays in Rugby Pro D2.

References

External links

Prefecture website

Departmental council website
*
Official website of the Departmental Touristic Agency of Nièvre in Burgundy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nievre 1790 establishments in France Departments of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté States and territories established in 1790