Clamecy () is a commune and a

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

(seat of an arrondissement) of the

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.department in central France.INSEE commune file
/ref> Clamecy is at the confluence of the

Yonne Yonne (, in Burgundian: ''Ghienne'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight con ...

and Beuvron and on the Canal du Nivernais, N.N.E. of

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

. Clamecy is locally described as the capital of the valleys of the

and classified under the French tourist criteria "Station Verte de Vacances" (centre for outdoor activity–based vacations) and among the "Plus Beau Détour de France" (most beautiful routes in France).

History

The earliest literary mention under the name of Clamiciacus, a possession of the bishops of Auxerre, is in the bequest by Pallade,

Bishop of Auxerre The diocese of Auxerre () is a former French Roman Catholic diocese. Its historical episcopal see was in the city of Auxerre in Burgundy, now part of eastern France. Currently the non-metropolitan Archbishop of Sens, ordinary of the diocese of S ...

, in 634, founding an abbey in the suburbs of Auxerre, dedicated to the Virgin, Saint Andrew and Saint Julien, martyr, and supported by lands in Clamiciacus and other places. Clamecy continued to belong to the abbey of St Julian at

Auxerre Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...

until the eleventh century, when it passed to the counts of Nevers and of Auxerre, one of whom, Hervé, enfranchised the inhabitants in 1213. The crusading Count William IV of Nevers promised the bishop of Bethlehem that if Bethlehem should ever fall, he would welcome him in Clamecy. After the capture of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

Saladin Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...

in 1188, the bequest of the now deceased count was honoured and the Bishop of Bethlehem duly took up residence in the hospital of Panthenor, Clamecy, which remained the continuous (if somewhat idiosyncratic) seat of the

Bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

of Bethlehem until the French Revolution. The town was sacked and substantially rebuilt in the 14th century during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...

. Clamecy enjoyed great prosperity thanks to the development, by Jean Rouvet, of the 'Flottage du bois', by which timber from the immense forests of the

Morvan The Morvan (; historically Morvand from the Latin ''Murvinnum'' 590)Pierre-Henri Billy, ''Dictionnaire des noms de lieux de la France'', éditions Errance, 640 pages, 2011 , is a mountainous massif lying just to the west of the Côte d'Or esc ...

national park were processed and floated down river to Paris. The 'Flottage' which started in the 16th century continued until the beginning of the 20th century (the last floating 'log train' left Clamecy in 1923).
There is also an interesting hereditary link between Jean de Clamecy (later to become

John II, Count of Nevers John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

) and

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

, via Jean de Clamecy's daughter, Elizabeth of Nevers, who married John I, Duke of Cleves and was consequently

Anne of Cleves Anne of Cleves (; 28 June or 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the Wives of Henry VIII, fourth wife of Henry VIII. Little is known about Anne before 1527, ...

great grandmother. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, on 18 June 1940, the Germans committed a massacre of 40 African prisoners-of-war in Clamecy. Later on, the Germans operated a subcamp of the Frontstalag 150

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

in Clamecy.

Sights

The medieval centre of Clamecy has been classed by the French government as a "Secteur Sauvegardé" (protected sector) in entirety; the only such protected area in the whole of the department of the Nievre. The town has evolved in the typical concentric French manner, with a town centre consisting of 13th- to sixteenth-century houses (still remarkably intact), surrounded by nineteenth-century houses and buildings with 20th-century developments forming an outer ring. Its principal building is the church of St Martin which dates chiefly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. The tower and façade are of the 16th century. The

chevet In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. In Byzan ...

, which is surrounded by an

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

, is rectangular—a feature found in few French churches. After a period of neglect following the French revolution, the church underwent significant restoration under the auspices of

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author, famous for his restoration of the most prominent medieval landmarks in France. His major restoration projects included Notre-Dame de Paris, ...

and was classified as a historic monument in 1840. Of the old castle of the counts of Nevers (site now occupied by the 19th century Mairie), only the vaulted cellars remain. A church in the suburb of Bethléem (Bethlehem), dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, now serves as part of a hotel.

Culture

In recent years, Clamecy has attracted numerous artists from around Europe, who have set up their homes and studios in the historic town centre. In recognition of this, in the summer of 2008, the tourism committee opened a new, contemporary gallery space, in which international and established local artists showcase their work. Resident international Artists include Candl (Czech republic), Horatio Holzbein (UK), Moree (Netherlands), Jane Witheridge (UK) and Lee Woods (UK). Local artists of renown include Remi Cholet, who is best known for his work with the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Olympia (Par ...

in Paris. Clamecy is also home to a well-respected music college. In the summer months, Clamecy is home to the ''Festival des Perthuis'' - a one-month-long music festival, in which a variety of venues scattered across the town play host to visiting musicians (two or three times a week) catering for all musical tastes. The afternoon of

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...

(July 14) is also the date on which the Tournament du Roi Sec takes place on the Yonne River at Clamecy. The tournament is a light-hearted, waterborne

jousting Jousting is a medieval and renaissance martial game or hastilude between two combatants either on horse or on foot. The joust became an iconic characteristic of the knight in Romantic medievalism. The term is derived from Old French , ultim ...

competition, in which the last person left standing on their specially adapted rowing boat at the end of the afternoon is crowned 'the dry King', and carried through the streets by his opponents. This activity is only practiced in two other towns throughout France.

Economy

Clamecy was once the site of saw-mills, fulling-mills and flour-mills, tanneries, and manufactories of boots and shoes and chemicals. It was known for trade in wine and cattle and in wood and charcoal, which was conveyed principally to Paris, by way of the Yonne. Most of this industry mentioned came to an end in the first two decades of the 20th century. Apart from a few modern industrial units on the edge of town and the remnants of a small

acetone Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone) is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly Volatile organic compound, volatile, and flammable liquid with a charact ...

production facility, little remains. Considerable investment by successive local administrations has seen the transformation of the town from a logging centre into a pretty, medieval tourist attraction and favourite tie-up for leisure users of the Canal du Nivernais, which runs from

to Decize. The modern economy of Clamecy (and the surrounding countryside), is derived from tourism and agriculture, with a high proportion of inhabitants commuting to larger towns such as

and Paris.

Institutions

The public institutions include the sub-prefecture, a tribunal de proximité and a communal college.Collège Giroud de Villette
Ministry of National Education and Youth. Retrieved 16 September 2024.

Demographics

People

* Jean Rouvet (16th century), responsible for dramatic increase in the prosperity of Clamecy when he launched the first 'rafts' of Morvan timber to be floated down the Yonne river to Paris * Éléonore de Grandmaison (1620–1692), pioneer in Nouvelle France *

Roger de Piles Roger de Piles (7 October 1635 – 5 April 1709) was a French painter, engraver, art critic and diplomat. Life Born in Clamecy, Nievre, Clamecy, Roger de Piles studied philosophy and theology, and devoted himself to painting. In 1662 he became ...

(1635–1709), painter, writer, influential art critic, diplomat, spy (allegedly) and painting buyer to Louis XIV * Jean Née de la Rochelle (1692–1772), historian * André Giroud de Villette (1752–1787), One of a duo, who were the first men to 'fly' - in a montgolfier (hot air balloon), paris, 1783. * Louis Antoine François de Marchangy (1782–1826), writer * Claude Tillier (1801–1844), political pamphleteer and novelist *

Édouard Séguin Édouard Séguin (January 20, 1812 – October 28, 1880) was a French physician and educationist born in Clamecy, Nièvre. He is remembered for his work with children having cognitive impairments in France and the United States. Background and ...

(1812–1880), chemist *

Hippolyte Marié-Davy Edme Hippolyte Marié-Davy (28 April 1820 – 26 July 1893) was a French chemist and inventor during the 19th century. He was born in Clamecy, Nièvre. In 1854, he invented the first naval periscope, consisting of a vertical tube with two sm ...

(1820–1893), scientist and inventor * Théodore Tenaille-Saligny (1830–1889), lawyer, civil servant and politician * Gabriel Alapetite (1854–1932), prefect, ambassador and minister *

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

(1866–1944), writer and winner of the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

in 1915 * Alain Colas (1943–1978), yachtsman * Arnaud Montebourg (b. 1962), politician

Twin towns

Gelnhausen Gelnhausen () is a town, and the capital of the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located approximately 40 kilometers east of Frankfurt am Main, between the Vogelsberg mountains and the Spessart range at the river Kinzig (Main), Kinzig. ...

, Germany * Grandes-Piles, Quebec, Canada

References

External links

Official website (in French)

Tourist information (in English)Picture of the castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clamecy, Nievre Communes of Nièvre Subprefectures in France Nivernais Sites of Nazi war crimes in France