Cugand-la-Bernardière () is a
commune in the
Vendée department in the
Pays de la Loire region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in western
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It was formed on 1 January 2025 by the merger of
Cugand and
La Bernardière.
Geography and climate
Cugand-la-Bernardière is located on the south bank of the
Sèvre Nantaise, 28 km southeast of
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
.
It borders the following
communes:
* In
Vendée:
**
La Bruffière
**
Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay
**
Treize-Septiers
*In
Loire-Atlantique:
**
Boussay
**
Clisson
**
Gétigné
**
Saint-Hilaire-de-Clisson
Like the rest of , Cugand-la-Bernardière has an
oceanic climate.
History
The name Cugand is attested in 1287 as ''Cugant''. La Bernardière was once known as La Bernardière-en-Forêts, but the forests have long since disappeared.
The
Western Roman emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
Honorius built fortifications in Cugand to stop
Breton incursions, but only traces of the Roman presence remain.
[ Under the ]Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
, Cugand and La Bernardière belonged to the .[ In 1789, Cugand had about 1800 inhabitants, but the town lost about 200 people in the War in the Vendée during the French Revolution.][
In the 19th century, Cugand became the most industrialized town in the Vendée. The paper and weaving businesses prospered thanks to a favourable tax regime and the ability to power tanning, ]fulling
Fulling, also known as tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate ( lanolin) oils, ...
and paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...
mills using the Sèvre Nantaise. The last textile mill in Cugand operated until 1985.[
On 6 June 1832, one of the last in the Duchess of Berry's abortive to put her son Henri on the French throne occurred in La Bernardière, when a group of Legitimists was besieged at the chateau of la Penissière by Orléanist troops.][
In order to more efficiently pool their resources, the communes of Cugand and La Bernardière agreed to merge to form the new commune of Cugand-la-Bernardière, effective 1 January 2025.][ and the town halls in both communes will remain functional.][
]
Economy
There are several business and industrial parks in Cugand, where the largest employer is MéO, a manufacturer of windows and doors. Part of the Liebot Group and formerly known as MC France, it has operated a factory in Cugand since 2014. La Bernardière's economy is more focused on agriculture and small businesses.
References
{{Vendée communes
Communes of Vendée
2025 establishments in France
States and territories established in 2025