River mouth Vienne Discharge 81 m³/s Basin area 9,570 km² Source Plateau de Millevaches Country France | Basin size 9,570 km (3,690 sq mi) Length 264 km Source elevation 932 m Mouth Vienne | |
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Main source Plateau de Millevaches
932 m (3,058 ft) Progression Vienne→ Loire→ Atlantic Ocean | ||
The Creuse (Occitan: Cruesa) is a 264-kilometre (164 mi) long river in western France, a tributary of the river Vienne. Its source is in the Plateau de Millevaches, a north-western extension of the Massif Central.
Contents
Map of La Creuse, Gargilesse-Dampierre, France
CourseEdit
The Creuse flows northwest through the following departments and towns:
The Creuse flows into the river Vienne about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Châtellerault. A tributary of the river Creuse is the Gartempe.
The Creuse valley is the setting for paintings by the so-called Crozant School, including works by Armand Guillaumin and a series of vivid landscapes by the Bordeaux artist Alfred Smith.
Dams and lakesEdit
There are six hydroelectric dams on the river. Three are in the Creuse département with one at Chambon-Sainte-Croix above Anzeme, one at Les Chezelles near Le Bourg-d'Hem and one at L'Âge upstream of La Celle-Dunoise. The remaining three are in the Indre including the Éguzon dam which was opened in 1926 and was, at the time, the largest dam in Europe. The lakes created by the dams are popular tourist destinations and several have artificial beaches and leisure facilities.