Country France Area 6,990 km2 | Region Poitou-Charentes | |
Vienne is a department in the Poitou-Charentes region of France named after the river Vienne.
Contents
Map of Vienne
Politics
Edith Cresson, Frances first woman Prime Minister from 1991-1992, was a deputy for the department.
International relations
Vienne has a partnership relationship with:
Gallery
History
Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou, Touraine, and Berry, until the 15th century part of the Duchy of Aquitaine.
The original Acadians, who settled in Nova Scotia and what are today other maritime provinces of Canada, left Vienne for North America after 1604. Kennedy (2014) argues that the emigrants carried to Canada their customs and social structure. They were frontier peoples, who dispersed their settlements based on kinship. They optimized use of farmland and emphasized trading for a profit. They were hierarchical and politically active.
Economy
Goat cheese making is an important industry of Vienne.
Tourism and sights
The most famous tourist sites include the Futuroscope theme park, Poitiers (city of Art and History), the Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, a UNESCO world heritage site, the animal parks of Monkeys Valley in Romagne & the Crocodile Planet in Civaux.