| Vienne | |
| Native Name Lang: | fr |
| Type: | Department |
| Coordinates: | 45.5221°N 4.8453°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | France |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Seat Type: | Prefecture |
| Seat: | Poitiers |
| Parts Type: | Subprefectures |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | Châtellerault Montmorillon |
| Leader Title: | President of the Departmental Council |
| Leader Name: | Alain Pichon[1] |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 6990 |
| Population Rank: | 56th |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Department number |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 86 |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Arrondissements |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 3 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Cantons |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 19 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Communes |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | 266 |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Footnotes: | French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km2 |
Vienne (in French pronounced as /vjɛn/; Poitevin-Saintongeais: Viéne) is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.[2]
Established on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution, Vienne is one of the original 83 departments. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou, Touraine, and Berry, the last being a part of the Duchy of Aquitaine until the 15th century.
The original Acadians, who settled in and around what is now Nova Scotia, 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.[3]
The department of Vienne has an area of . Part of the region Nouvelle-Aquitaine, it borders Maine-et-Loire to the northwest, Indre-et-Loire to the north, Indre to the east, Haute-Vienne to the southeast, Charente to the south and Deux-Sèvres to the west. It is crossed by the river Vienne, a tributary of the Loire.
The most populous commune is Poitiers, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 6 communes with more than 7,000 inhabitants:[2]
| Commune | Population (2019) | |
|---|---|---|
| Poitiers | 89,212 | |
| Châtellerault | 31,487 | |
| Buxerolles | 10,060 | |
| Jaunay-Marigny | 7,600 | |
| Saint-Benoît | 7,267 | |
| Chauvigny | 7,062 |
Population development since 1801:
Édith Cresson, France's first woman prime minister from 1991 to 1992, was a deputy (MP) for the department. The president of the Departmental Council is Alain Pichon, elected in 2020.
Vienne has three arrondissements: Poitiers, the prefecture, and the subprefectures Châtellerault and Montmorillon.
The capital, Poitiers, is the see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Poitiers, which pastorally serves the department.
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 Monkey's Valley in Romagne and the Crocodile Planet in Civaux.
The production of goat cheese is an important industry in Vienne.
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France.
Vienne has a partnership relationship with:
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