Vienne (river)
The Vienne is a major river in south-western France. It is long. It is a significant left tributary of the lower Loire. It supports numerous hydroelectric dams, and it is the main river of the northern part of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Two French departments are named after the Vienne: Haute-Vienne in the Limousin region and Vienne both in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Course
The Vienne rises as a spring in the department of Corrèze, at the foot of Mont Audouze, on the Plateau [de Millevaches], near Peyrelevade. It then flows roughly west to the city of Limoges where it once played a major role in the famous Limoges porcelain industry. A little way after Limoges it takes a turn to the north. En route to its confluence with the Loire, the Vienne is joined by the rivers Creuse and Clain. Finally, after a journey of 372 km it reaches the Loire at Candes-Saint-Martin in the department of Indre-et-Loire.The Vienne flows through the following departments and towns:
- Corrèze: Peyrelevade
- Creuse
- Haute-Vienne: Eymoutiers, Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, Limoges, Aixe-sur-Vienne, Saint-Junien
- Charente: Chabanais, Confolens
- Vienne: L'Isle-Jourdain, Lussac-les-Châteaux, Chauvigny, Châtellerault
- Indre-et-Loire: L'Île-Bouchard, Chinon
- The Creuse, which joins the Vienne north of Châtellerault
- The Clain, which flows through the city of Poitiers, and joins the Vienne in Châtellerault
- The Briance, which joins the Vienne in Condat-sur-Vienne
- The Taurion, which joins the Vienne north of Saint-Priest-Taurion