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Lormes.net in the Morvan |
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The Morvan
The
Morvan is a region of hills situated in the heart of France. It’s a breeding
region and a forest area with an harsh climate. It spreads over a part of
Burgundy Region in Nièvre, Yonne, Saône et Loire
and Côte d’Or departments. The Yonne, main tributary of
the Seine (which runs through Paris), and also many others rivers like
the Cure have their sources in the Morvan.
For several centuries, floating permitted to deliver wood to Paris for heating. The wood cut in the Morvan was thrown in the rivers up to Clamecy or Vermenton. Then, it was joined up in trains, this means that they were tied up in rafts escorted by a raftsman. It went to Paris by the Yonne and the Seine. This activity lasted from the 16th to the beginning of the 20th century.
Although he was born in Jarnac on the atlantic coast in 1916, the most famous politician of the Morvan is François Mitterrand. He was first mayor of Montsauche then of Château-Chinon, Member of parliament and senator of Nièvre department before becoming in 1981 President of the French Republic. Reelected in 1988, he installed in Château-Chinon the Musée du Septennat where are the gifts he received during his two terms. He died in Paris in 1996.
The surroundings
At
thirty kilometers (19 miles) away from Lormes stands the famous basilica of
Vézelay. Place of veneration of
St.
Magdalene's relics,
Vézelay was the point of departure of one of the roads to Santiago
de Compostela. St. Bernard preached the Second Crusade and the kings of France,
Philippe Auguste and England Richard the Lionheart, met there for the departure
of the Third Crusade. The basilica, which has a roman nave and a gothic choir,
was restored in the 19th century by the french architect Viollet-le-Duc.
In Château-Chinon, town of President Mitterand, you may visit the Musée du Septennat. You will see there many objects, medals, "cities’ keys" and also several rooms with African gifts.
Morvan’s landscapes are also very beautiful. From Lormes, Château-Chinon or Banquet Chapel, you can discover the most famous ones. Several artificial lakes surround Lormes. The most famous is Les Settons, the dam was built in 1861 on the Cure for floating. It is very frequented by tourists and you can practice many sport activities. Pannecière dam built on the Yonne is the most recent, it permits to regulate the flow of the Yonne river and to product electricity.
Translation : Aurélie Lecomte, Marius Lewin
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