Creuse (river)

The Creuse (Occitan: Cruesa) is a 263-kilometre (163 mi) long river in western France, a tributary of the Vienne.[1] Its source is in the Plateau de Millevaches, a north-western extension of the Massif Central.

Creuse
La Creuse in Argenton-sur-Creuse
Native nameLa Creuse  (French)
Location
CountryFrance
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationPlateau de Millevaches
  elevation932 m (3,058 ft)
Mouth 
  location
Vienne
  coordinates
47°0′22″N 0°34′7″E
Length263 km (163 mi)
Basin size9,570 km2 (3,690 sq mi)
Discharge 
  average81 m3/s (2,900 cu ft/s)
Basin features
ProgressionVienneLoireAtlantic Ocean

Course

The Creuse flows northwest through the following departments and towns:

The Creuse flows into the Vienne about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Châtellerault. A tributary of the Creuse is also 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.[2]

Dams and lakes

Diagram of the Creuse Dams

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.

Main tributaries

References

  1. Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - La Creuse (L---0070)".
  2. Hollis Koons McCullough, ed. (2005). "Alfred Smith". Telfair Museum of Art: collection highlights. University of Georgia Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 0-933075-04-9.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.