Deux-Sèvres was one of the 83 originaldépartements created during theFrench Revolution on 4 March 1790. The land had been part of the ancient province ofPoitou.
Departmental borders were changed in 1973 when the inhabitants of the little commune ofPuy-Saint-Bonnet became formallyassociated with the rapidly growing adjacent commune ofCholet, which is in the neighbouring department ofMaine-et-Loire. To prevent the associated communes from being administered in separate departments, Puy-Saint-Bonnet was transferred into Maine-et-Loire.
Deux-Sevres features inSon Excellence Eugene Rougon, a novel by Emile Zola in his Rougon-Macquart series, when Rougon visits Niort, the departmental capital, to open a new rail line to Angers (chapter 10).
The climate is mild, the annual temperature averaging 11 degrees Celsius.
Thedépartement remains rural: three-quarters of the area consists of arable land. Wheat and oats are the main products grown, as well as potatoes, apples, and walnuts.Niort is the center for growing vegetables andangelica. Some beetroot is grown in the district ofMelle. Vineyards are numerous in the north (Haut-poitou (AOVDQS) [fr]), and there are some in the south.
Thedépartement is also well known for the breeding of cattle, mules, and horses. TheParthenais breed of cattle is named after the town ofParthenay in the north of thedépartement. Also, dairy products are produced in significant quantities (butter inÉchiré and goats' cheese).
Textiles and shoe making, furnitures, mechanics, automotive (Heuliez andIrisbus), chemistry (Rhodia in Melle), food industry and food packaging are the major industries outside of the capital.
The unemployment rate in thedépartement is very low (less than 5%) especially in the north-west, where many small and medium companies are developing rapidly.
The south-west of thedépartement attracts tourists with theMarais Poitevin natural area; theAtlantic coast is close at hand.
Niort in the south of thedépartement is connected to Paris and Bordeaux by theA10 motorway, with Nantes by theA83, with La Rochelle and Poitiers by the N11. Another important road in the north of thedépartement is theRoute nationale 149 (RN149), which runs roughly east–west fromBressuire to Poitiers, passing around the outskirts of Parthenay. This section of the RN149 forms part of theEuropean route E62 from Nantes toGenoa. The road originally ran from Nantes, but has been bypassed in various stages by the newRN249 dual carriageway. The old section from Nantes to Bressuire has been either renamed or downgraded to the D149.
The north and south of thedépartement are connected by relatively minor roads, with the D743 and D748 linking Niort to Parthenay and Bressuire respectively, whilst the D938 connects toThouars.[8]
Thedépartement has two railway stations on theTGV route between Paris and La Rochelle (Niort andSaint-Maixent), with a journey from Niort to Paris taking 2h15.[9] It is also served by severalTER Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional railway routes, including a route from Poitiers via Niort to La Rochelle, a route from Niort toSaintes, and a route fromTours to Thouars and Bressuire.[10] Therégion of Nouvelle-Aquitaine provides inter-urban bus service that connects the towns and villages of thedépartement.[11]
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