Parthenay | |
|---|---|
 The west side of the Partenay citadel from the Saint-Paul Bridge over theRiver Thouet | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Parthenay | |
  Parthenay  Parthenay | |
| Coordinates:46°38′46″N0°14′52″W / 46.64620°N 0.247800°W /46.64620; -0.247800 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Deux-Sèvres |
| Arrondissement | Parthenay |
| Canton | Parthenay |
| Intercommunality | CC Parthenay-Gâtine |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Jean Michel Prieur[1] (AC) |
Area 1 | 11.38 km2 (4.39 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 10,121 |
| • Density | 889.4/km2 (2,303/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 79202 /79200 |
| Elevation | 114–184 m (374–604 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Parthenay (French:[paʁtənɛ]ⓘ;Poitevin:Partenaes) is an ancient fortified town andcommune in theDeux-Sèvresdepartment of theNouvelle-Aquitaineregion in westernFrance. It is sited on a rocky spur that is surrounded on two sides by theRiver Thouet, and is thesub-prefecture of theParthenayarrondissement.
It is situated some 40 km (25 mi) north ofNiort, 50 km (31 mi) west ofPoitiers, 120 km (75 mi) south-east ofNantes, and 350 km (220 mi) south-west ofParis.[3]
Each July, Parthenay hosts theFestival Ludique International de Parthenay, otherwise known as theFestival de Jeux orFLIP, in which the town's streets and squares are filled with games of many types. The shorter indoorFLIP d'hiver runs in November.
Legend has it that Parthenay was created with a wave of the fairyMelusine's wand. However the name of Parthenay first appears in written records at the beginning of the 11th century and there is no evidence of previous significant human occupation in theMiddle Ages.[3]
The castle, situated on an easily defended site at the tip of the rocky promontory surrounded by the loop of the river, was built in the 13th century. At the same time the outer fortifications protecting the citadel, and the town itself, were completed.[4]
Economically, Parthenay benefited by being on one of the branches of theWay of St. James, themediaevalpilgrimage route toSantiago de Compostela inSpain. The main fortified gate, by which pilgrims would enter the town, still bears the name of Saint Jacques (the French name forSaint James).[3]
Historically, Parthenay was considered the capital of theGâtine Vendéenne, the hilly and wooded area that occupies the centre of the current department of Deux-Sèvres and is quite different in character from the plains to the south, aroundNiort. Because of the nature of the land, the area became known for the breeding ofcattle, and theParthenais breed is named after the town.
It was not until the 19th century that the town expanded beyond its walls. Wide boulevards and squares were constructed following the line of the old town wall and moat to the east of the town. Beyond these, the railway station was built in 1880, and new districts and industries grew up around this.[4]
The medieval walled town of Parthenay is constructed in a bend of the River Thouet, which surrounds the town on the west and north sides. The highest ground within the walls lies to the south, where the current town centre lies. To the north and west, a spur of high ground runs above cliffs which descend vertically to the riverside park ofLa Prée. At the northern end of this spur, with the river on two sides, are the remains of the towns fortifiedchateau. Between thechateau and the town centre along the top of the spur is thecitadel, protected by the city wall along the top of the cliffs to the west, and by its own inner walls to the south and east.[4][5]
To the east of the citadel and the north of the town centre, the land slopes more gently down a small valley to the river. Running down the middle of this valley can be found theRue de la Vau Saint-Jaques, a narrow mediaeval street that climbs up from the bridge and gateway of thePorte Saint-Jacques to the centre of town. In time of the pilgrimage, this would have been the main pilgrimage route south through the town, and was occupied byweavers.[4][5]
Outside the city walls, the district of Saint-Jacques occupies land at the northern side of the Saint-Jacques bridge, and was also an area of weavers in mediaeval times. To the west of the town centre, the district of Saint-Paul spills down the steep hill to the river, across the Saint-Paul bridge and around the former Saint-Paul's Priory, founded in the 11th century. The Saint-Paul's district was the home of the town'stanners.[4][5]
Later expansions to the east and south of the walled town date from the nineteenth century and later, and were encouraged by the construction of the railway and, more recently, the town's eastern by-pass road.[4][5]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 11,334 | — |
| 1975 | 12,728 | +1.67% |
| 1982 | 11,395 | −1.57% |
| 1990 | 10,809 | −0.66% |
| 1999 | 10,466 | −0.36% |
| 2007 | 10,415 | −0.06% |
| 2012 | 10,300 | −0.22% |
| 2017 | 10,267 | −0.06% |
| Source: INSEE[6] | ||
In 2001, the commune of Parthenay joined together with six neighbouring communes to establish theCommunauté de communes de Parthenay, which provides a framework within which local tasks are carried out together. This intercommunality was merged into theCommunauté de communes de Parthenay-Gâtine in 2014. The new intercommunality has 39 communes, a population of 37,817 (2014) in an area of 836.2 km2 (322.9 sq mi).[7]
Parthenay is located on theRoute nationale 149 (RN149), which runs roughly east–west fromNantes toPoitiers, and which forms part of theEuropean route E62 from Nantes toGenoa. The RN149 is a conventional highway, and has to a certain extent been by-passed by a combination of theautoroutesA83 andA10 that passes some 25 km (16 mi) to the south of Parthenay. Other major roads link Parthenay toNiort,Saumur,Saint-Maixent-l'École andLa Roche-sur-Yon. Through traffic can avoid passing through the old town by using a by-pass road that encircles the town at a distance of about 2 km (1.2 mi).[5]
Parthenay railway station was formerly a junction on theSNCF rail system, with lines toNiort,Thouars,Poitiers andBressuire. However, only the lines to Niort and Thouars survive, and these lines now only carry freight trains. Therégion of Nouvelle-Aquitaine provides inter-urban bus service that connects Parthenay to Niort, Bressuire, Thouars, Poitiers and other local towns and villages.[8]
The nearest airports are at Poitiers (Poitiers - Biard Airport) and Nantes (Nantes Atlantique Airport).
The medieval centre of Parthenay contains a number of sights, including:
| Climate data for Parthenay (1993–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.1 (84.4) | 32.6 (90.7) | 38.8 (101.8) | 40.4 (104.7) | 41.3 (106.3) | 35.5 (95.9) | 30.3 (86.5) | 21.7 (71.1) | 18.3 (64.9) | 41.3 (106.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) | 9.7 (49.5) | 13.2 (55.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 20.2 (68.4) | 24.2 (75.6) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 22.8 (73.0) | 17.6 (63.7) | 12.0 (53.6) | 8.8 (47.8) | 17.2 (63.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.4 (41.7) | 6.0 (42.8) | 8.5 (47.3) | 11.1 (52.0) | 14.6 (58.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 20.2 (68.4) | 20.0 (68.0) | 16.6 (61.9) | 13.1 (55.6) | 8.4 (47.1) | 5.8 (42.4) | 12.3 (54.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.7 (38.7) | 5.6 (42.1) | 9.0 (48.2) | 12.1 (53.8) | 13.8 (56.8) | 13.5 (56.3) | 10.4 (50.7) | 8.7 (47.7) | 4.9 (40.8) | 2.8 (37.0) | 7.4 (45.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.8 (10.8) | −10.1 (13.8) | −11.9 (10.6) | −4.2 (24.4) | −1.7 (28.9) | 3.7 (38.7) | 5.7 (42.3) | 5.1 (41.2) | 1.4 (34.5) | −3.2 (26.2) | −9.7 (14.5) | −11.2 (11.8) | −11.9 (10.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 90.8 (3.57) | 64.1 (2.52) | 60.3 (2.37) | 61.0 (2.40) | 62.5 (2.46) | 53.8 (2.12) | 46.1 (1.81) | 50.1 (1.97) | 59.8 (2.35) | 90.6 (3.57) | 91.9 (3.62) | 99.6 (3.92) | 830.6 (32.70) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.8 | 10.3 | 9.9 | 9.6 | 9.4 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 7.9 | 11.5 | 12.6 | 12.5 | 117.4 |
| Source: Meteociel[16] | |||||||||||||
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