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| Nevers (Department 58 Nièvre) |
| Nevers on the River Loire offers the buzz of city life - everything from good shopping to jazz, with nature quite literally on the doorstep. It is the home of faïence pottery in Burgundy, and resting place for Saint Bernadette… |
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What you find within the Nevers section
Property prices in the Nevers area
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Accessibility
The A77 autoroute from south of Paris to Nevers makes travel time 2hrs 40 (246km); from Amsterdam it is 8hr (748km) and from Cologne 8hrs 30 (764km). This autoroute is in the process of being continued to Moulins. By rail, the Corail Téoz train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Nevers on the Clermont Ferrand line provides an up-to-the minute service. By air, Paris Charles de Gaulle is the closest airport.
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Nevers
The capital of the Nièvre, lies on the far west flank of Burgundy on the banks of the Loire river. Separated by the Morvan National Park from the east of the region, the town tends to look outwards towards the Loire. It is surrounded by pastoral landscapes and scenic waterways and forms the hub of the area. This is a solid town with a pick ‘n mix of architecture due in part to the rebuilding after the British bombing in July 1944, which was done to disrupt the regional rail network. The cathedral and town centre had to be repaired or rebuilt. Now the town provides excellent shopping, there are plenty of restaurants and cultural activities and on the outskirts there are large business parks offering light industry and all services.
Nevers high times
The greatest time of prosperity in the town was the 16thC when it was a commercial centre on the north-south trade route of the river Loire. At that time a marriage took place between Henriette, Duchess of Nevers and one Ludovico Gozaga from the House of Mantua which was to have lasting effect. This Italian gentleman exerted great influence. He embellished the Renaissance Palais Ducal turning it into what is sometimes called the first Loire château, still the focal point of the town centuries later. Now the Hôtel de Ville, amongst other things it is the venue for copious weddings – quite some registry office. |
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It was Gozaga who also introduced the pottery known as faïence to the area which has been one of the mainstays of the economy. The Italian Conrade brothers set up their potteries using the wood from the Morvan to fire the kilns and the Loire and the canal de Briare to transport the goods. Faïence comes and goes in fashion; it is collectable and as each piece is hand painted, it fetches a high price.
Depicting scenes throughout history on plates and ornaments, everything from the storming of the Bastille to the first balloon flight have been recorded. In Nevers, blue is the predominant colour used; other areas which followed suit and still produce faïence today such as Dijoin have other trademarks. Visit the pottery district in the old quarter of Nevers where the Montagnon factory, Du Dout du Monde, founded in 1648 is still in production. There is also a museum in the Palais Ducal. You can walk along the Ramparts or take a stroll down the Quai Mariners. During the summer months join in on the activity on the river Loire and the Canal Latéral à la Loire and try out the14km of the Voie Verte cycling route which runs along the canal bank.
Being on the path to Santiago de Compostela, Nevers also attracts pilgrims. But for members of the Catholic religion, it is Bernadette Soubirous that brings half a million visitors to the town each year. In her home of Lourdes, this young girl claimed that the Virgin appeared to her 18 times and several miracles occurred. She became a nun at the Convent of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, St Gildard, where she died in 1879. Beatified and canonised in 1933, her body lies in state; there is a shrine and garden devoted to her attracting the devout followers.
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