Vendée

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Vendée

The Vendée coat of arms
Location

Administration
Département number:	85
Région:	Pays de la Loire
Préfecture:	La Roche-sur-Yon
Sub-Préfectures:	Fontenay-le-Comte Les Sables-d'Olonne
Arrondissements:	3
Cantons:	31
Communes:	282
Conseiller Général:	Philippe de Villiers
Statistics
Population	Ranked 45th
-2004	559,888
Population density:	80/km²
Land area¹:	6720 km²

¹ French Land Register data, which exclude estuaries, and lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km².

Vendée is a département in west central France, on the Atlantic's Bay of Biscay. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the département.

1 Administration
2 History
3 Geography & Climate
4 Economy
5 Demographics
6 Culture
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Administration

[edit] History

See also the main article Revolt in the Vendée

The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the Bas-Poitou. In the south-east corner, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) and was part of her Kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England (the Lionhearted) often based himself in Talmont. The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.

Since the Vendée held a considerable number of influential Protestants, including control by Jeanne d'Albret, the region was also greatly marked by the 36-year French Wars of Religion which broke out in 1562. Eventually King Henri IV issued the Edict of Nantes and the Wars came to an end. When the Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, it caused many Huguenots to flee from the Vendée.

It is also remembered as the place where the peasants revolted against the Revolutionary government in 1793. They resented the changes imposed on the Roman Catholic Church by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1793) and broke into open revolt in defiance of the Revolutionary government's military conscription. A guerrilla war, led by an underground faction known as the Chouans (screech owls) at the outset, known as the Revolt in the Vendée and would cost more than 100,000 lives until it ended in 1796. The suppression of the Catholic Royalists was merciless. At the conclusion of the action at Savenay, the French General François Joseph Westermann wrote to the Committee of Public Safety, "There is no more Vendée. It died with its wives and its children by our free sabers. I have just buried it in the woods and the swamps of Savenay. According to the orders that you gave me, I crushed the children under the feet of the horses, massacred the women who, at least for these, will not give birth to any more brigands. I do not have a prisoner to reproach me. I have all exterminated.”

In 1850, British author, Anthony Trollope published his book "La Vendee" detailing the history of the region and the war. In the preface he pays tribute to Madame de la Rochejaquelein on whose memoirs of the war he based his story.

The Revolt in the Vendée is the subject of Ninety-Three (Quatre-vingt-treize), the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo.

In the writings of Karl Marx regarding revolutionary struggles in various countries, he uses the term "a Vendée" as meaning "a counter-revolutionary".

[edit] Geography & Climate

Vendée's highest point is Mont Mercure (935 feet/285 m).

The department is crossed by four rivers: the Sèvre Nantaise (135 km), the Vendée (70 km), the Lay (110 km) and the Sèvre Niortaise (150 km).

[edit] Economy

The primary drivers of the Vendéen economy are:

Tourism
Agriculture
Food Processing
Light/Medium Industry.

The Vendée has been cited as the most economically dynamic département in France by L'Express magazine in a 2006 survey (L'Express 2006 Survey Results - in French) Her economy is characterised by a low rate of unemployment (around 7% in late 2006 against over 9% nationally) and a very high proportion of small and medium sized enterprises (one buisness for every 14 inhabitants).

Tourism

The coast of the Vendée stretches to over 160km of mostly sandy beaches. Coupled with an exceptionally mild climate, these have long attracted large numbers of overseas and domestic tourists. Some popular resorts include Les Sables d'Ollone, La Tranche-sur-Mer and St Jean de Monts. Some beaches are "blue flagged" for cleanliness.

Inland, the chief attractions include the Marais Poitevin (an area of marshlands famed for wildlife), the forested area around the village of Mervent, the rolling countryside of the Bocage and the historical theme park at the Puy du Fou.

Agriculture

Agriculture remains a significant source of employment in the Vendée. The département has the second highest level of revenue from agriculture in France. The major arable crops grown are maize, colza (oil seed rape), wheat and sunflowers. Meat and diary production also feature, as does the offshore farming of shellfish (oysters and mussels). Poultry from Challans is highly regarded nationwide as is lamb produced from the salt marshes in the North of the Vendée.

Demonstrating its support for the agricultural sector, the Conseil Generale of the Vendée has a stated policy to promote the construction of irrigation reservoirs to reduce dependence on ground water during key summer growing seasons.

Food Processing & Manufacturing

The Vendée is home to a large number of food processing firms, including some nationally important firms. Fleury Michon (in French), a manufacturer of ready-meals and charcuterie employs the vast majority of its workforce (some 3000 people) at plants in the Vendée. Other important employers include bakeries and biscuit producers.

The département also has some speciality products, including a distinctive brioche (now recognised by the "Label Rouge" designation) and a raw cured ham ("Jambon de Vendée) similar in flavour to bacon.

Wine is also produced in the area around the communes of Vix, Brem, Pissotte and Mareuil-sur-Lay and is marketed under the "Fiefs Vendéens" label. Quality of the production has improved markedly over recent years, and having already achieved the appellation V.D.Q.S (Vins Délimité de Qualité Superieure) the wines are on their way towards A.O.C status (Appellation d’Origine Controlée). Wines of Mareuil

Industry

Much of the manufacturing industry in the Vendée reflects her status as a major tourist destinations. Mobile homes are manufactured at plants in Luçon and the building of motor and sail yachts takes place at locations all over the département. The service sector too is strongly inclined towards tourism with campsites, restaurants and other tourism businesses important sources of revenue and employment.

[edit] Demographics

Vendée's inhabitants are referred to as Vendeans (French Vendéens).

[edit] Culture

With more than 100 miles of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods, and a very mild climate, Vendée is today a popular tourist destination. There is an extensive nude beach just south of La Faute sur Mer on the Pointe d'Arçay. The département also boasts many churches and abbeys, museums, and - for nature lovers - there are thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds. Fishing is popular in the ocean or in the Vendée's rivers and lakes.