River in southwestern France
The
Charente
(
French:
[?a???t]
ⓘ
;
Occitan
:
Charanta
[t?a??ant?]
) is a 381-kilometre (237 mi) long river in southwestern France.
[1]
Its source is in the
Haute-Vienne
departement
at
Cheronnac
, a small village near
Rochechouart
. It flows through the departments of
Haute-Vienne
,
Charente
,
Vienne
and
Charente-Maritime
. The river flows into the
Atlantic Ocean
near
Rochefort
.
Navigation
[
edit
]
The Charente was described by the French king
Francois I
as 'the most beautiful river in the kingdom', and was navigable in its natural state until mills were erected at many locations in the 14th century.
[2]
Some locks were built but through navigation remained impossible for centuries. Improvements to the navigation were projected under Louis XVI in 1772, but work was interrupted by the Revolution. The project was revived under the Restoration and canalisation completed in 1835. The waterway was abandoned in 1957. The
departements
took over operation in 1963, and recreational vessels have now taken possession of the waterway throughout the 164 km to the town of
Angouleme
.
The historic towns of
Cognac
,
Jarnac
,
Saintes
and
Rochefort
make the river a popular destination for boaters, mainly in rental boats, with moorings provided at most towns and villages along the route. The
locks
are 34.8 by 6.5 metres (114 by 21 ft).
[3]
Tributaries
[
edit
]
Tributaries
include the rivers
Antenne
,
Boeme
,
Ne
, Coran,
Seugne
, Bramerit,
Boutonne
, Arnoult, Touvre and
Bonnieure
.
[1]
The river Boutonne is navigable over a distance of 31 km to Saint-Jean-d'Angely, but a barrier at the confluence prevents access except under exceptional conditions.
En route
[
edit
]
Towns and villages include
Vergeroux
,
Soubise
,
Rochefort
and
Tonnay-Charente
on the tidal river, and
Saint-Savinien
,
Taillebourg
,
Saintes
,
Cognac
,
Jarnac
, Saint-Simon and
Angouleme
on the navigable river, while
Montignac-Charente
and
Civray
are on the river's upper course.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]