Bellac
Bellac | |
|---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
 Bridge over the Vincou | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Bellac  | |
  Bellac  Bellac | |
| Coordinates: 46°07′23″N 1°03′01″E / 46.1231°N 1.0503°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Haute-Vienne |
| Arrondissement | Bellac |
| Canton | Bellac |
| Intercommunality | Haut Limousin |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Jean-Michel Doumeix |
| Area 1 | 24.42 km2 (9.43 sq mi) |
| Population (2006) | 4,676 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 87011 /87300 |
| Elevation | 175–301 m (574–988 ft) (avg. 245 m or 804 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Bellac (French pronunciation: [bɛlak]; Template:Lang-oc [beˈlak]) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France.
Inhabitants are known as Bellachons.
Bellac is where the French author Jean Giraudoux, writer of L'Apollon de Bellac, was born in 1882. His house has been turned into a museum.
Geography
Bellac lies 45 km (28 mi) northwest of Limoges at the confluence of the rivers Gartempe and Vincou, in the Department of Haute-Vienne. Poitiers is 70 km (43 mi) to the northwest, and Angoulême 100 km (62 mi) to the southwest. The hills known as the Monts de Blond lie immediately to the south.
Administration
Bellac is a sous-préfecture of Haute-Vienne, governing eight cantons and 63 communes.
Transport
Bellac is 30 km (19 mi) west of the A20 Limoges-Orléans motorway, and lies at a crossroads where the RN145 crosses the RN147. Both these roads had been designated part of the Route Centre-Europe Atlantique (RCEA) and were thus at risk of being upgraded to motorway. However, the latest thinking is that the RCEA will be re-routed from La Souterraine south down the A20 to Limoges and then via upgraded to the N520/N141 routes to Angoulême and the west.
Classifications
Bellac is classified as a cité de charactere, a village étape, a station verte de vacances, and a station touristique.
Notable people
- Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944), writer, dramatist and playwright, was born in Bellac
- Charles Silvestre (1889–1948), writer, winner of the Prix Femina in 1926, died in Bellas
See also
Anne Pierpoint Morgan helped France in two world wars. For her work in Bellac see Wikipedia and the Pierpoint Morgan Library site.
References
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