Creuse (river)

Creuse
Creuse
	La Creuse in Argenton-sur-Creuse
Native name	La Creuse Error {{native name checker}}: parameter value is malformed (help)
Location
Country	France
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Plateau de Millevaches
• elevation	932 m (3,058 ft)
Mouth
• location	Vienne
• coordinates	47°0′22″N 0°34′7″E / 47.00611°N 0.56861°E
Length	264 km (164 mi)
Basin size	9,570 km2 (3,690 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	81 m3/s (2,900 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Vienne→ Loire→ Atlantic Ocean

The Creuse (Occitan: Cruesa) is a 264-kilometre (164 mi) long river in western France, a tributary of the Vienne. Its source is in the Plateau de Millevaches, a north-western extension of the Massif Central.

Course

The Creuse flows northwest through the following departments and towns:

Creuse department (named after the river): Aubusson.
Indre department: Argenton-sur-Creuse, Le Blanc.
Indre-et-Loire department : Yzeures-sur-Creuse, Descartes
Vienne department: La Roche-Posay

The Creuse flows into the Vienne about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Châtellerault. A tributary of the Creuse is also the Gartempe.

The Creuse valley is the setting for paintings by the so-called Crozant School, including works by Armand Guillaumin and a series of vivid landscapes by the Bordeaux artist Alfred Smith.^[1]

Dams and lakes

There are six hydroelectric dams on the river. Three are in the Creuse département with one at Chambon-Sainte-Croix above Anzeme, one at Les Chezelles near Le Bourg-d'Hem and one at L'Âge upstream of La Celle-Dunoise. The remaining three are in the Indre including the Éguzon dam which was opened in 1926 and was, at the time, the largest dam in Europe. The lakes created by the dams are popular tourist destinations and several have artificial beaches and leisure facilities.

Main tributaries

Left bank:

Right bank:

References

^ Hollis Koons McCullough, ed. (2005). "Alfred Smith". Telfair Museum of Art: collection highlights. University of Georgia Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 0-933075-04-9.

External links

Media related to Creuse river at Wikimedia Commons

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[McCullough2005-1] Hollis Koons McCullough, ed. (2005). "Alfred Smith". Telfair Museum of Art: collection highlights. University of Georgia Press. pp. 156–157. ISBN 0-933075-04-9.

[1]