Niort (French pronunciation: [njɔʁ] ; Poitevin: Niàu; Occitan: Niòrt; Latin: Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
Niort
Niàu (Poitevin–Saintongeais) | |
|---|---|
Prefecture and commune | |
 | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Niort  | |
  Niort  Niort | |
| Coordinates: 46°19′33″N 0°27′38″W / 46.3258°N 0.4606°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Deux-Sèvres |
| Arrondissement | Niort |
| Canton | 3 cantons |
| Intercommunality | CA Niortais |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Jérôme Baloge[1] |
| Area 1 | 68.20 km2 (26.33 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 59,309 |
| • Density | 870/km2 (2,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 79191 /79000 |
| Elevation | 2–77 m (6.6–252.6 ft) (avg. 28 m or 92 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the urban area.[3]
Geography
editThe town is located on the river Sèvre Niortaise and is a centre of angelica cultivation in France. Near Niort at Maisonnay there is one of the tallest radio masts in France (height: 330 metres).
Transport
editNiort has a railway station on the TGV route between Paris and La Rochelle, Gare de Niort. Direct TGV to Paris Montparnasse station takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. Niort is a road and motorway junction, connected to Paris and Bordeaux by the A10 motorway, with Nantes by the A83, and with La Rochelle by the N11. It is the largest French city to offer free mass transit.[4]
Population
editThe population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Niort proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Niort absorbed the former commune of Souché in 1964, Sainte-Pezenne in 1965, Saint-Florent in 1968 and Saint-Liguaire in 1971.[5]
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| Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968–2017)[6] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economy
editNiort is the French capital of mutual insurance and bank companies, with the headquarters of MAAF, MAIF, MACIF, SMACL and regional branches of national mutual companies such as Groupama, Banque Populaire. Despite its small size, Niort is a main financial centre of France (ranked fourth after Paris, Lyon and Lille). Chemistry and aeronautics are the other main industries.
Niort is a major administrative and commercial centre. There has been a covered market in the town since at least the 13th century.[7] The present-day Halles de Niort, a steel and glass pavilion atop a vaulted stone base building, opened in 1871 and has been listed as a monument historique since 1987.[8]
Notable people
editNiort is the birthplace of the following people:
- Mickaël Brunet, footballer
- Oliver Sarr, basketball player
- Achille-Félix Montaubry (1826–98), tenor singer associated with opéra comique and operetta
- Gaston Chérau (1872–1937), writer, a member of the Académie Goncourt
- Aurélien Capoue, footballer
- Étienne Capoue, footballer
- Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon (1635–1719), second wife of Louis XIV
- Henri-Georges Clouzot (1904–1977), film director
- Paul Collomp (1885–1943), French hellenist and papyrologist
- Julien N'Da, footballer
- Louis-Marcelin, marquis de Fontanes (1757–1821), poet and politician
- Mamadou Camara, footballer
- Pascal Depierris (born 1967), former professional footballer
- Isabelle Druet (born 1979), mezzo-soprano
- Mickaël James (born 1976), former professional footballer
- Jacques Antoine Marie de Liniers et Brémond (Santiago Antonio María de Liniers y Bremond) (1753–1810), Spanish Viceroy in the Río de la Plata
- Jean Sauvaget (1901–1950), historian and orientalist
- Philippe Souchard (born 1979), footballer
- Mathieu Texier (born 1981), footballer
- Rima Hassan (born 1992 - arrived in the town in 2002), jurist and politician
Fictional works
editNiort is featured or mentioned in the following fictional works:
- Son Excellence Eugène Rougon, 1876, the sixth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series by Émile Zola.
- Les Diaboliques, 1955 movie by Henri-Georges Clouzot
- Sérotonine, 2019 novel by Michel Houellebecq
Sports
editThe football team is Chamois Niortais, which plays in National, the third-highest league in French football. Rugby team Stade Niortais celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2009. The city also is home to a professional basketball club named ASN Niort. The team plays at the second highest league in French basketball. The team celebrated its 100th birthday in 2021.
Education
editUpper secondary schools:[9]
- Lycée Jean Macé
- Lycée général, technologique et professionnel Paul Guérin
- Lycée de la Venise Verte
- Lycée professionnel Gaston Barré
- Lycée professionnel Thomas Jean Main
- Lycée de l'horticulture et du paysage
- Lycée Saint-André / Notre-Dame (private)
There is a post-secondary institution, Pôle universitaire de Niort.[10]
International relations
editNiort is twinned with:
Atakpamé, Togo, since 1958
Coburg, Bavaria, Germany, since 1974
Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom, since 1977
Tomelloso, Ciudad Real, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, since 1981
Biała Podlaska, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, since 1995
Climate
edit| Climate data for Niort (1981–2010 averages) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 17.0 (62.6) |
22.1 (71.8) |
25.5 (77.9) |
29.8 (85.6) |
32.3 (90.1) |
38.0 (100.4) |
38.1 (100.6) |
40.1 (104.2) |
35.7 (96.3) |
30.0 (86.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
19.2 (66.6) |
40.1 (104.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
16.0 (60.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
18.0 (64.4) |
12.2 (54.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) |
2.3 (36.1) |
4.0 (39.2) |
5.7 (42.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
12.4 (54.3) |
14.3 (57.7) |
14.0 (57.2) |
11.6 (52.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.9 (37.2) |
7.8 (46.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −16.0 (3.2) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
3.1 (37.6) |
5.1 (41.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 84.4 (3.32) |
66.1 (2.60) |
63.8 (2.51) |
71.3 (2.81) |
69.9 (2.75) |
59.2 (2.33) |
55.5 (2.19) |
50.3 (1.98) |
60.5 (2.38) |
96.8 (3.81) |
93.2 (3.67) |
96.2 (3.79) |
867.2 (34.14) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.3 | 9.9 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 11.2 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 6.5 | 7.7 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 119.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 78.0 | 106.0 | 157.7 | 180.1 | 215.0 | 243.2 | 251.0 | 247.5 | 203.2 | 133.0 | 90.2 | 75.4 | 1,980.3 |
| Source: Meteo France[11][12] | |||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Comparateur de territoire Aire d'attraction des villes 2020 de Niort (063), INSEE
- ^ "Niort devient la plus grosse agglomération à proposer la gratuité des transports en commun". lemonde.fr. 1 September 2017.
- ^ a b Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Niort, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ Le Roux, Xavier (16 July 2021). "Les Halles de Niort célèbrent leurs 150 ans en cette année 2021". lanouvellerepublique.fr (in French). La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ Base Mérimée: Halles, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
- ^ "Enseignement secondaire". Municipality of Niort. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Enseignement supérieur". Municipality of Niort. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Données climatiques de la station de Niort" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
- ^ "Climat Poitou-Charentes" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 14 January 2016.