Of
the major cultural landscapes featuring river
valleys in Europe perhaps the Loire Valley is the
most famous. If it is the glorious chateaux that
bring the tourists here, it has to be remembered it
is the river Loire that is responsible for their very
existence. Like most rivers it had became a place of
settlement and trade since prehistory when
Neanderthal man fashioned boats from tree trunks
with their flint tools (see
Le Grand Pressigny)
to navigate the river.
It
was the Romans however who first established major
settlements on its shores that would eventually
become its now famous historical towns and cities.
Places such as
Amboise,
Angers,
Blois,
Orleans and
Tours
are steeped in history that can still be
appreciated today.
The
temperate climate along the Loire river valley is
due to Atlantic influences and this provides the
remarkably diverse range of wildlife and fauna which
exist today. It also provides the ideal environment
that has established France’s third largest
wine
region.
It was its popularity with the
French Royal Families that
left the wonderful legacy in the form of its glorious chateaux, gardens and
parks. This influence and the areas natural beauty made UNESCO designate the
stretch of the river (as shown above)
and its monuments
a world heritage site
in November 2000.
Schools might want to visit
baladeloire.corela.org -
this very
informative site on the Loire River using the themes of ‘Water’ ‘Land’ and
‘Development’. It includes panoramic photographs and good detail that will
immerse each visitor in the landscapes of this mighty river.
From its source to the Atlantic : The
river la Loire, the longest in France, has its source in the springs on the
side of Mont Gerbier de Jonc in the southern Cevennes hills within the
department of the Ardeche.* It then flows north to Orleans and then west
through Tours and on to the Atlantic coast at Nantes.--a distance of over
1000km .
The river actually gives its name to a number of
departments of France as it flows towards the Atlantic Ocean : Loire**, Haute-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Indre-et-Loire, Maine-et-Loire, and
Saône-et-Loire.
Unlike most rivers in western Europe, there are few obstacles to
the Loire's natural flow,
few locks and dams to slow its progress. One of the few obstacle, the Villerest
dam, built in 1985 just south of Roanne has played a key-role in preventing
recent flooding, making the Loire a popular river for boating trips flowing
through attractive countryside, tofu cliffs and beautiful
chateaux.
**Not the Loire Valley - This is the lesser known department that lies in the region of Rhone-alps in the south of the country
Click on link below for good info on the source of the river:
