Niort
Encyclopedia
Niort is a commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...

 in the Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres
Deux-Sèvres is a French département. Deux-Sèvres literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department.-History:...

 department in western France.

The Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 name of the city was Novioritum.

The population of Niort is 60,486 and more than 137,000 people live in the urban area.

Near Niort at Maisonnay
Maisonnay
Maisonnay is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France.-References:*...

 there is one of the tallest radio masts
TV Mast Niort-Maisonnay
The TV Mast Niort-Maisonnay is a 330 metre high guyed mast for TV transmission in Maisonnay, near Niort, France at 46°11'33"N and 0°3'10"W. It is one of the tallest constructions of France, taller than Eiffel Tower.-External links:...

 in France (height: 330 metres).

Geography

The town is located on the Sèvre Niortaise
Sèvre Niortaise
The Sèvre Niortaise is a river in western France, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. Its source is in the Deux-Sèvres département, near Sepvret, north of Melle.It flows through the following départements and towns:...

 River and a centre of angelica
Angelica
Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...

 cultivation in France.

Economy

Niort 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
Groupama
Groupama contraction of GROUPe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles is an international insurance group based in Paris, France...

, Banque Populaire. Niort is a main financial centre of France (fourth ranked after Paris, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....

 and Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

). Chemistry and aeronautics are the main industries.

Niort is a major administrative and commercial centre.

Transport

Niort has a railway station on the TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....

 route between Paris and La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...

, Gare de Niort
Gare de Niort
Niort is a railway station in Niort, France. Niort is linked to Paris and towns and cities in the region:*Paris - La Rochelle *La Rochelle - Poitiers *Royan - Saintes - Niort - Poitiers -References:*...

. Direct TGV to Paris Montparnasse
Gare Montparnasse
Paris Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus railway stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969...

 station takes 2 hours and 15 minutes Niort is a road and motorway junction, connected to Paris and Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

 by the A10 motorway, with Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....

 by the A83, and with La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...

 by the N11.

Sports

The football team is Chamois Niortais who play in the National
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National, commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...

, the third-highest league in French football. Rugby team Stade Niortais
Stade Niortais
Stade Niortais Rugby is a rugby team based in the city of Niort in the Deux-Sèvres département in the poitou-charentes region...

 celebrated their 100 year anniversary in 2009. The Dragons baseball team plays in the Regional League.

People

Niort was the birthplace of:
  • Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon
    Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon
    Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon was the second wife of King Louis XIV of France. She was known during her first marriage as Madame Scarron, and subsequently as Madame de Maintenon...

     (1635–1719), second wife of Louis XIV
    Louis XIV of France
    Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...

  • Jacques de Liniers (Santiago de Liniers y Remond) (1753–1810)
  • Louis-Marcelin, marquis de Fontanes
    Louis-Marcelin de Fontanes
    Louis-Marcelin, marquis de Fontanes was a French poet and politician.-Biography:Born in Niort , he belonged to a noble Protestant family of Languedoc which had been reduced to poverty by the revocation of the edict of Nantes. His father and grandfather remained Protestant, but he was himself...

     (1757–1821), poet and politician
  • Montaubry
    Achille-Félix Montaubry
    Achille-Félix Montaubry, was a French musician and operatic tenor, active in Paris; later a theatre director...

     (1826–98), tenor associated with opéra comique
    Opéra comique
    Opéra comique is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged out of the popular opéra comiques en vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent , which combined existing popular tunes with spoken sections...

     and operetta
  • Henri-Georges Clouzot
    Henri-Georges Clouzot
    Henri-Georges Clouzot was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed The Wages of Fear and Les Diaboliques, which are critically recognized to be among the greatest films from the 1950s...

     (1904–1977), film director
  • Julien N'Da
    Julien N'Da
    Julien N'Da is an Ivorian/French footballer who currently plays for Championnat National side FC Gueugnon. He has represented the Ivory Coast national football team at Under-21 level on several occasions....

     footballer
  • Aurelien Capoue
    Aurélien Capoue
    Aurélien Capoue is a French football midfielder, currently playing for French club US Boulogne.-International career:Capoue made his debut for Guadeloupe at the CONCACAF Gold Cup Finals in June 2007 against Haiti...

     footballer
  • Etienne Capoue
    Étienne Capoue
    Étienne Capoue is a French football player who currently plays for French club Toulouse in Ligue 1. He can play as either a defensive midfielder or defender. Capoue was a French youth international having earned caps at under-18, under-19, and under-21 level. Capoue served as captain for a portion...

     footballer
  • Philippe Besnard (1942–2003) sociologist

Twin towns – Sister cities

Niort is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Atakpamé
Atakpamé
Founded by the Yoruba people, Atakpamé, the fifth largest city in Togo by population , is a city in the Plateaux Region of Togo. It is an industrial centre and lies on the main north-south highway, 161 km north of the capital Lomé...

, Togo, since 1958 Coburg
Coburg
Coburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...

, Germany, since 1974 Wellingborough
Wellingborough
Wellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...

, United Kingdom, since 1977 Springe
Springe
Springe is a town in the district of Hanover, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated near the Deister hills, southwest of Hanover.-City Structure:* Springe with 12,666 Inhabitants* Bennigsen with 4,095 Inhabitants...

, Germany, since 1979 Tomelloso
Tomelloso
Tomelloso is a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It has a population of 33,548 .-Main sights:*Posada de los Portales *Town Hall, rebuilt in 1904...

, Spain, since 1981 Gijon
Gijón
Gijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history...

, Spain, since 1982 Biała Podlaska, Poland, since 1995

External links

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