Vendée
Encyclopedia
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France
, on the Atlantic Ocean
. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river
which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.
. In the south-east corner, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine
(1122–1204) and was part of her kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England
(the Lionheart) often had his base in Talmont
. The Hundred Years' War
(1337–1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.
Since the Vendée held a considerable number of influential Protestants
, including control by Jeanne d'Albret, the region was greatly affected by the French Wars of Religion
which broke out in 1562 and continued until 1598. Eventually King Henri IV
issued the Edict of Nantes
and the Wars came to an end. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes
in 1685 caused many Huguenots to flee from the Vendée.
It is also remembered as the place where the peasants revolted against the Revolutionary
government in 1793. They resented the harsh conditions imposed on the Roman Catholic Church
by the provisions of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
act (1790) and broke into open revolt after the Revolutionary government's imposition of military conscription
. A guerrilla
war, known as the Revolt in the Vendée
, led at the outset by peasants who were chosen in each locale, cost more than 240,000 lives before it ended in 1796 (190,000 Vendeans who were republicans or royalists and 50,000 non-Vendean republican soldiers; according to the Jacques Hussenet and Centre Vendéen de Recherche Historique's book "Détruisez la Vendée"). The Revolt in the Vendée must not be confused with the revolt of the Chouans, which took place at the same time in Maine and Bretagne.
From 1700 on, the Vendée came to be a strongly Catholic area of France due to the influence of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
(who renewed and deepened the Roman Catholic faith of the Vendée people by preaching his deep devotion to the Virgin Mary and strong Catholic belief. St Margaret Mary Alacoque
had already contributed to this region's deeply Catholic faith several decades before. The Vendée people loved their Catholic King and their Catholic faith. After the French Revolution, all priests of France were forced to sign the provisions of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy created by the Revolutionary government which denounced the Pope and made the Revolutionary government the head of the Catholic Church. Out of 474 priests in the Vendée, 367 refused to sign the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Priests who did not sign were considered enemies of France and many were guillotined or murdered savagely. Throughout France, entire religious orders were guillotined, like the Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne in north western France near Paris. After the execution of King Louis XVI, the Vendée people could not idly stand by any longer. Once conscription laws were signed, they took up arms and fought for their way of life and their faith rather than join an army led by a government that had killed their King and was destroying their Church. Their motto in battle was "Vive le roi!" and "Vive les bons prêtres!"; Long live the King, Long live the good priests and Long live the faith! Some important leaders were a woolen peddler named Jacques Cathelineau
, Marquis de Bonchamps who was a regular army officer who had seen service in India, François de Charette
and Henri de la Rochejaquelein
. Both had to lead armies of peasants and farmers and knew the danger and small chance of success they had in fighting the French Army under the Revolution. Cathelineau was known to say before a battle: "My friends never forget that we are fighting for our holy religion." The resistance won many battles but was eventually defeated. After their defeat, many of the people of the region were exterminated by the agents and armies of the Revolution. Men, women and children were placed on rafts and intentionally sunk because the guillotine was too slow for mass killings. Many were shot down before open graves and buried where they fell.
During the Reign of Terror, over 40,000 Frenchmen in the Vendée were executed.
In 1815, when Napoleon escaped exile on Elba
for his Hundred Days
, the Vendée refused to recognise him and stayed loyal to King Louis XVIII. General Lamarque
led 10,000 men into the Vendée to pacify the region.
A failed rebellion in the Vendée in 1832 in support of Caroline Ferdinande Louise, duchesse de Berry, the former King Charles X's widowed daughter-in-law, was an unsuccessful attempt to restore the Legitimist Bourbon dynasty during the reign of the Orléanist
monarch, King Louis Philippe of the French (1830–1848).
In 1850, British
author Anthony Trollope
published his book La Vendée, detailing the history of the region and the war. In the preface he pays tribute to Madame de la Rochejaquelein
, on whose memoirs of the war he based his story.
The Revolt in the Vendée
is the subject of Ninety-Three
(Quatrevingt-treize), the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo
, an episode in Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
and also the backdrop of Les Chouans
by Balzac.
In the writings of Karl Marx
regarding revolutionary struggles in various countries, he uses the term "a Vendée" as meaning "a focus of persistent counter-revolutionary activities".
The department is crossed by four rivers: the Sèvre Nantaise (135 kilometres (83.9 mi) long), the Vendée (70 kilometres (43.5 mi)), the Lay (110 kilometres (68.4 mi)) and the Sèvre Niortaise (150 kilometres (93.2 mi)).
Vendée's inhabitants are referred to as Vendeans (French
Vendéens [vɑ̃deˈɑ̃]).
in La Roche-sur-Yon. The main goal of this institute is to achieve academic excellence through an enhancement of the Christian and human dimension in seven areas of study. Founded in 1989, Catholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICES
has pioneered a new concept in higher education, that of the “University School” : halfway between the French Grande École and the traditional state university.
The Vendée has been cited as the most economically dynamic department in France by L'Express magazine in a 2006 survey. Its economy is characterised by a low rate of unemployment (around 7% in late 2006 compared to more than 9% nationally) and a very high proportion of small and medium sized businesses (one business for every 14 inhabitants).
, La Tranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-de-Monts
. Some beaches are "blue flagged" for cleanliness.
With more than 100 miles (160.9 km) of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods. There is a nude beach
just south of La Faute sur Mer on the Pointe d'Arçay. The department also has churches and abbeys, museums, and - for nature lovers - thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds. There is fishing in the Vendée's rivers and lakes.
Inland, the chief attractions include the Marais Poitevin
(an area of marshlands famed for wildlife), the forested area around the village of Mervent and the rolling countryside of the Bocage. In the north of the department, the historical theme park Puy du Fou
attracts more than 1.45 million of visitors per year.
Demonstrating its support for the agricultural sector, the Conseil Général of the Vendée has a stated policy to promote the construction of irrigation reservoirs to reduce dependence on ground water during key summer growing seasons.
employs the majority of its workforce (some 3000 people) at local plants. Other employers include bakeries and biscuit producers.
The department also has some speciality products, including brioche
(Label Rouge) and a raw cured ham (Jambon de Vendée) similar in flavour to bacon.
Wine is also produced in the area around the communes of Vix, Brem, Pissotte and Mareuil-sur-Lay, and is marketed under the "Fiefs Vendéens" designation. Production quality has improved markedly over recent years, and, having already achieved the classification Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), the wines are on their way towards A.O.C status (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée).
and the building of motor and sail yachts takes place at locations all over the department. The service sector too is strongly inclined towards tourism with campsites, restaurants and other tourism businesses being important sources of revenue and employment.
, govern the affairs of the department, with 26 members on the right-wing and 5 members on the left-wing.
The Prefect represents the French State
in the department.
, Philippe de Villiers
. He held the office from 1988 to 2010 and was seen as the department's political strongman. He has been replaced by Bruno Retailleau
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river
Vendée River
The Vendée is a small river in western France, right tributary to the river Sèvre Niortaise. Its source is near L'Absie, in the west of the Deux-Sèvres département...
which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.
History
The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the Bas-Poitou and is part of the former province of PoitouPoitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
. In the south-east corner, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Autise is believed to be the birthplace of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
(1122–1204) and was part of her kingdom. Eleanor's son, Richard I of England
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
(the Lionheart) often had his base in Talmont
Talmont-Saint-Hilaire
Talmont-Saint-Hilaire is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.Richard I of England often had his base in Talmont, and built the fortress of the commune....
. The Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
(1337–1453) turned much of the Vendée into a battleground.
Since the Vendée held a considerable number of influential Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, including control by Jeanne d'Albret, the region was greatly affected by the French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
which broke out in 1562 and continued until 1598. Eventually King Henri IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
issued the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
and the Wars came to an end. The revocation of the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
in 1685 caused many Huguenots to flee from the Vendée.
It is also remembered as the place where the peasants revolted against the Revolutionary
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
government in 1793. They resented the harsh conditions imposed on the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
by the provisions of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church in France to the French government....
act (1790) and broke into open revolt after the Revolutionary government's imposition of military conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. A guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
war, known as the Revolt in the Vendée
Revolt in the Vendée
The War in the Vendée was a Royalist rebellion and counterrevolution in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the Loire River in western France. The uprising was closely tied to the Chouannerie, which took place in...
, led at the outset by peasants who were chosen in each locale, cost more than 240,000 lives before it ended in 1796 (190,000 Vendeans who were republicans or royalists and 50,000 non-Vendean republican soldiers; according to the Jacques Hussenet and Centre Vendéen de Recherche Historique's book "Détruisez la Vendée"). The Revolt in the Vendée must not be confused with the revolt of the Chouans, which took place at the same time in Maine and Bretagne.
From 1700 on, the Vendée came to be a strongly Catholic area of France due to the influence of St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
Louis de Montfort
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was canonized in 1947. He was a French priest and known in his time as a preacher and author, whose books, still widely read, have influenced a number of popes....
(who renewed and deepened the Roman Catholic faith of the Vendée people by preaching his deep devotion to the Virgin Mary and strong Catholic belief. St Margaret Mary Alacoque
Marguerite Marie Alacoque
Marguerite Marie Alacoque or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French Roman Catholic nun and mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.-Early life:...
had already contributed to this region's deeply Catholic faith several decades before. The Vendée people loved their Catholic King and their Catholic faith. After the French Revolution, all priests of France were forced to sign the provisions of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy created by the Revolutionary government which denounced the Pope and made the Revolutionary government the head of the Catholic Church. Out of 474 priests in the Vendée, 367 refused to sign the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Priests who did not sign were considered enemies of France and many were guillotined or murdered savagely. Throughout France, entire religious orders were guillotined, like the Carmelite Nuns of Compiegne in north western France near Paris. After the execution of King Louis XVI, the Vendée people could not idly stand by any longer. Once conscription laws were signed, they took up arms and fought for their way of life and their faith rather than join an army led by a government that had killed their King and was destroying their Church. Their motto in battle was "Vive le roi!" and "Vive les bons prêtres!"; Long live the King, Long live the good priests and Long live the faith! Some important leaders were a woolen peddler named Jacques Cathelineau
Jacques Cathelineau
Jacques Cathelineau , nicknamed le Saint d'Anjou , was a French Vendéan insurrection leader during the French Revolution...
, Marquis de Bonchamps who was a regular army officer who had seen service in India, François de Charette
François de Charette
François Athanase de Charette de la Contrie was a French soldier and politician, one of the leaders of the bloody events termed the "Revolt in the Vendée"...
and Henri de la Rochejaquelein
Henri de la Rochejaquelein
Henri du Vergier, comte de la Rochejaquelein was the youngest general of the Royalist Vendéan insurrection during the French Revolution.-Early activities:...
. Both had to lead armies of peasants and farmers and knew the danger and small chance of success they had in fighting the French Army under the Revolution. Cathelineau was known to say before a battle: "My friends never forget that we are fighting for our holy religion." The resistance won many battles but was eventually defeated. After their defeat, many of the people of the region were exterminated by the agents and armies of the Revolution. Men, women and children were placed on rafts and intentionally sunk because the guillotine was too slow for mass killings. Many were shot down before open graves and buried where they fell.
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
During the Reign of Terror, over 40,000 Frenchmen in the Vendée were executed.
In 1815, when Napoleon escaped exile on Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
for his Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, the Vendée refused to recognise him and stayed loyal to King Louis XVIII. General Lamarque
Jean Maximilien Lamarque
Jean Maximilien Lamarque was a French commander during the Napoleonic Wars who later became a member of French Parliament. As an opponent of the Ancien Régime, he is known for his active suppression of Royalist and Legitimist activity...
led 10,000 men into the Vendée to pacify the region.
A failed rebellion in the Vendée in 1832 in support of Caroline Ferdinande Louise, duchesse de Berry, the former King Charles X's widowed daughter-in-law, was an unsuccessful attempt to restore the Legitimist Bourbon dynasty during the reign of the Orléanist
Orléanist
The Orléanists were a French right-wing/center-right party which arose out of the French Revolution. It governed France 1830-1848 in the "July Monarchy" of king Louis Philippe. It is generally seen as a transitional period dominated by the bourgeoisie and the conservative Orleanist doctrine in...
monarch, King Louis Philippe of the French (1830–1848).
In 1850, British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope was one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of his best-loved works, collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire...
published his book La Vendée, detailing the history of the region and the war. In the preface he pays tribute to Madame de la Rochejaquelein
De la Rochejacquelein
De La Rochejacquelein or De La Rochejaquelein is the name of an ancient French family of the Vendée, celebrated for its devotion to the House of Bourbon during and after the French Revolution...
, on whose memoirs of the war he based his story.
The Revolt in the Vendée
Revolt in the Vendée
The War in the Vendée was a Royalist rebellion and counterrevolution in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the Loire River in western France. The uprising was closely tied to the Chouannerie, which took place in...
is the subject of Ninety-Three
Ninety-Three
Ninety-Three is the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo. Published in 1874, shortly after the bloody upheaval of the Paris Commune, the novel concerns the Revolt in the Vendée and Chouannerie – the counter-revolutionary revolts in 1793 during the French Revolution...
(Quatrevingt-treize), the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
, an episode in Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. Although it may be considered as the first episode in the Hornblower saga, it was written as a prequel; the first Hornblower novel, The Happy Return, was published in 1937.-Plot introduction:Horatio Hornblower...
and also the backdrop of Les Chouans
Les Chouans
Les Chouans is an 1829 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac and included in the Scènes de la vie militaire section of his novel sequence La Comédie humaine. Set in the French region of Brittany, the novel combines military history with a love story between the aristocratic...
by Balzac.
In the writings of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
regarding revolutionary struggles in various countries, he uses the term "a Vendée" as meaning "a focus of persistent counter-revolutionary activities".
Geography & Climate
Vendée's highest point is Puy-Crapaud (295 m).The department is crossed by four rivers: the Sèvre Nantaise (135 kilometres (83.9 mi) long), the Vendée (70 kilometres (43.5 mi)), the Lay (110 kilometres (68.4 mi)) and the Sèvre Niortaise (150 kilometres (93.2 mi)).
Vendée's inhabitants are referred to as Vendeans (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
Vendéens [vɑ̃deˈɑ̃]).
Main towns
- La Roche-sur-YonLa Roche-sur-YonLa Roche-sur-Yon is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is the capital of the department. Its inhabitants are called Yonnais.-History:...
- ChallansChallansChallans is a commune in the Vendée département in the Pays de la Loire région in western France....
- Les HerbiersLes HerbiersLes Herbiers is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
- Les Sables-d'OlonneLes Sables-d'OlonneLes Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in western France, by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Vendée department.-Events:...
- Fontenay-le-ComteFontenay-le-ComteFontenay-le-Comte is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:The Vendée River flows though the town. The town has an area of .-History:...
Higher education
The main University of this department is the Catholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICESCatholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICES
The Catholic Institute of Higher Studies is a small private university located in Vendée region of western France, just 25 minutes from the Atlantic coast....
in La Roche-sur-Yon. The main goal of this institute is to achieve academic excellence through an enhancement of the Christian and human dimension in seven areas of study. Founded in 1989, Catholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICES
Catholic Institute of Higher Studies - ICES
The Catholic Institute of Higher Studies is a small private university located in Vendée region of western France, just 25 minutes from the Atlantic coast....
has pioneered a new concept in higher education, that of the “University School” : halfway between the French Grande École and the traditional state university.
Economy
The primary drivers of the Vendéen economy are:- Tourism
- Agriculture
- Food Processing
- Light/Medium Industry.
The Vendée has been cited as the most economically dynamic department in France by L'Express magazine in a 2006 survey. Its economy is characterised by a low rate of unemployment (around 7% in late 2006 compared to more than 9% nationally) and a very high proportion of small and medium sized businesses (one business for every 14 inhabitants).
Tourism
The coast of the Vendée extends over 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) of mostly sandy beaches. Tourists from overseas and locally frequent them. Some resorts include Les Sables-d'OlonneLes Sables-d'Olonne
Les Sables-d'Olonne is a seaside town in western France, by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Vendée department.-Events:...
, La Tranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-de-Monts
Saint-Jean-de-Monts
Saint-Jean-de-Monts is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-Geography:The town is situated in the west of the département, between Notre-Dame-de-Monts and Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez. It is split in two by a long plantation of pine trees, stretching from...
. Some beaches are "blue flagged" for cleanliness.
With more than 100 miles (160.9 km) of sandy beaches edged with dunes and pine woods. There is a nude beach
Nude beach
A nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the...
just south of La Faute sur Mer on the Pointe d'Arçay. The department also has churches and abbeys, museums, and - for nature lovers - thousands of marked footpaths, a signposted bicycle route running along the coastal mudflats, and marshes that attract unusual birds. There is fishing in the Vendée's rivers and lakes.
Inland, the chief attractions include the Marais Poitevin
Marais Poitevin
The Marais Poitevin is a large area of marshland in Western France, a remnant of the former Gulf of Poitou...
(an area of marshlands famed for wildlife), the forested area around the village of Mervent and the rolling countryside of the Bocage. In the north of the department, the historical theme park Puy du Fou
Puy du Fou
Le Puy du Fou is a historical theme park in Les Epesses in the heart of the Vendée region of Western France...
attracts more than 1.45 million of visitors per year.
Agriculture
Agriculture remains a significant source of employment in the Vendée. The department has the second highest level of revenue from agriculture in France. The major arable crops grown are maize, colza , wheat and sunflowers. Meat and dairy production also feature, as does the offshore farming of shellfish (oysters and mussels). Poultry from Challans is highly regarded nationwide as is lamb produced from the salt marshes in the North of the Vendée.Demonstrating its support for the agricultural sector, the Conseil Général of the Vendée has a stated policy to promote the construction of irrigation reservoirs to reduce dependence on ground water during key summer growing seasons.
Food Processing & Manufacturing
The Vendée is home to a number of food processing firms. A manufacturer of ready-meals and charcuterieCharcuterie
Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire...
employs the majority of its workforce (some 3000 people) at local plants. Other employers include bakeries and biscuit producers.
The department also has some speciality products, including brioche
Brioche
Brioche is a highly enriched French pastry, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It is "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs" It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied...
(Label Rouge) and a raw cured ham (Jambon de Vendée) similar in flavour to bacon.
Wine is also produced in the area around the communes of Vix, Brem, Pissotte and Mareuil-sur-Lay, and is marketed under the "Fiefs Vendéens" designation. Production quality has improved markedly over recent years, and, having already achieved the classification Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), the wines are on their way towards A.O.C status (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée).
Industry
Much of the manufacturing industry in the Vendée reflects its status as a major tourist destination. Mobile homes are manufactured at plants in LuçonLuçon
Luçon is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is the seat of the Diocese of Luçon and Luçon Cathedral.-References:*...
and the building of motor and sail yachts takes place at locations all over the department. The service sector too is strongly inclined towards tourism with campsites, restaurants and other tourism businesses being important sources of revenue and employment.
Cuisine
- Jambon-mogettes ( Ham and white beans) is the most famous Vendean dish.
- The department is the largest brioche producer in France, with the Brioche de Vendée made in the BocageBocageBocage is a Norman word which has entered both the French and English languages. It may refer to a small forest, a decorative element of leaves, a terrain of mixed woodland and pasture, or a type of rubble-work, comparable with the English use of 'rustic' in relation to garden...
. - In the Plain of LuçonLuçonLuçon is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It is the seat of the Diocese of Luçon and Luçon Cathedral.-References:*...
, préfouPréfouThe préfou is a regional culinary specialty from Vendée, in France. The préfou is made with bread garnished with chopped fresh garlic and butter. It is generally served warm, as an aperitif....
is a garlic bread that can be served as an aperitifAperitifApéritifs and digestifs are alcoholic drinks that are normally served with meals.-Apéritifs:An apéritif is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. This contrasts with digestifs, which are served after a meal for the purpose of aiding digestion...
. - In the marshland of the North-West, the poultry of Challans, especially duckDuckDuck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
, is well-known in the gastronomic world. - The department has several small vineyardVineyardA vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s, around BremBremBrem is the traditional fermented food or fermented beverage from Indonesia. There are two types of brem, brem cake that usually eaten as snack from Madiun and Wonogiri, and brem beverage made of rice wine from Bali and Nusa Tenggara, but mostly known from Bali...
, MareuilMareuilMareuil is the name or part of the name of the following communes in France:* Mareuil, Charente, in the Charente department* Mareuil, Dordogne, in the Dordogne department* Mareuil-Caubert, in the Somme department* Mareuil-en-Brie, in the Marne department...
, VixVix- Places in France :* Vix, Côte-d'Or** The Vix Grave, or grave of the Lady of Vix* Vix, Vendée- People :* Fernand Vix, French Lieutenant-colonel** Vix Note, presented by the above on March 19, 1919 - Others :...
, and PissottePissottePissotte is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
.
Government
In the Vendée, 31 members, elected through universal suffrageUniversal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
, govern the affairs of the department, with 26 members on the right-wing and 5 members on the left-wing.
The Prefect represents the French State
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
in the department.
Elections
The President of the General Council has been for a long time the President of the Movement for FranceMovement for France
The Movement for France , abbreviated to MPF, is a French conservative and eurosceptic political party, founded on 20 November 1994, with a marked regional stronghold in the Vendée. It is led by Philippe de Villiers, once communications minister under Jacques Chirac.The party is considered...
, Philippe de Villiers
Philippe de Villiers
Viscount Philippe Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon, known as Philippe de Villiers, born on 25 March 1949, is a French politician. He was the Mouvement pour la France nominee for the French presidential election of 2007. He received 2.23% of the vote, putting him in sixth place. As only the top...
. He held the office from 1988 to 2010 and was seen as the department's political strongman. He has been replaced by Bruno Retailleau
Bruno Retailleau
Bruno Retailleau is a French politician.He's a member of the Senate of France, representing the Vendée department, since September 2004, and is also President of the General Council of the Vendée since November 2010.-References:*...
.
| Party | seats | |
|---|---|---|
| • | Miscellaneous Right | 14 |
| • | Movement for France Movement for France The Movement for France , abbreviated to MPF, is a French conservative and eurosceptic political party, founded on 20 November 1994, with a marked regional stronghold in the Vendée. It is led by Philippe de Villiers, once communications minister under Jacques Chirac.The party is considered... |
10 |
| Socialist Party Socialist Party (France) The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement... |
4 | |
| • | Union for a Popular Movement Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party... |
2 |
| Miscellaneous Left | 1 | |
| • | New Centre New Centre New Centre , also known as the European Social Liberal Party is a centre-right political party in France, formed by the members of the Union for French Democracy – including a majority of former parliamentarians – who did not agree with François Bayrou's... |
1 |
See also
- Cantons of the Vendée department
- Communes of the Vendée department
- Arrondissements of the Vendée department
- Ninety-ThreeNinety-ThreeNinety-Three is the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo. Published in 1874, shortly after the bloody upheaval of the Paris Commune, the novel concerns the Revolt in the Vendée and Chouannerie – the counter-revolutionary revolts in 1793 during the French Revolution...
(a novel by Victor HugoVictor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
) - Revolt in the VendéeRevolt in the VendéeThe War in the Vendée was a Royalist rebellion and counterrevolution in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the Loire River in western France. The uprising was closely tied to the Chouannerie, which took place in...
(counter-revolt to the French RevolutionFrench RevolutionThe French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
) - Puy du FouPuy du FouLe Puy du Fou is a historical theme park in Les Epesses in the heart of the Vendée region of Western France...
(a historical theme park) - Vendée GlobeVendée GlobeThe Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years....
- Julien Le BlantJulien Le BlantJulien Le Blant was a French painter of military subjects who specialized in the scenes of the Vendee Wars of 1793–1799 that occurred during the French Revolution...