Cugand-la-Bernardière
Cugand-la-Bernardière | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cugand's town hall in 2025 | |
Location of Cugand-la-Bernardière  | |
  Cugand-la-Bernardière  Cugand-la-Bernardière | |
| Coordinates: 47°03′N 1°15′W / 47.05°N 1.25°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Pays de la Loire |
| Department | Vendée |
| Arrondissement | La Roche-sur-Yon |
| Canton | Mortagne-sur-Sèvre |
| Intercommunality | CA Terres de Montaigu |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2024–2026) | Claude Durand |
Area 1 | 28.56 km2 (11.03 sq mi) |
| Population (1 January 2024)[1] | 5,686 |
| • Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 85076 /85610 |
| Elevation | 13–76 m (43–249 ft) |
| Website | Official website |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Cugand-la-Bernardière (French pronunciation: [kyɡɑ̃ la bɛʁnaʁdjɛʁ]) is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It was formed on 1 January 2025 by the merger of Cugand and La Bernardière.[1]
Geography and climate
[edit]Cugand-la-Bernardière is located on the south bank of the Sèvre Nantaise, 28 km southeast of Nantes.[2] It borders the following communes:
- In Vendée:
- In Loire-Atlantique:
Like the rest of the Vendée, Cugand-la-Bernardière has an oceanic climate.[3]
History
[edit]
The name Cugand is attested in 1287 as Cugant.[4] La Bernardière was once known as La Bernardière-en-Forêts, but the forests have long since disappeared.[5]
The Western Roman emperor Honorius built fortifications in Cugand to stop Breton incursions, but only traces of the Roman presence remain.[2] Under the Kingdom of France, Cugand and La Bernardière belonged to the Brittany–Poitou marches.[2][5] In 1789, Cugand had about 1800 inhabitants, but the town lost about 200 people in the War in the Vendée during the French Revolution.[2]
In the 19th century, Cugand became the most industrialized town in the Vendée. The paper and weaving businesses prospered thanks to a favourable tax regime and the ability to power tanning, fulling and paper mills using the Sèvre Nantaise. The last textile mill in Cugand operated until 1985.[2]
On 6 June 1832, one of the last events in the Duchess of Berry's abortive uprising to put her son Henri on the French throne occurred in La Bernardière, when a group of Legitimists was besieged at the chateau of la Penissière by Orléanist troops.[5]
In order to more efficiently pool their resources, the Cugand and La Bernardière agreed to merge to form the new commune of Cugand-la-Bernardière, effective 1 January 2025.[1][6] On 6 January, the councillors of the former communes elected Claude Durand, mayor of La Bernardière since 1989, as the mayor of the new commune.[7] The former communes have been replaced by delegated communes, each having a delegated mayor,[1] and the town halls in both communes will remain functional.[6]
Economy
[edit]There are several business and industrial parks in Cugand,[8] where the largest employer is MéO, a manufacturer of windows and doors.[9] La Bernardière's economy is more focused on agriculture and small businesses.[10][11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Arrêté N°2024-DCL-BCL-519 portant création de la commune nouvelle de « Cugand-la-Bernardière »" (PDF). Prefect of Vendée. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Histoire de la commune – Cugand". Commune of Cugand-la-Bernardière. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Le climat en France métropolitaine". Météo-France. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Dauzat, Albert; Rostaing, Charles (1979). Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieu en France (in French). Paris: Librairie Guénégaud. pp. 198b – 199a. ISBN 2-85023-076-6..
- ^ a b c "Histoire de la commune – La Bernardière". Commune of Cugand-la-Bernardière. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Ces deux communes de Vendée ne feront plus qu'une au 1er janvier 2025". L'Hebdo de Sèvre et Maine. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Evain, Emeric (7 January 2024). "En Vendée, Claude Durand élu premier maire de la commune nouvelle Cugand-La Bernardière". Ouest-France. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Présentation de la commune" (in French). Commune of Cugand. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
- ^ Evain, Emeric (16 March 2023). "Fleurs, BBC, Sèvre et danse : bienvenue à Cugand, vue par sa maire". Ouest-France. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "La Bernardière". Communes de France. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Evain, Emeric (5 February 2023). "Magie verte, M. Claude et fin des guerres de Vendée : bienvenue à La Bernardière, vue par son maire". Ouest-France. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
