Bellac

Bellac

Bridge over the Vincou

Coat of arms
Bellac

Coordinates: 46°07′23″N 1°03′01″E / 46.1231°N 1.0503°E / 46.1231; 1.0503Coordinates: 46°07′23″N 1°03′01″E / 46.1231°N 1.0503°E / 46.1231; 1.0503
Country France
Region Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes
Department Haute-Vienne
Arrondissement Bellac
Canton Bellac
Intercommunality Haut Limousin
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Jean-Michel Doumeix
Area1 24.42 km2 (9.43 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 4,676
 • Density 190/km2 (500/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 87011 / 87300
Elevation 175–301 m (574–988 ft)
(avg. 245 m or 804 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Bellac (French pronunciation: ​[bɛlak]; Occitan: Belac pronounced [beˈlak]) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in western France.

Inhabitants are known as Bellachons. This is where the French Jean Giraudoux, writer of L'Apollon de Bellac, was born in 1882. His house has been turned into a museum.


Geographic Situation

Bellac lies 45 km to the North West of Limoges at the confluence of the rivers Gartempe and the Vincou, in the Department of Haute-Vienne. Poitiers is 70 km to the north west, and Angoulême 100 km to the south-west. The hills known as the Monts de Blond lie immediately to the south.

Administration

Bellac is a sous-préfecture of Haute-Vienne, governing 8 cantons and 63 communes.

Transport Links

Bellac is 30 km west of the A20 Limoges-Orléans motorway, and lies at a crossroads where the RN145 crosses the RN147. Both these roads had been designated part of the RCEA (Route Centre Europe L'Atlantique) and were thus under risk of being upgraded to motorway.[1] However, the latest thinking is that the RCEA will be re-routed from La Souterraine south down the A20 to Limoges and then via upgrades to the N520 / N141 routes to Angoulême and the west.

Classifications

Bellac is classified as:

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ RCEA fr:Route Centre-Europe Atlantique
  2. ↑ cité de caractère fr:Villages et cités de caractère
  3. ↑ Village d'étape fr:Village étape
  4. ↑ Station verte fr:Station verte
  5. ↑ Station Touristique fr:Station touristique
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