Loire towns

Why we love the banks of the Loire

- In Pouilly-sur-Loire : for a peaceful stroll, in the heart of the Loire Valley Nature Reserve.
- In Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire : to admire the remains of the Royal Forges de la Chaussade, anchor and walk in the footsteps of Mme de Sévigné.
- In Neuvy-sur-Loire : to imagine the life of the sailors in the houses with sculpted decorations.

Our towns still bear the traces of the Loire navy, that is to say the commercial transportation on the Loire river. The Loire was the privileged trade route until the arrival of the railway in the beginning of the 19th century.

In Pouilly-sur-Loire, Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and Neuvy-sur-Loire, the quays have been designed to accommodate numerous boats and develop the economic activity. The houses along the quays also bear traces of the Loire navy. In Pouilly-sur-Loire for example, you can see a house with anchors upside down and the date “1807”.

In Pouilly-sur-Loire, you can see a house with turned anchors and the date 1807.

In Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, the Place de la Pêcherie (a former port area used by fishermen), concentrates some beautiful houses with carved or ironwork anchors. Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire has hosted the Forges Royales de la Chaussade, which was producing boat anchors. Part of the wharfs was fitted out for the Forges with an anchor port allowing heavy anchors to be loaded onto boats for Saint-Nazaire. This is evidenced by an anchor found in Rochefort in 1960 and displayed on the quays today.

Neuvy-sur-Loire, for its part, certainly brings together the most beautiful examples of bargemen houses. All the houses standing along the quays have carved anchors and the family initials of master bargemen, symbols of the wealth of the past.

To find out more, do not hesitate to visit the Musée de la Loire or join the Fêtes de la Loire (in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, La Charité-sur-Loire, Nevers, Orléans...). You can also visit the Musée des 2 Marines et du Pont-Canal in Briare.

Emblematic bridges

- In Pouilly-sur-Loire : we are halfway between the source (Mont Gerbier de Jonc) and the mouth of the Loire (Saint-Nazaire). 496 km are necessary to reach both sides. The bridge was inaugurated in 1902.
- In Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire : we have the impression of flying over the Loire crossing the P.O. (Paris-Orleans bridge).

People have always wanted to cross the Loire, a wild and indomitable river. Depending on the season, fording sites or a ferry system were used. From Mesves-sur-Loire to Neuvy-sur-Loire, there were up to 6 ferryboats in operation. The first bridges were wooden bridges from the Gallo-Roman period at Mesves-sur-Loire and Saint-Satur.

At Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, there were three bridges, the first bridge dates from 1834. The second was bombed in 1940. Temporary bridges were built during the Second World War. The current bridge was inaugurated in 1959.

Next to the Cosne road bridge, the P.O. was dedicated for passing of trains. Why P.O. bridge ? Because the prime contractor is the Compagnie du chemin de fer from Paris to Orleans. The bridge is 828 meters long, which makes it one of the longest railway bridges in France and was inaugurated in 1893.

During World War II and after, the bridge was used by cars to pass over the Loire river as the road bridge was no longer useable. In 1966, there is no longer passenger trains and in 2000, it was the en of the freight trains as well. But since 2004, the railway bridge is experiencing a new activity with the Cyclorail.