Creuse (river)

For the river in Quebec, Canada, see Creuse River (Petite rivière du Chêne).

The Creuse (French pronunciation: [kʁøz] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Cruesa) is a 263-kilometre (163 mi) long river in western France, a tributary of the Vienne.^[1] Its source is in the Plateau de Millevaches, a north-western extension of the Massif Central.

Creuse
La Creuse in Argenton-sur-Creuse
Native name	La Creuse (French)
Location
Country	France
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Plateau de Millevaches
• elevation	932 m (3,058 ft)
Mouth
• location	Vienne
• coordinates	47°0′22″N 0°34′7″E
Length	263 km (163 mi)
Basin size	9,570 km2 (3,690 sq mi)
Discharge
• average	81 m3/s (2,900 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Progression	Vienne→ Loire→ Atlantic Ocean

Course

The Creuse flows northwest through the following departments and towns:

• Creuse department (named after the river): Aubusson.
• Indre department: Argenton-sur-Creuse, Le Blanc.
• Indre-et-Loire department : Yzeures-sur-Creuse, Descartes
• Vienne department: La Roche-Posay

The Creuse flows into the Vienne about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Châtellerault. It receives its longest tributary, the Gartempe, in La Roche-Posay.

The Creuse valley is the setting for paintings by the so-called Crozant School, including works by Armand Guillaumin and a series of vivid landscapes by the Bordeaux artist Alfred Smith.^[2]

Dams and lakes

Diagram of the Creuse Dams

There are six hydroelectric dams on the river. Three are in the Creuse département with one at Chambon-Sainte-Croix above Anzême, one at Les Chezelles near Le Bourg-d'Hem and one at L'Âge upstream of La Celle-Dunoise. The remaining three are in the Indre including the Éguzon Dam which was opened in 1926 and was, at the time, the largest dam in Europe.^{[citation needed]} The lakes created by the dams are popular tourist destinations and several have artificial beaches and leisure facilities.^{[citation needed]}

Main tributaries

Left bank: Beauze Sédelle Gartempe

Right bank: Rozeille Petite Creuse Bouzanne Bouzanteuil Suin Claise Esves