Vierzon on the Canal du Berry
Vierzon a town where 5 rivers meet
"You wanted to see Vierzon, and we saw Vierzon…" sang Jacques Brel in ‘Vesoul’. The people of Vierzon and many others besides, all know the words of this song which made the town famous ! Situated at the gateway to Sologne, Vierzon benefits from a quality environment where water is omnipresent as 5 rivers meet there, including the Yèvre and the Cher. The Canal du Berry crosses the town and a magnificent forest of 7,500 hectares surrounds it, south of the Sologne Forest. It has a water sports centre, an international golf course, several riding centres and lots of sign-posted footpaths. It has a rich historical, natural and industrial heritage and a solid reputation for its expertise and creativity. As well as its famous china factories like Pillivuyt at Mehun-sur-Yèvre and Deshoulières at Foëcy, Vierzon is also well-known for Sologne produce from hunting and fishing which go so well with the AOC Pays de Vierzon wines (Quincy and Reuilly) and Berry goat’s cheese.
Among the essential attractions to see in Vierzon is the Lucien Beaufrère Art-Deco square, a park also known as the ""Jardins de l’Abbaye"", in a lovely setting between the Yèvre and the Canal de Berry. This park, whose design features simple, geometric, colourful shapes, is a listed monument and also an example of ""outstanding contemporary architecture"". At the heart of an amazing industrial site, the former factory of the Société Française Vierzon and its magnificent esplanade are home to a museum tracing the industrial past of the town during the 19th and 20th centuries plus the history of railways through a unique collection amassed by Raymond Laumônier, a former station master at Vierzon. Vierzon also has a medieval district with a belltower, the church of Notre-Dame with its superb bell-tower porch housing 5 bells and the organ and the Museum des Fours Banaux which has two 15th century communal ovens, the only ones of their kind in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
Make the most of the Canal de Berry by cycling beside it or cruising along it in a little motorboat you can hire (no licence needed).