Nevers, home to 35,000 people, is the administrative centre of the Nièvre department. This "City of Art and History" dazzles visitors with its rich heritage. It was fortified in 1194. Later on, in 1467, it saw the construction of what has sometimes been touted as "the first château on the Loire". After becoming part of a dukedom, Nevers built part of its development on faience when Cardinal Mazarin bought it in the 17th century.
It did not emerge unscathed from the Liberation of France, as depicted in Alain Resnais' film Hiroshima mon amour, but it was able to recapture the spirit of its former charm.
The Ducal Palace stands as a memento of the town's glorious past, while the Cathedral of Saints Cyricus and Julitta, embellished with contemporary stained-glass windows, looms large on the historic hill opposite the Loire. Bernadette Soubirous also spent her final years in Nevers. Her body has rested in a bronze and crystal reliquary at Saint Gildard's Convent since her beatification in 1925.
For over a decade, Nevers has been modernising, restoring its heritage, embracing its riverfront and reclaiming its appeal, far from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life.
Together with the 13 other municipalities in its urban area, it forms a land of opportunity where homes have stayed affordable, just two hours from Paris. Its natural beauty, cultural diversity, vibrant sporting scene and higher education institutions make this mid-sized town a hub of innovation where rural charm meets urban energy.
