Cugand-la-Bernardière

Cugand-la-Bernardière is located on the south bank of the Sèvre Nantaise, 28 km southeast of Nantes.{{cite web |title=Histoire de la commune – Cugand |url=https://www.cugandlabernardiere.fr/ma-commune/histoire-commune-cugand/ |publisher=Commune of Cugand-la-Bernardière |access-date=6 January 2025}} It borders the following communes:

• In Vendée:
• La Bruffière
• Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay
• Treize-Septiers
• In Loire-Atlantique:
• Boussay
• Clisson
• Gétigné
• Saint-Hilaire-de-Clisson

Like the rest of {{ill|Climate of the Vendée|fr|Climat de la Vendée|lt=the Vendée}}, Cugand-la-Bernardière has an oceanic climate.{{cite web |title=Le climat en France métropolitaine |url=https://meteofrance.com/comprendre-climat/france/le-climat-en-france-metropolitaine |publisher=Météo-France |date=22 September 2023 |access-date=6 January 2025}}

Image:Marches Bretagne Poitou-fr.svg

Image:Combat de la Penissière.jpg

The name Cugand is attested in 1287 as Cugant.{{cite book |last1=Dauzat |first1=Albert |author-link1=Albert Dauzat |last2=Rostaing |first2=Charles |author-link2=Charles Rostaing |title=Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieu en France |language=fr |publisher=Librairie Guénégaud |location=Paris |year=1979 |pages=198b-199a |isbn=2-85023-076-6}}. La Bernardière was once known as La Bernardière-en-Forêts, but the forests have long since disappeared.{{cite web |title=Histoire de la commune – La Bernardière |url=https://www.cugandlabernardiere.fr/ma-commune/histoire-de-la-commune-la-bernardiere/ |publisher=Commune of Cugand-la-Bernardière |access-date=6 January 2025}}

The Western Roman emperor Honorius built fortifications in Cugand to stop Breton incursions, but only traces of the Roman presence remain. Under the Kingdom of France, Cugand and La Bernardière belonged to the {{ill|Brittany–Poitou marches|fr|Marches Bretagne-Poitou}}. In 1789, Cugand had about 1800 inhabitants, but the town lost about 200 people in the War in the Vendée during the French Revolution.

In the 19th century, Cugand became the most industrialized town in the Vendée. The paper and weaving businesses prospered thanks to a favourable tax regime and the ability to power tanning, fulling and paper mills using the Sèvre Nantaise. The last textile mill in Cugand operated until 1985.

On 6 June 1832, one of the last {{ill|Battle of La Penissière|fr|Combat de la Penissière|lt=events}} in the Duchess of Berry's abortive {{ill|War in the Vendée (1832)|fr|Guerre de Vendée et Chouannerie de 1832|lt=uprising}} to put her son Henri on the French throne occurred in La Bernardière, when a group of Legitimists was besieged at the chateau of la Penissière by Orléanist troops.

In order to more efficiently pool their resources, the communes of Cugand and La Bernardière agreed to merge to form the new commune of Cugand-la-Bernardière, effective 1 January 2025.{{cite news |title=Ces deux communes de Vendée ne feront plus qu'une au 1er janvier 2025 |url=https://actu.fr/pays-de-la-loire/cugand_85076/ces-deux-communes-de-vendee-ne-feront-plus-quune-au-1er-janvier-2025_60892413.html |newspaper=L'Hebdo de Sèvre et Maine |date=1 April 2024 |access-date=6 January 2025}} On 6 January, the councillors of the former communes elected Claude Durand, mayor of La Bernardière since 1989, as the mayor of the new commune.{{cite news |last=Evain |first=Emeric |title=En Vendée, Claude Durand élu premier maire de la commune nouvelle Cugand-La Bernardière |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/vendee/en-vendee-claude-durand-elu-premier-maire-de-la-commune-nouvelle-cugand-la-bernardiere-c84a0c76-cccf-11ef-9192-28a948307a0a |newspaper=Ouest-France |date=7 January 2025 |access-date=7 January 2025}} The former communes have been replaced by delegated communes, each having a delegated mayor, and the town halls in both communes will remain functional.

There are several business and industrial parks in Cugand,{{cite web |url=https://www.cugand.fr/ma-commune/presentation/ |title=Présentation de la commune |language=fr |publisher=Commune of Cugand |access-date=6 January 2025 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418022630/https://www.cugand.fr/ma-commune/presentation/}} where the largest employer is MéO, a manufacturer of windows and doors.{{cite news |last=Evain |first=Emeric |title=Fleurs, BBC, Sèvre et danse : bienvenue à Cugand, vue par sa maire |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/montaigu-vendee-85600/nous-ne-voulons-surtout-pas-etre-une-cite-dortoir-d8da1178-be60-11ed-9958-ce650855cbcb |newspaper=Ouest-France |date=16 March 2023 |access-date=6 January 2025}} Part of the Liebot Group and formerly known as MC France, it has operated a factory in Cugand since 2014.{{cite news |last=Piva |first=Lionel |title=MC France investit 28 millions d'euros en Vendée |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/mc-france-investit-28-millions-deuros-en-vendee-2167128 |newspaper=Ouest-France |date=12 April 2014 |access-date=3 March 2025}} La Bernardière's economy is more focused on agriculture and small businesses.{{cite web |title=La Bernardière |url=https://communesdefrance.com/commune/la-bernardiere-85610 |website=Communes de France |access-date=6 January 2025}}{{cite news |last=Evain |first=Emeric |title=Magie verte, M. Claude et fin des guerres de Vendée : bienvenue à La Bernardière, vue par son maire |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/pays-de-la-loire/montaigu-vendee-85600/magie-verte-m-claude-et-fin-des-guerres-de-vendee-bienvenue-a-la-bernardiere-vue-par-son-maire-a127c4c4-a4a1-11ed-a609-bec206662bee |newspaper=Ouest-France |date=5 February 2023 |access-date=6 January 2025}}

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Category:Communes of Vendée

Category:2025 establishments in France

Category:States and territories established in 2025