Berry, France


Berry is a region located in the centre of France. It was a province of France until départements replaced the provinces on 4 March 1790, when Berry became divided between the départements of Cher and Indre.
The Berry region now consists of the départements of Cher, Indre and parts of Creuse. The city Bourges functioned as the capital of Berry. Berry is notable as the birthplace of several kings and other members of the French royal family, and was the birthplace of the famous knight Baldwin Chauderon, who fought in the First Crusade. In the Middle Ages, Berry became the centre of the Duchy of Berry. It is also known for an illuminated manuscript produced in the 14th–15th century called Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

Etymology

The name of Berry, like that of its capital, Bourges, originated with the Gaulish tribe of the Bituriges,
who settled in the area before the Roman armies of Julius Caesar conquered Gaul.

Brenne

La Brenne, located west of Châteauroux and east of Tournon-Saint-Martin in the Indre department, is a region which of old straddled on the former provinces of Berry and Touraine, and is now a protected natural area as well called Pays des mille étangs, because of its many ponds created since the 8th c. by the monks of the local abbeys for pisciculture.