Besides the timeless river, Nevers is the capital of the quiet and rural Department of Nièvre in central France.
In the past, the city was ruled by the Counts and Dukes of Nevers, whose opulent Renaissance house is now the Town Hall. If you know the art of decorating, you probably already know the prosperity of Nevers, the fine earthenware crafted by master potters in an industry that employed thousands of people in the 17th and 18 centuries. A few workshops still practice this art, and the city’s museum is replete with pieces of astounding workmanship. Let's explore the best things to do in Nevers.
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1. Nevers Cathedral
Anyone familiar with the church will feel something special about this sublime medieval building: There are two gates, one on the western end where the usual gate would be, and the other on the common freezing.
This makes the church completely unique and appears because the church on the west end is a relic from a previous Roman church that was burned down in 1308. In this old church, there is a painting. The mural was painted in the 1100s, and you can fall into the catacombs to see a combination from the 1400s.
The nave and east apse meanwhile are Gothic and mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries.
2. Palais Ducal
On the high ground where the Nevers political and religious organizations were located was the Palace of Ducal, a symbol of power for the Old Earl and the Duke of Nevers.
Architecture is spelled; It features a mix of Renaissance and 16th-century Renaissance designs, with dozing windows, decorative chimneys and a central spiral staircase that you can see from the front.
The one who started it was Jean de Clamency, the Earl of Never, who wanted to live in something more solemn than a fortress. The palace is now the town hall but there is also the Nevers tourist office and a former city exhibition.
3. Musée de la Faïence
Heaven for people with an eye for fine decorative items, this museum in a Benedictine abbey has hundreds of pieces of local faience. You’ll appreciate the technical know-how of the Nevers Manufactories.
And this comes in all forms, including tiles, dishes, ceremonial plates statuettes and bottles, all representing more than four centuries of expertise.
But the galleries don’t end there as you can also admire almost 300 pieces of intricate enameled glass from the 17th and 18th centuries, crafted with a technique that has since been lost. On top of all this, there’s a stash of art from the French and Italian Schools.
4. Faience Workshops
The faience Nevers industry took off in the late 1500s when Italian potters settled here at the invitation of the Duke of Nevers. Everything was just right for this craft, as the Loire promised swift export and the wood sourced from the Morvan forest could belt out the 1000°C heat to bake these ceramics.
The trade went into decline at the end of the 18th century and only one of the original 12 manufactories survived.
Since the 20th century, there has been a rebirth, and you can call in at three workshops, Faiencerie d’art de Nevers, Faiencerie Georges, and Faiencerie Bleue to see a master potter at work and make a purchase.
5. Porte du Croux
There’s a really evocative slab of medieval heritage on the west side of the old center: Looking at the Porte du Croux as you enter the city you can see the slits in the front of the gate for the chains on the drawbridge.
Back in the 14th century, this would have been lowered to allow people to cross the Passière River, which has since moved underground. Look higher and you’ll see the machicolations and turrets that are supported by corbels. Inside there’s a little archaeology exhibit for Nevers and its region spread over three floors.
6. Promenade des Remparts
From the Porte du Croux you can stroll down to the right bank of the Loire in a pretty garden complemented by a long sliver of the city’s old walls. These defenses were built in the 12th century by the Count of Nevers, Pierre de Courtenay to defend the Abbey of Notre-Dame.
After the 1600s they were never needed again. But this long stretch of the wall remained incorporated by local properties, while the land that became the garden was never developed because of its marshy ground.
So by a quirk of history and the landscape, there’s now a big chunk of the medieval wall beside pergolas, trees, a rose garden and flowerbeds, all ending with vistas over the Loire from the Quai des Mariniers.
7. Église Saint-Étienne
Although not many tourists make it to this church on the east side of the city, anyone who values historic architecture should make the short walk.
The Church of Saint-Étienne is an exceptional Romanesque building, built from a subtly golden limestone more than 900 years ago and hardly altered since then.
The great 19th-century restorer Viollet-le-Duc called it “the most perfect 11th-century monument left to France”. The architecture is sober, and there isn’t much sculpture or ornamentation, but for the purity of style and preservation, you’ll have to travel a long way to beat this church.
8. Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit
Petrolheads will be aware that the French Grand Prix was a yearly fixture at this racetrack up to 2008 when the French Motorsports Federation pulled out of the tour.
The track is only 15 minutes down the road and apart from welcoming a few minor international events, is mostly used for heritage rallies, testing and “track days”.
So if you’d fancy taking a spin on a circuit graced by the likes of Michael Schumacher, Mika Häkkinen and Ayrton Senna you can book a driving experience with one of the companies putting you behind the wheel of a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche or F1 car.
9. Espace Bernadette
Nevers is also a big pilgrimage site as it was where Bernadette Soubirous became a postulant and worked in a convent until she passed away in 1879. In case you’re wondering, Soubirous was the woman who witnessed the supposed Marian Apparition that turned the town of Lourdes into one of the most important places in the Catholic world.
There’s a museum here, at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity, explaining her life and routine around the former Saint-Gildard Convent. Her apparently incorrupt body is displayed in the adjacent chapel.
10. Église Sainte-Bernadette du Banlay
If you wander up to Nevers’ northern suburbs you’ll come across a building that looks nothing like the delicate architecture in the old center. You’ll be forgiven for thinking that you’ve found a relic from the war, as this church bears a striking resemblance to a German concrete bunker.
That is no coincidence because the functionalist designer Paul Virilio was a big admirer of the blockhouses that were scattered around France in the post-war years. There are two half-shells of concrete cantilevered on a central pillar, and we can guarantee that you’ve never seen a church like it.
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