Berry | |||
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Country | France | ||
Time zone | CET |
Berry is a region located in the center of France. It was a province of France until the provinces were replaced by départements on 4 March 1790 and Berry divided between Cher (High Berry) and Indre (Low Berry).
The Berry region now consists of the départements of Cher, Indre and parts of Creuse. The capital of Berry was Bourges. 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 it was 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.
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 (Parc naturel régional de la Brenne) 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.