The Creuse is one of the least well-known and least populated departments in France, a region of crystalline plateaus and deep-cut rivers on the edge of the Massif Central, which inspired the painters of the Crozant School in the 19th century. Armand Guillaumin, Claude Monet, Francis Picabia and many other artists came to paint the meandering Creuse and its landscapes of heather and chestnut trees in works that today stand as an irreplaceable record of these unspoilt landscapes.
The castle heritage of the Creuse is unassuming and often in ruins, reflecting a region that was long poor and isolated. Crozant, whose ruins are reflected in the confluence of the Creuse and the Sédelle, was in the Middle Ages one of the most powerful fortresses in central France. Bourganeuf, seat of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, still stands the Tower of Zizim, where the Ottoman prince Zizim was held prisoner following his defeat in the struggle for the throne of Constantinople.
Aubusson, the world capital of tapestry since the 15th century, and Guéret, the department’s prefecture, bear witness to a local cultural life that has transformed the constraints of a challenging terrain into sources of creativity and artisanal excellence.