Mesves-sur-Loire

Mesves-sur-Loire
Commune
The City Hall
Location of Mesves-sur-Loire
Mesves-sur-Loire Show map of France Mesves-sur-Loire Show map of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Coordinates: 47°14′39″N 2°59′38″E / 47.2442°N 2.9939°E / 47.2442; 2.9939
Country	France
Region	Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Department	Nièvre
Arrondissement	Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire
Canton	Pouilly-sur-Loire
Intercommunality	Cœur de Loire
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Bernard Gilot^[1]
Area ¹	18.64 km² (7.20 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2020)^[2]	661
• Density	35/km² (92/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	58164 /58400
Elevation	148–188 m (486–617 ft)
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Mesves-sur-Loire (French pronunciation: [mɛv syʁ lwaʁ], literally Mesves on Loire) is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.^[3]

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Geography

Mesves-sur-Loire is a farm town on the right bank of the river Loire, surrounded by grain fields to the east and vineyards to the north and south. The vineyards are within the Pouilly Fumé district, the famous wine town of Pouilly-sur-Loire being located just 5 km to the north. The general area is known as La Nièvre and lies within the larger region known as Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

Mesves-Bulcy station has rail connections to Nevers and Cosne-sur-Loire. There is also a new highway, A77 autoroute, which parallels the rail line and runs to the outskirts of Paris. So, while Mesves is quiet, it is easily accessible from Paris.

History

In 1918, during World War I, a field between the towns of Mesves-sur-Loire and Bulcy was the site of a huge American Army hospital.^[4] In November, 1918, there were 20,186 patients and a total of 38,765 wounded and convalescing soldiers spent time at this temporary hospital. As many as 140,000 Americans were stationed in the area in 1918 so the it had a major American presence.

This site, close to the river Loire, was one of two huge American Army hospitals during World War I (the other being in Mars-sur-Allier). It was selected because it was a safe distance from the battle lines in northeast France (Mesves is about 200 km south of Paris); further, it is located on a major rail line to Paris, making it accessible).

When entering Bulcy, just 3 km to the east of Mesves, the street sign identifies the street name as rue du Camp-Américain. That is the only visible signage reminding one of the huge US Army hospital that served so many wounded service men during World War I. The fields have been totally restored and are full of crops during the growing season.

Demographics

On 1 January 2019, the estimated population was 667.

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
^ INSEE commune file.
^ Le Camp hôpital américain de Mesves-Bulcy by Francois Torcol (in French), Les Annales des Pays Nivernais (ISSN 0153-7121), ZI des Chamonds, PB 40017, 58641 Varenne-Vauzelles Cedex, 2008.