Bellac is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Bellac is where the French author Jean Giraudoux, writer of L'Apollon de Bellac, was born in 1882. His house has been turned into a museum.

Geography

Bellac lies 45 km northwest of Limoges at the confluence of the rivers Gartempe and, in the Department of Haute-Vienne. Poitiers is 70 km to the northwest, and Angoulême 100 km to the southwest. The hills known as the lie immediately to the south.

Administration

Bellac is a sous-préfecture of Haute-Vienne, seat of the arrondissement of Bellac which covers 57 communes. Furthernore, it is part of the canton of Bellac and of the communauté de communes Haut Limousin en Marche.

Population

Inhabitants are known as Bellachons in French.

Transport

Bellac is 30 km west of the A20 Limoges-Orléans motorway, and lies at a crossroads where the RN145 crosses the RN147. Both these roads had been designated part of the (RCEA) and were thus at risk of being upgraded to motorway. However, the latest thinking is that the RCEA will be re-routed from La Souterraine south down the A20 to Limoges and then via upgraded to the N520/N141 routes to Angoulême and the west.

Classifications

Bellac is classified as a ', a village étape, a ', and a .

Notable people

Climate