Nevers and its surrounding area are the home turf of two great cycling dynasties: three generations of the Martinez family (Mariano and Martin; Miguel and Yannick; and now Lenny) and the Bernards (father and son Jean-François and Julien). The four Tour de France stage finishes held in Nevers have all been won by sprinters: Éric Leman (1971), Guido Bontempi (1986), Alessandro Petacchi (2003), and Søren Wærenskjold, last July, at a record average speed of 50.910km/h!
- Prefecture of Nièvre (58)
- Population: 33,200; 67,500 within the Nevers municipality; 201,500 within Nièvre
- nevers.fr • nievre.fr
Nevers and cycling
Nevers has hosted four finishes of the men’s Tour de France, all of which were won by a sprinter, the most recent being Norwegian Soren Waerenskjold in 2026. Before him, two Italians, Guido Bontempi (1986) and Alessandro Petacchi (2003), had raised their arms in victory there.
In 1971, it was Éric Léman who claimed victory. This Italian-Belgian dominance in the Nièvre department was equally striking at Paris–Nice, with victories for Gert Steegmans (2008), Tom Steels (1998), Étienne de Wilde (1990) and Walter Godefroot (1968) for the Belgians, and Mario Cipollini (1993 and 1993) and Fabio Baldato (1994) for Italy. If we add to these names those of Jan Kirsipuu (at Paris–Nice in 1990 and 2000) and Olaf Ludwig (in the Tour de l’Avenir in 1983), it is easy to see why it is difficult to avoid a bunch sprint on the avenue running alongside the Nevers exhibition centre!
In women’s cycling, there have been two finishes in Nevers, including a sprint victory for Chloe Hosking in the Route de France in 2016. Thirty years earlier, American Inga Thomson had dominated an individual time trial in the Women’s Tour.
Among Nevers’ famous sons, it is impossible to overlook the Bernards: first and foremost Jean-François, third in the 1987 Tour and winner of Paris–Nice in 1992, and his son Julien, who continues to make his mark in the peloton as road captain of the Lidl-Trek team. Another family based in Nevers is the Martinez family, led by Mariano, winner of the polka-dot jersey in the 1978 Tour de France and winner of two stages in 1978 and 1980. A Spaniard born in Burgos, he settled in Nièvre, where his two sons, Miguel and Yannick – both professional cyclists – were born. An Olympic mountain bike cross-country champion in Sydney in 2000, Miguel competed in the Tour de France in 2002. His brother Yannick was not so fortunate but did compete in the Vuelta in 2014. Lenny Martinez, Miguel’s son, also grew up in Nièvre, 8 km from Nevers. Let’s not forget Martin, Mariano’s brother, who won a stage of the Vuelta in 1974 and passed away in Nevers in 2012. We should also mention Frédéric Finot, who took part in two editions of the Tour de France in 2003 and 2004.
Sights
Nevers-Magny-Cours Circuit
Established: 1959.
History: created in 1959 by Jean Bernigaud, mayor of Magny-Cours, the first circuit was a go-kart track. The Jean-Behra circuit was inaugurated in 1961. In 1986, at the instigation of François Mitterrand, the Nièvre General Council purchased the 3,850-metre circuit from the Bernigaud family. Completed in 1988, the circuit received its homologation in 1989, followed in 1990 by a five-year lease to host the French Formula 1 Grand Prix. The first French F1 Grand Prix took place on 7 July 1991: Nigel Mansell won ahead of Alain Prost.
In 1991 and 1992, the circuit hosted a round of the World Sportscar Championship. From 2000 to 2014, the Bol d’Or was held there. In 2003, following minor modifications, the circuit hosted the French round of the World Superbike Championship. The circuit experienced financial difficulties from 2005 onwards, and the French Formula 1 Grand Prix was discontinued from 2009 to 2018, when it was held once again, but at the Circuit Paul Ricard. Since the French Grand Prix ceased to be held at Magny-Cours, the circuit has undergone numerous changes. The extension of the A77 motorway in October 2010 now provides direct access to the circuit, which returned to profitability in 2011. In 2014, major modernisation work began on the main building (pits, boxes and VIP areas).
Characteristics: Now 4,411 metres long, the Magny-Cours circuit incorporates corners found on other Formula 1 circuits, making it a highly technical track and a very well- d circuit. The track features an elevation change of around thirty metres, with a downhill section following the starting line through the long bend to the Estoril dip, followed by a long climb to the Adelaide hairpin, a flat section to Château d’eau, which is followed by a descent to the Lycée section leading back to the start. Throughout the year, the track hosts various sporting events, including training sessions for major French and international teams, prestigious clubs and even riding courses.
The circuit and cycling: the Magny-Cours circuit has hosted Paris–Nice on two occasions – in 2014 for a sprint finish won by John Degenkolb, and for the start of the third stage of the 2025 edition, a team time trial dominated by the Visma–Lease a Bike team.
Ducal Palace
Built: 15th and 16th centuries.
Style: Renaissance.
History: regarded as the first of the Loire Valley châteaux, built on the hill overlooking the centre of the old town, the Ducal Palace dominates Place de la République with its broad Renaissance façade framed by polygonal turrets. It was the residence of the counts and later the dukes of Nivernais. It was built for Jean de Clamecy, Count of Nevers, on the site of his former fortress. The two large towers are the oldest parts, as the château was remodelled in the 16th century by the House of Cleves. Madame de Cossé-Brissac, heiress to the last Duke of Nevers, sold the château and its outbuildings to the town and the department in 1810. The building was then shared between the town hall and the court of justice until 1850. In the late 1970s, the town council, keen to reclaim one of Nevers’ finest historic monuments, proposed moving the courthouse to the former bishop’s palace. A new restoration project was launched, retaining the 19th-century layout but adding a grand staircase and a new side entrance.
Current use: restored on the orders of Pierre Bérégovoy in the 1980s, the palace now houses the town hall (including the mayor’s office and the council chamber), part of the tourist information centre, exhibition and reception rooms, as well as a permanent exhibition on the history and attractions of the town (Formula 1, earthenware, etc.) and an aquarium featuring fish from the Loire.
Of note: on 4 May 1993, it was in front of the Ducal Palace that President François Mitterrand delivered the eulogy for Pierre Bérégovoy, who had taken his own life on 1 May; the speech remains famous for one sentence: ‘No amount of explanation in the world can justify the fact that a man’s honour was thrown to the dogs.’
Listing: listed as a Historic Monument in 1840.
Nevers earthenware
Nevers owes its famous earthenware industry to Louis IV of Nevers. Towards the end of the 16th century, he brought over from Italy Augustin Conrad, a potter from Albissola, near Savona, and his brothers, Baptiste and Dominique, whom he settled at the Château du Marais in Gimouille. Their reputation and success grew to such an extent that Nevers established itself in the 17th century as the French capital of earthenware. Augustin Conrad had chosen Nevers as his base in France because it offered all the necessary conditions for producing high-quality earthenware: the two types of clay required, wood that provides heat without producing flames (from the forests of the Morvan), and the River Loire for the safe transport of his products. In the 21st century, a few earthenware workshops continue and revitalise this craft.
The distinctive feature of Nevers earthenware is the famous ‘Bleu de Nevers’, a colour achieved through a cobalt blue glaze. Many potters also sign their creations by drawing a small ‘green bow’.
Museum of Earthenware and Fine Arts
Established: 1840.
History: originally established in the town hall, the museum moved in the 1910s to the former bishop’s palace, which had been acquired and donated to the town by a patron, Frédéric Blandin. In 1975, it moved to the site of the former Benedictine Abbey of Notre-Dame and into a 19th-century townhouse, Maison Roussignhol. These premises were renovated between 2007 and 2013 and complemented by a contemporary extension. Once the work was completed, the museum was officially opened on 27 September 2013.
Features: the museum now comprises 13 permanent exhibition galleries and one temporary exhibition gallery, spanning 2,100 m² of medieval remains, restored buildings and new constructions. The architectural design combines stone and timber, bringing together contemporary buildings and historic structures.
Cathedral of Saint-Cyr and Saint-Julitte
Construction: 10th to 16th centuries.
Style: Romanesque and Gothic.
History: Cyr and Julitte were martyred around the year 304, during the persecutions ordered by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Jerome, Bishop of Nevers from 800 to 816, brought the relics of the two saints to Nevers in the 9th century. At the start of the 13th century, the cathedral consisted of a timber-framed nave, a transept and a chancel. Two towers flanked the eastern façades to the north and south. Following a fire in 1211, Bishop Guillaume de Saint-Lazare rebuilt it in the ‘new’ Gothic style. The cathedral then featured a three-storey elevation. The choir and the Romanesque transept, which had been less affected by the fire, were preserved. Reconstruction following another fire in 1308 was swift, as by 1331, Pierre La Palud, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, consecrated the building, which was now in the Rayonnant Gothic style. Numerous restorations have followed right up to the present day (notably after the Second World War, when the cathedral was hit by mistake and all the stained-glass windows had to be rebuilt). The 18 side chapels have been undergoing restoration since 2021.
Key features: the building is 101 metres long. The Romanesque choir (11th century), known as the Chapel of Saint Julitta, has a semi-circular vault. It houses an exceptional fresco depicting Christ in glory, surrounded by the symbols of the Evangelists and the elders of the Apocalypse.
Trivia: Jérôme, the Bishop of Nevers, is said to have brought the relics of Saint Cyr to Nevers following a dream of Charlemagne’s, in which the saint is said to have saved the emperor from the charge of a raging wild boar.
Distinguishing features: the stained-glass windows, destroyed in 1944, were reconstructed during the 20th century by well-known contemporary artists such as Claude Viallat, Jean-Michel Alberola, Raoul Ubac, François Rouan and Gottfried Honegger.
Listing: Listed as a historic monument since 1862.
Bernadette Soubirous Memorial
This is a place of pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Bernadette, famous for her visions of the Blessed Virgin in Lourdes, who died in Nevers in 1879. She spent the final years of her life at the convent of the Sisters of Charity in Nevers, housed in a former 12th-century priory. Today, it serves as a spiritual centre and a place of retreat, as well as a venue for exchanges and gatherings. Bernadette is laid to rest in the Saint Joseph Chapel, situated in the heart of the site’s gardens.
Saint-Étienne Church, Nevers
Built in the 11th century.
Style: Romanesque.
History: Saint-Étienne Church in Nevers is one of the finest and best-preserved Romanesque churches in France. The building was consecrated in 1097 by Bishop Yves of Chartres. Its architecture is fully in keeping with the late 11th-century style and is reminiscent of other masterpieces of Romanesque art such as Saint-Sernin in Toulouse; the choir is built in the spirit of the great abbey church of Cluny; finally, the elevation has three levels, as at Jumièges or the Basilica of Saint-Rémi in Reims. The church suffered at the hands of changing fashions, conflicts and the vicissitudes of the times. Deconsecrated during the Revolution, it was converted into a barn: its three Romanesque bell towers and the narthex were destroyed in 1792.
In 1846, recognising that Nevers possessed an exceptional Romanesque monument, the town council launched a major restoration programme. Despite these restorations, it remains one of the few 11th-century monuments to have survived without any major alteration to its original purity.
Characteristics: viewed from the outside, the building presents a massive, imposing appearance, akin to a religious fortress, constructed of carefully dressed ashlars with windows featuring bare, unadorned contours. The Church of Saint-Étienne provides an exemplary illustration of two phenomena: on the one hand, the interaction between different regions of Romanesque France and, on the other, the importance of Burgundy as a hub and ‘pioneer’ of architectural and sculptural solutions.
Listing: Listed as a historic monument since 1840.