Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Normandy. The name in fact is taken from the Eure river flowing mainly in this department.
After the allied victory at Waterloo, Eure was occupied by Prussiantroops between June 1815 and November 1818.
The department is a largely wooded plateau intersected by the valleys of the river Seine and its tributaries. The altitude varies from sea level in the north to 248 metres above it in the south.
Principal towns
The most populous commune is Évreux, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 5 communes with more than 10,000 inhabitants:[3]
The main tourist attraction is Giverny (4 km (2.49 mi) from Vernon) where Claude Monet's house and garden can be seen, as well as other places of interest (see external links, below).
^Jacques Olivier Boudon, Les Bonaparte : regards sur la France impériale. La Documentation photographique, dossier 8073, janvier-février 2010, p. 11 (carte de Gilles Pécout)