| La Cesse |
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A River Runs Through It
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The source of the River Cesse is in Ferrals Les Montages. At the beginning it is an insignificant stream. Along its course, the Cesse is fed by a series of small tributaries which give it its size. Near Minerve, this river has carved a deep and spectacular canyon. It is one of the interesting touristic sites of the region, with grottos, where traces of animals have been found, contempories of the first man. Stags, wild horses, prehistoric big bears……….. even woolly rhinoceros!
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When the Cesse is in flood it can rise several metres at Bize in a few minutes. Several times in it’s history it has swept away bridges. In 1880 the people of the village paid 80,000 francs in Louis d’or (a gold coin named after Louis XIII) for the construction of a big bridge of three arches which is still standing today.
 La Cesse en janvier 2006 |
At a height of 60 metres above sea level, the Cesse does not flood the village of Bize but sporadically overflows. These overflows can however, turn out to be awesome. In 1999, the Cesse overflowed in the night, covering the Promenade to a height of 1.5 to 2 metres of water.
