Parthenay

**Parthenay** is a *commune*, an ancient fortified town, in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. It is a subprefecture of the Deux-Sèvres department. It is also the capital of the *arrondissement* of Parthenay.

## Geography 
Parthenay is considered the capital of the *Gâtine poitevine* (or *Gâtine de Parthenay*), a region with bocages that is found in the central third of the department of Deux-Sèvres. It is at  to the southeast of Bressuire, the other subprefecture of the department.

The city is at about  from Bordeaux,  from Paris,  from Marseille and  from Toulouse.

The *commune* has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

The *commune* of Parthenay is surrounded by the *communes*:

The Thouet river, a left tributary of the Loire river, flows through the city.

### Climate
The climate of Parthenay, in the Köppen climate classification, is **Cfb** - Oceanic climate with template summers.
## Population
The inhabitants of Parthenay are known, in French, as * Parthenaisiens* (women: *Parthenaisiennes*).

With a population of 10,367, Parthenay has a population density of  inhabitants/km2.

**Evolution of the population in Parthenay**

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## Administration 
Parthenay is a subprefecture of the Deux-Sèvres department, the capital of the *arrondissement* of Parthenay and the administrative centre () of the canton of Parthenay.

It is part of the intercommunality *Parthenay-Gâtine* ().

### Twinned and partner towns 
Parthenay is twinned with:
* Manakara, Madagascar
* Weinstadt, Germany
* Arnedo, Spain
* Abrantes, Portugal
* Tsévié, Togo
* Tipperary, Ireland
* Edmundston, Canada

## Gallery

File:Parthenay mairie 3.JPG|Parthenay town hall.
File:Parthenay (79) Église Saint-Pierre de Parthenay-le-Vieux Extérieur 01.JPG|Saint-Pierre church.
File:Église Sainte-Croix de Parthenay 02.JPG|Sainte-Croix church.
File:Château de Parthenay.jpg|*Château de Parthenay*.

## References
## Related pages
* Arrondissement of Parthenay
* Communes of the Deux-Sèvres department

## Other websites
* City Council website 
* CC Parthenay-Gâtine