Clamecy enjoyed great prosperity thanks to the development, by Jean Rouvet, of the 'Flottage du bois', by which timber from the immense forests of the Morvan national park were processed and floated down river to Paris.

[4] After a period of neglect following the French revolution, the church underwent significant restoration under the auspices of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and was classified as a historic monument in 1840.

In recognition of this, in the summer of 2008, the tourism committee opened a new, contemporary gallery space, in which international and established local artists showcase their work.

The afternoon of Bastille Day (July 14) is also the date on which the Tournament du Roi Sec takes place on the Yonne River at Clamecy.

The tournament is a light-hearted, waterborne jousting competition, in which the last person left standing on their specially adapted rowing boat at the end of the afternoon is crowned 'the dry King', and carried through the streets by his opponents.

Considerable investment by successive local administrations has seen the transformation of the town from a logging centre into a pretty, medieval tourist attraction and favourite tie-up for leisure users of the Canal du Nivernais, which runs from Auxerre to Decize.

The modern economy of Clamecy (and the surrounding countryside), is derived from tourism and agriculture, with a high proportion of inhabitants commuting to larger towns such as Auxerre and Paris.