45°50N 1°15E, pop (2000e) 140 000. Ancient town and capital of Haute-Vienne department, C France; in R Vienne valley, 176 km/109 mi NE of Bordeaux; Gallic tribal capital, destroyed 5th-c; sacked by the English, 1370; road and rail junction; university (1808); meteorological observatory; rapid post-war expansion; famed for manufacture of enamels and porcelain since 18th-c; electrical fittings, shoes; uranium mined near Ambazac; Gothic Cathedral of St-Etienne (begun, 1273); Church of St-Pierre-du-Queyroix (13th-c belfry), Church of St-Michel-des-Lions (14th16th-c).
| Commune of Limoges | |
| Bridge Saint-Étienne over the Vienne River in Limoges | |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 45°49′09″N, 01°15′05″E |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Région | Limousin (capital) |
| Département |
Haute-Vienne (préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Limoges |
| Canton | Chief town of 16 cantons |
| Intercommunality | Limoges Métropole |
| Mayor |
Alain Rodet (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude |
209 m–431 m (avg. 294 m) |
| Land area¹ | 77.45 km² |
|
Population² (1999) |
133,968 |
| - Density (1999) | 1,730/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 87085/ 87000 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > | |
Limoges is known worldwide for its medieval enamels ('Limoges enamels') on copper, for its 19th century porcelain ('Limoges porcelain') and for its oak barrels (Limousin oak), which are used for Cognac production.
History
Ancient and medieval history
Very scarce remains of pre-urban settlements have been found in the area of Limoges.
Starting from the 11th century, thanks to the presence of the Abbey of St. Martial and its large library, Limoges became a flourishing artistic centre.
Modern history
The City and the Castle were united in 1792 to form a single city under the name of Limoges.
In the 19th century Limoges saw a strong construction activity, which however included the destruction and rebuilding of much of the city's centre, regarded as unhealthy and as a nest of prostitution.
Under the impetus of the progressive economist Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune, who had been appointed intendant of this impoverished and isolated region, a new ceramics industry was developed, and Limoges porcelain became famous during the 19th century. However, Limoges porcelain is a generic term for porcelain produced in Limoges rather than at a specific factory
Miscellaneous
A university was founded at Limoges in 1968.Births
Limoges was the birthplace of:
Jean Daurat (or Dorat) (1508-1588), poet and scholar, member of the Pléiade Henri François d'Aguesseau (1668-1751), chancellor of France Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud (1753-1793), orator and revolutionary Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (1762-1833), marshal of France Stephen Grellet (1773-1855), Quaker missionary Thomas Robert Bugeaud de la Piconnerie, Duke of Isly (1784-1849), marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Joseph Émile Montégut (1825-1895), critic Marie François Sadi Carnot (1837-1894), President of France Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), preeminent French painter Maryse Bastié (1898-1952), aviatrix Astérix (1959-present), comic hero and overall creator of funTwin towns
- Charlotte, North Carolina, United States - Fürth, Germany - Grodno, Belarus - Limoges, Ontario, Canada - Plzen, Czech Republic - Seto, Japan - Stoke-on-Trent, United kingdomSources and External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Limoges This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia. City council website Adrien Dubouché Museum website - ceramics, glassware, porcelain from Limoges Limoges university website History and Geography (Academy of Limoges, institutional website) Satellite image Préfectures of départements of France Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain) • Laon (Aisne) • Moulins (Allier • Digne-les-Bains (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) • Gap (Hautes-Alpes) • Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) • Privas (Ardeche) • Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes) • Foix (Ariège) • Troyes (Aube) • Carcassonne (Aude) • Rodez (Aveyron) • Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) • Caen (Calvados) • Aurillac (Cantal) • Angoulême (Charente) • La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) • Bourges (Cher) • Tulle (Corrèze) • Ajaccio (corse-du-Sud) • Bastia (Haute-Corse) • Dijon (Côte-d'Or) • Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor) • Guéret (Creuse) • Périgueux (Dordogne) • Besançon (Doubs) • Valence (Drôme) • Évreux (Eure) • Chartres (Eure-et-Loir) • Quimper (Finistère) • Nîmes (Gard) • Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) • Auch (Gers) • Bordeaux (Gironde) • Montpellier (Hérault) • Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) • Châteauroux (Indre) • Tours (Indre-et-Loire) • Grenoble (Isère) • Lons-le-Saunier (Jura) • Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) • Blois (Loir-et-Cher) • Saint-Étienne (Loire) • Le Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire) • Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) - Orléans (Loiret) • Cahors (Lot) • Agen (Lot-et-Garonne) • Mende (Lozère) • Angers (Maine-et-Loire) • Saint-Lô (Manche) • Châlons-en-Champagne (Marne) • Chaumont (Haute-Marne) - Laval (Mayenne) • Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle) • Bar-le-Duc (Meuse) • Vannes (Morbihan) • Metz (Moselle) • Nevers (Nièvre) • Lille (Nord) • Beauvais (Oise) • Alençon (Orne) • Calais (Pas-de-Calais) • Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) • Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) • Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées) • Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) • Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin) • Colmar (Haut-Rhin) • Lyon (Rhône) • Vesoul (Haute-Saône) • Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire) • Le Mans (Sarthe) • Chambéry (Savoie) • Annecy (Haute-Savoie) • Paris (Paris) • Rouen (Seine-Maritime) • Melun (Seine-et-Marne) • Versailles (Yvelines) • Niort (Deux-Sèvres) • Amiens (Somme) • Albi (Tarn) • Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) • Toulon (Var) • Avignon (Vaucluse) • La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée) • Poitiers (Vienne) • Limoges (Haute-Vienne) • Épinal (Vosges) • Auxerre (Yonne) • Belfort (Territoire de Belfort) - Évry (Essonne) - Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) • Bobigny (Seine-Saint-Denis) • Créteil (Val-de-Marne) • Cergy (Val-d'Oise)
Overseas départements:
Cayenne (French Guiana) • Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) • Fort-de-France (Martinique) • Saint-Denis (Réunion)
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