St Junien, Haute Vienne

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

A town (commune area 56.82km²) situated in the west of Haute Vienne, close to the border with Charente.  The town is by-passed by the RN141 which gives access to Limoges in the east, and the A20 autoroute.  To the south and west the RN141 links the town with Angouleme and the RN10.  St Junien has access to local rail services (TER), which also enable access to Limoges and Angouleme.  The nearest airport is Limoges-Bellegarde which has an increasing number of year-round flights to UK destinations.

Climate

Warm summers and moderate winters are typical for St Junien, a place that is also drier than many of its more easterly Limousin neighbours.  Average winter temperatures range from 7C to 8C (low 2C to 3C), whilst in summer this rises to 21C to 24C (12C to 15C low).  The wettest month is October with 7.26cm of precipitation, whilst the driest is March with 4.74cm on average.  St Junien is part of a zone that receives between 1750 and 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

St Junien owes its existence to a hermit who lived in the sixth century.  He was known for healing people using water from a sacred spring, and when he died he was buried by the Bishop of Limoges.  An abbey was constructed over the tomb, and in the eleventh and twelfth centuries the abbey was replaced by the collegiate church.  The town developed around this church and in 1254 the commune was granted freedom of actions by the Bishop.  For lovers of ancient architecture, the town has many excellent examples, with the eleventh century monastery, the Collégiale church and the Notre Dame du Pont chapel just some of the many interesting buildings.  For artists, the Corot Site is a spot along the banks of the Glane River which provided Camille Corot (1796-1875) with the inspiration for his most beautiful works.  Nearby is the eleventh and twelfth century Chateau de Rochebrune, where both the chateau and the grounds can be visited.  St Junien is famous for glove-making and leather production, and there are a number of workshops dedicated to mass production here.  All around St Junien there are excellent opportunities for walking, with all eight of the communes of Vienne-Glane displaying information on the various routes available.

Economy

The town has a mix of small and medium sized manufacturing companies resident, with the likes of Legrand (electrics), Delage Menuiseries (joinery/windows), Societe Limousine Emballages (packaging) and of course the Ganterie St Junien (gloves) typical of the industries in the area.  Otherwise the town has commercial enterprises such as banks, shops, supermarkets and garages.  Saint Junien is part of the economic zone of Rochechouart, which has an unemployment rate of 6.7%, compared against the regional rate of 7.2% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).

Facilities

This town has most amenities you will need, including shops, restaurants, cinemas and banks.  There is also an aqua centre with slides, sauna, Jacuzzi and a sports centre.  There are major supermarket chains like Leclerc and Carrefour as well as budget stores such as Lidl, and on the edge of town is a Macdonalds restaurant.  The town has a popular Rugby Union team US Saint Junien, with teams playing at junior and senior levels.

Education

There is 4 state Nurseries/Primary Schools, 2 Secondary Schools (College) and 2 Colleges (Lycee), however, more choice of secondary schools and colleges can be found in Limoges (31km).

Key Stats

Of the properties in Saint Junien 89.1% are classed as primary residences, with 3.7% being classed as second homes.  There are more females than males resident here (53.2% vs 46.8%), and there are more people aged 60 or over than the national average (32.7% vs 21.3%). The number of retired people is higher (30.6% vs 18.2%).  The percentage of people below the age of 19 is lower than the national average (18.8% vs 24.6%)

Key Facilities and Services: