Limoges, Haute Vienne, Limousin

Description:

Geography and Transport Links

Limoges is the regional capital of Limousin, situated in the heart of the Haute Vienne department.  The city is well served by the A20 autoroute, which provides a link north and east towards Chateauroux, and south to Toulouse.  The RN141 also traverses the city, linking it to St Junien in the west, and St Leonard de Noblat in the east.  Limoges is not yet serviced by a TGV route, although the project has been linked with the Sud-Europe Atlantique project, which is scheduled to be delivered by 2016.  The TER rail services link the city with Poitiers in the north and Brive in the south, both of which provide TGV services.  Limoges has its own airport at Bellegarde a few kilometres from the centre of town.  The airport is developing fast, with the arrival of a number of budget airline services to the UK.  The Vienne River runs through the city.

Climate

Typically warm summers and moderate, short winters, the maritime climate in Limoges is driven by the Atlantic ocean.  Average temperatures in summer range from 21C to 24C (12C to 15C low) and in winter this drops to between 7C and 8C (2C to 3C low).  The wettest month is October with an average of 7.26cm of precipitation, and the driest is March with an average of 4.76cm.  Limoges is part of a zone which receives between 1750 and 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

Tourism

Limoges was originally two separate cities, which were joined together after the French Revolution.  Above the river is the older part, home to the Gothic cathedral of St Etienne, in the centre of the Jardins de l'Evéché.  The museum of the same name housed in the former bishops palace exhibits twelfth century enamels, Egyptian collections as well as paintings by Auguste Renoir, who was born in the city in 1841.  Nearby is the Musée de la Résistance, which tells the story of the maquisards who helped liberate the city in 1944.  The second city, known as the chateau, was where the Ancestral Guild of Butchers was founded in the thirteenth century, and every year this area hosts the Frairie des petits ventres, a feast in the Rue de la Boucherie.  Limoges is probably best known for its porcelaine, which has been made here since the white clay 'kaolin' was discovered in the area in the eighteenth century.  There are many opportunities to see both historical and contemporary works, with many of the key producers having both visitor centres and factory shops. The National Museum of Porcelaine Adrien Dubouché on the site of a former lunatic asylum is open all year, on the place Winston Churchill.

As well as porcelaine, Limoges was renowned as a town of distilleries for two centuries, and the Musee des Distilleries Limougeaudes on the rue de Belfort celebrates this heritage.  Limoges has an aquarium near the centre of town, and not far away at Bellegarde is Parc Bellevue, an outdoor amusement park with attractions for all ages.   Also nearby to the south is Parc Reynou, a zoological park on 35 hectares.

Economy

Biggest businesses in Limoges are Legrand (electrical components) and Madrange, makers of cooked ham at their factory in Feytiat.  There are industrial estates to both the north and south of the city, housing commerce and industry.  The Limoges economic zone has an unemployment rate of 7.6%, compared against the regional rate of 7.2% and the national rate of 9.1% (INSEE 2006).

Facilities

As you would expect from a city of this size all amenities are available. There are over fifty restaurants offering all kinds of cuisine including seafood, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, Japanese and Morrocan.  The city has five swimming pools (one Olympic size) including Beaublanc and Beaubreuil, and three cinemas.  Amongst other facilities the city has an Olympic skating rink, a baseball field, an 18 hole golf course, forty large sports fields, twenty seven gymnasiums, fifty tennis courts, a climbing wall and a covered petanque arena.  The University of Limoges has almost 14,000 students, and specialises in law, sciences and technology.  USA Limoges is the local rugby union team, who play in Federale 1, the third tier of French rugby, while the football team Limoges FC play in the Ligue Centre-Ouest Division d'Honneur.

Education

There is a choice of 33 state nurseries and 36 state primary schools.  In addition there are four private options for Nursery and six for primary school.  There are twelve state secondary schools (college) and two private options.   For colleges (Lycee) there are seven state and two private Colleges, as well as the University of Limoges.

Key Stats

Of the properties in Limoges, 90.1% are classed as primary residences, with 2.7% being classed as second homes.  There are more females than males resident here (53.9% vs 46.1%), and there are slightly more people aged 60 or over than the national average (22.5% vs 21.3%).  The number of retired people is similar to the national average (19.9% vs 18.2%), and the percentage of people below the age of 19 is lower than the national average (19.1% vs 24.6%)

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