A Guide 2 Haute Vienne

Description:

Geography and Transport

Haute Vienne is the north western portion of Limousin, and is bordered by the Creuse, Corréze, Vienne, Charente and the Dordogne departments.  The A20 autoroute provides the key arterial route through the department, linking the 'capital' Limoges with Chateauroux in the north and Brive-la-Gaillard in the south.  Limoges and the major towns are well connected to the regional railway, although there is as yet no TGV service that operates through the department.  The project to build a high-speed rail link is still in the planning stages, and is part of the overall programme for the new LGV Sud Europe Atlantique, which is due to be delivered by 2016.  The capital has its own airport at Bellegarde, with an ever increasing range of services to the UK.  Whilst the source of the Charente River is at Rochecouart in the west of the department, it is the Vienne River that runs through Limoges, giving the department its name.

Climate

The north west of the department is the least elevated point in Haute Vienne, and benefits from a warmer, drier climate with short moderate winters and often hot summers.  Further south and east towards the foothills of the Massif Central, the altitude becomes more mountainous, with more severe winters (including snow), and often more rainfall.  Spring and autumn can be pleasantly warm.

Tourism

Haute Vienne is characterised by open spaces and farmland crossed by a large river network dotted with numerous lakes.  While the Lac de Saint-Pardoux has all of its 330 hectares contained within the north western part of the department, the more famous (and three times larger) Lac de Vassiviere straddles both the eastern side of Haute Vienne and the west of Creuse.  Vassiviere is probably the biggest tourist 'attraction' in this department, offering as it does over a thousand hectares of water, 45km of shore and six wonderful manmade beaches.  In all there are over 20 lakeside facilities ready to welcome visitors in Haute Vienne.  The boundaries of Haute Vienne also take in chunks of two protected Natural Parks, the Perigord-Limousin (south-west), and the Millevaches (south-east).  The Route of Richard the Lionheart runs across 19 historic sites towards the south of the department, on the border with Aquitaine, indeed it was at Chalus in Haute Vienne that he was fatally wounded in 1199.  The Route de Haut Limousin is a designated tourist trail that takes visitors from St Junien to Bessines sur Gartempe passing through beautiful old towns and villages.  Like the neighbouring departments in Limousin, Haute Vienne has a wealth of medieval architecture, with many historic castles and churches to discover.  There are many interesting museums here, particularly in Limoges, where the town's heritage of producing fine porcelain is much celebrated.  The Village of Martyrs at Oradour-sur-Glane serves as a moving reminder of the dreadful massacre that occurred there in June 1944 at the hands of the German army.  The old village is left how it stood after German troops razed it and slaughtered the entire population, women and children included.  A visitor centre and free access to the old village tell how the story unfolded.

Economy

The largest part of the economy in Haute Vienne is taken up by the electrics and electronics sector, with the huge manufacturer Legrand employing some 3000 people.  The area also has a long history of paper production, and there are still some 2500 people employed across various companies within the department, including International Paper, who employ some 800 people.  The other great tradition, and the one that Limoges is most famous for is porcelain, and that industry still plays a major part in the economy, although rather than just porcelain production it is the supporting technical industries like coatings and graphics that contribute in equal measure.  It should not be forgotten that agriculture still plays a big role in the economy of the more rural areas, particularly around the Bellac employment zone where sheep and cattle farming is prevalent.

Key Stats

As with the whole of the Limousin region, Haute Vienne has an ageing population, with 20% of the population under 20 years of age, and 27% over 60 years.  There are more women than men here (52% vs 48%).  7.77% of homes here are classed as second homes (less than the national average).