Sightseeing in Limoges - what to see. Complete travel guide

Limoges is the warmest city of France. It is famous by its porcelain and ceramic items of XIX century, by splendid local applied art, the basis of which is in the creation of coated ware combined with the saults of metals (enamel), and by oak barrels that are used to make cognac.

Initially Limoges was founded by the Romans yet in X century BC. The city’s religion was paganism, but steadily Limoges was turned into Christianity by Saint Martin. This process ended in 250 AD. In the beginning of XIII century Limoges was already a large town, the central part of which consisted of two protective facilities joined by the bridge of Saint Etienne. One part of the facility was the town itself. It was surrounded by walls and built along the River Vienna. The second part of the protective facility was the castle of the abbey founded in this place in XI century.

Nowadays only ruins remind of those facilities. They are precious to the local people as they sure have historical value. One more ancient and precious destination of the city is the library of Saint Martin. The library contains 23 thousand of books. The library works in the abbey and today this is a museum and a center of art. The main sight of this place is the tomb of the saint that has been founded recently. Besides these memorial sights Limoges surely has other places of interest. Guests are suggested to visit ecclesiastical seminary and the lyceum that works near it, a school in which are prepared doctors and pharmaceutical chemists, a picture gallery, and a granite cathedral Saint Etienne built in XII century famous by its tilted bell tower, a granite archbishop’s palace with amazing garden, the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater, and the house of Templar knights with a gallery of underground passages and rooms. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

A very interesting landmark is the Botanical Garden, which you can visit for free. Dozens of plant and flower species are represented on its territory. In the warm season, the garden is always adorned with many interesting landscape formations. In the northern part of the garden, is the Center for Arts and Crafts, where you can see crafts by the best local craftsmen. Here you can not only buy excellent souvenirs, but also participate in interesting master classes.

A wonderful place for walking is the historic quarter of Limoges, centered on Busheri Street. For more than a thousand years, this street remained in the possession of the butcher’s guild. Now it draws attention with a variety of historical buildings. In the historic district is located the House of Meat Trade - a former butcher's shop, which now has an interesting thematic museum.

Also in the historic district, there is the beautiful Chapel of St. Aurelien of the 14th century with a unique interior decoration. Walking along the historic street, you can go to the Mott Square, which has existed in this place for several hundred years. Several times a week, there is an interesting market on this square, where you can buy popular products from locals and interesting souvenirs. Not far from the square is another interesting religious monument - the Eglise Saint-Michel-des-Lions. It has completely preserved its ancient decoration. The main decorations of the interior of the church are elegant, stained-glass windows.

Winston Churchill Place is home to one of the city's most iconic landmarks - the Museum of Porcelain. For several hundred years, factories and workshops where one of the world's best porcelain products is produced, have been working in Limoges. In this museum, the most beautiful products of various times are collected. Its visitors can see the ancient tableware, porcelain figurines and other interior decorations. Many of the products of artisans collected here were made by order of high-ranking individuals, about which visitors are informed by special explanatory plaques.

Among the outstanding architectural sights of the city, it is worth noting the beautiful building of the Town Hall. It is a spectacular monument in an eclectic style. This imposing building was completely built in 1883. The tower of the town hall is 43 meters high. Its main adornments are the clock and the coat of arms of the city.