Limoges is situated on the foothills of the Massif Central in the Basin of Acquitaine, the second largest city after Bordeaux. It is famous for its porcelain, when in the late 18th century a deposit of kaolin was discovered in the area.
Near the hotel was a park boasting among other facilities a impressive children’s park.
and from it one had a view of one of the most impressive railway stations I’ve ever seen.
We crossed the park and dined at Le Petit Comptoir - very reasonable prices for excellent food. We ordered a bottle of St Emilion @ €34 but on checking Vivino, its cost is €32 retail. Most French drink beer, they seemed to have abandoned wine.
This morning we left the hotel to see the sights of Limoges. We first headed to the old quarter. En route, we prayed at the Church of St Pierre.
Passing the Hotel de Ville, we arrived in the medieval quarter
A little gem of a church from 1775, tucked away on a side street in the medieval area
From there we arrived at Cathedral Square and saw the market central.
Inside, area was filled with numerous stalls selling meat, vegetables, charcuterie , chocolates and a raft of other products
A visit to the Limoges porcelain museum is a must as for the last three centuries, the city has been synonymous with porcelain. The museum is the work of Adrien Dubouche, a curator who pushed the project forward. The exhibition illustrates the development of the porcelain and its machinery since the 19th century.
Plates hand painted though later ornamented with transfers were on display
In addition
Later we visited the Resistance museum which documented the resistance to the Nazis in the region
Later again we drove 20km north of Limoges to visit Oradour sur Glane - a village left as it was after the Nazis had slaughtered its inhabitants and burnt the village of c 1500 inhabitants. After the war was over, the Fench Government decided to leave the village as it was as a reminder of the brutality of war.
The women and children were put into the church where toxic fumes killed them and later the building was destroyed.
The men were questioned in the garage about the location of weapons. When the search did not reveal any weapons as the men had confirmed, the Nazis decided to kill them also.
The following day the Nazis returned and incinerated the bodies to conceal their crime. This added to the distress of the relatives as they grieved their loss - the bodies were unidentifiable. Added to that, after the war, a court in Bordeaux exhonerated some of the French participants who had been drafted into the German army and had attended at the massacre.
Walking around the village, situated in a relatively isolated rural area,
one could envisage life before the massacre. Many of the buildings were idenified as dwelling of named inhabitants or commercial premises - the village had a number of cafés, beauty salons, garages, a hotel, a priest’s house, a church, a doctor’s and dentist’s surgery and a pharmacy.
A museum complemented the village, including photographs of the victims and a short film further explained its history.
We departed the village and drove the 4 hour drive to Rocamadour, a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages and from what we saw last night - in a breath taking location !!
More tomorrow……
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