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Limoges HotelsCity (1990 pop. 136,407), capital of Haute-Vienne dept., W central France, on the Vienne River. It is famous for its ceramics industry, which uses the abundant kaolin in the area; the city's porcelain workshops employ more than 10,000 people. The shoe industry is also large. Uranium is mined, and automobiles and electrical equipment are manufactured. An ancient town, Limoges became (12th cent.) the seat of the viscounty of Limoges and (1589) the capital of Limousin prov. It was often visited by war, pestilence, and famine. Richard Coeur de Lion (Richard I of England) was killed in battle near Limoges (1199). In 1370, Edward the Black Prince burned the city and massacred its inhabitants. The famous Limoges enamel industry was fully developed by the 13th cent. and culminated in the work of Léonard Limousin, but it declined when Limoges was once more devastated in the Wars of Religion. Turgot, who was intendant from 1761 to 1764, brought back prosperity by introducing (1771) the china manufactures. Limoges has a cathedral (chiefly 13th-16th cent.), a notable ceramics museum, and an art gallery containing many works by Renoir, who was born there. Limoges Univ. is there. Limoges is known worldwide for its medieval enamels ('Limoges enamels') on copper, for its 19th century porcelain ('Limoges porcelain') and for its oak barrels (Limousin oak), which are used for Cognac production. History Starting in the 4th century, the city was progressively deserted by its own inhabitants and underwent an irreversible looting. Saint Martial, the first bishop of Limoges, proselytized the area and was memorialized in the abbey, which became rich through its pilgrimage traffic. The abbey gained its independence from the bishop of Limoges in the 9th century, and became famous for its library, the second largest in France after Cluny and scriptorium, and as one of the birthplaces of polyphonic music. The dual structure of medieval Limoges was often at cross purposes. The city, headed by the Bishop, centered round the cathedral and the Bishop's residence. The walled and moated chateau of the Viscounts of Limoges stood near the walled abbey. The city of Limoges was famous in the Middle Ages for its enamels on copper, which were exported throughout Christendom. The CGT trade union was founded in Limoges on September 23, 1895. Limoges was a center of the maquis resistance to the Vichy puppet government of the Nazis.
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Porcelain
Births Jean Daurat (or Dorat) (1508-1588), poet and scholar, member of the Pléiade Twin towns
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