"Limoges" Top 5 Page for this destination Limoges by Goner

Limoges, Limousin province, is a city, situated about 250 miles southwest of Paris in the Vienne Valley with a population around 140,000. It's famous for its ceramics industry; the city's porcelain workshops employ more than 10,000 people.

It was this world renown porcelain that made Limoges a stop during our trip through France. The shops there are like art museums, with a variety of porcelain dishes, dainty little boxes and statues, each one intrically and beautifully done - works of art.

Limoges pocelain dish

The 12th century Limoges was a seat of the viscounty of Limoges and in 1589 was the capital of Limousin province. It has a history of war, pestilence, and famine; in 1370, Edward the Black Prince burned the city and massacred its inhabitants. The famous Limoges enamel industry was fully developed by this time thanks to the work of Léonard Limousin. Due to the devastation during the Wars of Religion, the industry did declined, however the ruler Turgot, brought back Limoges’ prosperity in 1771 by introducing the china manufactures.

In 1768, Macquer, a Limoges chemist, had found a kind of white clay called "kaolin". By 1830, there were 30 porcelain factories. David Haviland, an American merchant, arrived in Limoges and founded his own factory. In 1880, when Haviland was awarded an International Exhibition, Limoges was the most appreciated porcelain factory in Europe and in America.

• Pros:A town with sooo much beautiful porcelain
• Cons:Not enought money to buy everything you want
• In a nutshell:If you're a Limoge lover, this is the place for you