gare Limoges Bénédictins

10 things that you probably don’t know about Limoges-Bénédictins train station

“One of the most beautiful stations in the world”. Limoges-Bénédictins train station, listed as a Historical Monument since 1975, labelled “20th-century Heritage, is incredibly eye-catching. Its neo-regional style blends together several architectural movements such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco. This year, 2019, it is celebrating its 90th anniversary, but do you really know it?

1. Its location

The ground which the station stands on was once occupied by a leprosarium (today place Maison Dieu). It was adjoined to the Benedictine monastery from which it takes its name.

2. The clock tower

Le campanile et le dôme de la gare de Limoges

This towering 67-metre high tower is taller than that of the Gare de Lyon in Paris. It embraces a clock with four faces linked together so all indicate the same time.

3. The clock

L’une des quatre horloges du campanile de la gare de Limoges

The clock comprises 4 faces featuring Roman numerals, except for the 4, written as IIII and not IV to pursue the clock’s stylistic harmony. Highly-original: the clocks are always 2 minutes ahead of time to ensure traveller punctuality!

4. Its nicknames

Like the Eiffel Tower, the criticized monument was given various nicknames: “thousand-legged giant”, “block of lard” and even “camel hump”.

5. The concourse

Le dôme et ses verrières

Beneath the concourse dome, each wall angle features an allegorical sculpture symbolizing one of the four French provinces served by the Paris-Orléans railway company: Limousin, Brittany, Touraine and Gascogne. Each is illustrated with its own emblems. Limousin is represented by a woman carrying a porcelain vase, ears of wheat, chestnuts and chestnut leaves.

6. Underground passages

les souterrains

Between 1942 and 1945, the station was occupied by German troops. The Germans used an underground passage, located under the railway tracks, as a passive defence shelter. The sign “Réservé à la Wehrmacht” (Wehrmacht only) is still visible.

7. Above the tracks

une gare au dessus des voies

Limoges station is rather unique in that it is built above the tracks and not along them like other stations. A 96 m by 70 m platform, laid perpendicularly, 7 metres above ten railway tracks. The project required over 10,000 m3 of concrete, 1,800 t of steel, 2,800 m3 of stone and 200 labourers.

8. 18 May 1929

The station was inaugurated on 2 July 1929 but the first train ticket was sold there at 6am on 18 May 1929. In 2019, Limoges-Bénédictins train station will blow out its 90 candles.

9. Cinematography

In 2008, Jean-Pierre Jeunet chose Limoges station to shoot the commercial for Chanel N°5 perfume: “Train de nuit”, starring French actress Audrey Tautou.

10. The fire

Dôme gare Limoges

Like Notre-Dame de Paris in 2019, Limoges station was almost destroyed by fire in 1998. The fire occurred in the dome which was being restored. It took over a year to rebuild it to its original design.

Bonus info

Did you know that Limoges train station has a song dedicated to it? “Limoges Opéra Rock”, the musical fresco, devotes a song to the station: “Limoges Bénédictins”.
Listen in, track 19

Tours of the station are organized by Limoges Tourist Office:
www.limoges-tourisme.com/
12 boulevard de Fleurus - 87000 Limoges
Telf. +33(0)5 55 34 46 87
info@limoges-tourisme.com

PRACTICAL INFO 

Office de Tourisme de Limoges, 12 boulevard de Fleurus, 87000 Limoges
+33(0)5 55 34 46 87

Limoges-Bénédictins train station  

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PRACTICAL INFO 

Office de Tourisme de Limoges, 12 boulevard de Fleurus, 87000 Limoges
+33(0)5 55 34 46 87

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Ferme des Barres - Highland Dairy and Meat Products

Sales of dairy products and highland beef. In organic conversion.

Products offered: plain and flavoured yoghurts, yoghurts with elderflowers, dessert creams, plain and flavoured tomme, Moelleux des Barres, Highland beef.

Les Barres 87330 NOUIC
- OT Pays du Haut Limousin -
- OT Pays du Haut Limousin -
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De Limoges à Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat en écomobilité

To be completed in two or 3 days, the route on the GR®4 and 654 variants, then on the main itineraries between Limoges and Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, will take you from Porcelaine to the land of cattle breeding and... raymond Poulidor!
The landscapes are varied, from the Vienne valley to plateaus and mountains approaching 400 m in altitude.
Limoges is well worth a visit, with its old quarters, its remarkable Benedictine railway station and its old bridges. The town of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat (collegiate church and ecomuseums) is an interesting stopover on the way to Santiago de Compostela. Along the way, Saint-Just-le-Martel also offers services, shops and accommodation.

This route is proposed by the Comité Régional de Randonnée Pédestre. Departing from a train station or TER bus stop, it allows you to join a walking or hiking itinerary, and take a stroll in ecomobility!

30 km
Medium
87000 LIMOGES
- FFRandonnée Nouvelle-Aquitaine -
- FFRandonnée Nouvelle-Aquitaine -
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SPL Terres de Limousin

11 rue François Chénieux 87000 LIMOGES
- SPL Terres de Limousin -
- SPL Terres de Limousin -
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Tèrra Aventura : Bon vent sur les Bords de Vienne

This trail allows you to discover the history and past traditions of the people of the bridges, and visit the banks of the Vienne, with its well-preserved banks and typical riverside flora and fauna. The aim: find a QR code with a mystery word after solving all the riddles using the app on your smartphone, and above all find a box full of poizs.

Rue du Port du Naveix 87000 LIMOGES
- OT Limoges Métropole -
- OT Limoges Métropole -
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The University's Law School

The 17th-century hotel of La Bastide is devoted to the University's Law School. For its renovation in 1996, the architect Massimilio Fuksas associated the initial structure with a contemporary one, where two lecture halls seem to be hanging.

32 rue Turgot 87000 LIMOGES
- OT Limoges Métropole -
- OT Limoges Métropole -
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The Casseaux Porcelain Kiln Museum

The Casseaux museum is home to the Casseaux porcelain kiln, built in 1904. Today, it is a historical and technical site dedicated to Limoges porcelain. This 19th-century industrial building tells the story of the evolution of porcelain-making and the hardships and successes involved in the quest to master fire.

The skills required in porcelain-making include preparing the clay, casting, calibrating, and baking (several times). Special tools, machines, and various utensils are on display in the museum. All of these elements are a reminder of the men and women who worked here, the importance of their skills, and above all, their struggle to master the kiln's flames, constantly striving to perfect their techniques.

The Casseaux Museum is an essential part of the vestiges of Limoges's porcelain saga. It is run by an association, created in the 1980s, by a group of manufacturers who were also history and heritage enthusiasts. It takes visitors on a journey back in time. The impressive 19th-century edifice is built on a historical site. Its architecture is remarkable and it is a true witness to the human and technical achievements involved in the history of the porcelain industry. The presence of old machinery adds to the museum's authentic atmosphere. Its "piece de resistance" is located in the center of the museum: the Casseaux porcelain kiln. The kiln was registered as a Historical Monument in 1987, for its ingenuity and the human symbol it represents. It is France's very last round reversed flame kiln. It was built in 1902 and baked its first porcelain pieces in 1904. It stopped being used in 1957. Its architecture is industrial and it has a capacity of 80 cubic meters. It could contain between 10.000 and 15.000 pieces per batch. The main issue involved in baking porcelain in this kiln was mastering fire: this is not surprising when you consider that each batch took almost a week to bake!

1 rue Victor Duruy 87000 LIMOGES
Du 01/01/2024 au 31/12/2024
- OT Limoges Métropole -
- OT Limoges Métropole -