The Region of France known as the Limousin is located in the centre of France, North West of the mountainous area of the Massif Central.The Region of Limousin is formed from three departments, Correze, Creuse and Haute Vienne.
It is one of the most rural regions in France and is perfect for anyone wanting tranquility and remote, unspoiled landscapes. The area is littered with ancient churches, castles and villages creating a timeless feel that transports you to another era. Although peaceful there is plenty to do satisfying even the for most active, with numerous rivers and lakes making it an excellent area for fishing, canoeing, kayaking, sailing and fishing as well as a myriad of other outdoor activities.
Findings from archeological digs suggest that man first settled in the region from 150,000BC at Chalucet in the Haute Vienne and at Crozant in the Creuse.
During Roman times the general area that is now known as the Limousin was predominantly inhabited by a Gallic tribe known as the Lemovices.
This is believed to be the origin of the Limousin as we know it today as well as the word from which Limousin is derived.
As with the rest of Europe lands were gained and lost throughout history as different lords and nobleman battled and gained control.
The Limousin region saw particularly heavy fighting during the 100
year war (1337-1453) with the English and French winning and losing
different areas of the region throughout that period.
By 1790 the region was known as Plateaux Limousin with the city of Limoges firmly defined as the heart of the region. Limoges had long since been recognised as a place of learning with the St Martial monastery producing incredible manuscripts and enamelling. The present region is a very similar territory to that found in the province of that time.
Throughout the centuries the area we now know as the Limousin has been mined for gold, copper, quartz and uranium . The discovery most influential on the areas economy was however kaolin. Kaolin is a It is a soft, earthy, usually white mineral clay. In many parts of the world, it is colored pink-orange-red by iron oxidecausing a rust couloring. Lighter concentrations yield white, yellow or light orange colours. The source discovered in the Limousin was a paricularly fine and pure white from which the regions a vast industry of quality white porcelaine toa fine and malleable white clay, discovered in the eighteenth Century and used to make the world renowned Limoges porcelain
The Limousin has seen much change over the last 100 years, it's people suffered terrible loss in both World wars. It was the main activity point of the French resistance in WW11 and paid a heavy toll in loss of life, culminating in the massacre of the entire population of Oradour-sur-Glane in 1944. You can still visit the village, which has been turned into a national memorial.
The region as a whole is sparsely populated with an ageing population. Recent years have brought a slow turnaround in the regions fortunes with more young families choosing to move to the countryside, notably many British and Dutch families, drawn by the promise of a more simplistic lifestyle with old fashioned values and of course extremely attractive property prices.
Many of the older residents speak the Limousin language which is a dialect of the Occitan language with several variations present in the region Lemosi/Limousin Languedocien (Quercynois) Auvergnat Marchois, an often overlooked dialect of Occitan.
Anyone who has spent time chatting to local farmers will most certainly have come across one of these seemingly impenetrable patois languages.
The economy of the region is predominantly rural with many local paysan farmers living an entirely subsistence existence (N.B. the term paysan or peasant suggests poverty however in France the term is used for farmers working the land or "pays" and does not have the poor connotations associated with the word as used in the UK)
Limousin life is very different to the one most people live in the the UK. pollution, traffic noise, stress and crime, are all rare in this rolling landscape. Although many places are remote, each town has the necessary shops and markets for most provisions.Those who have made Limousin their home know the peace and tranquility that the beautiful countryside and fresh clean air can bring......
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