Limoges
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City Hall
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 Limoges
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Location within Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Limoges
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| Coordinates: 45°50′07″N 1°15′45″E / 45.8353°N 1.2625°ECoordinates: 45°50′07″N 1°15′45″E / 45.8353°N 1.2625°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| Department | Haute-Vienne | |
| Arrondissement | Limoges | |
| Canton | Chief town of 16 cantons | |
| Intercommunality | Limoges Métropole | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2014–) | Emile-Roger Lombertie | |
| Area1 | 77.45 km2 (29.90 sq mi) | |
| Population (2006)2 | 139,026 | |
| • Density | 1,800/km2 (4,600/sq mi) | |
| • Metro (2011) | 282,876 | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 87085 / 87000 | |
| Elevation | 209–431 m (686–1,414 ft) (avg. 294 m or 965 ft) |
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| Website | http://www.ville-limoges.fr/ | |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Limoges (/lɪˈmoʊʒ/;French pronunciation: [li.mɔʒ];Occitan: Lemòtges or Limòtges [liˈmɔdʒes]) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin in west-central France.
Limoges is known for its medieval and Renaissance enamels (Limoges enamels) on copper, for its 19th-century porcelain (Limoges porcelain) and for its oak barrels which are used for Cognac and Bordeaux production. Some are even exported to wineries in California.
Scarce remains of pre-urban settlements have been found in the area of Limoges. The capital of the Gaulish people of the Lemovices, who lived in the area, was probably either near Villejoubert, some kilometres south-east of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, or St Gence, just west of Limoges.
The city proper was founded as Augustoritum by the Romans, around 10 BC: "rito-" is Gaulish for "ford". The foundation was part of the reorganization of the province by the emperor Augustus, hence the new name. The Roman city included an amphitheatre measuring 136 x 115 metres, a theatre, a forum, baths and several sanctuaries. According to tradition, a temple consecrated to Venus, Diana, Minerva and Jupiter was located near the modern cathedral. The city was on the typical Roman square plan, with two main streets crossing in the centre. It had a Senate and a currency of its own, a sign of its importance in the imperial age. Later, like many towns and cities in Gaul, it was renamed after the tribe (here the Lemovices) whose chief town it was; "Lemovices" subsequently evolved into "Limoges", and "Lemovicinus" for the area around changed into "Limousin".
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Wikipedia