Limoges

Administrative centre of the département of Haute-Vienne and of the Limousin region, central France, situated on the River Vienne, 175 km/109 mi northeast of Bordeaux; population (1990) 136,400. It is the centre of the modern French porcelain industry; other industries include shoes, textiles, electrical equipment, and metal goods. Fine enamels were made here as early as Merovingian times, and their production flourished in the 12th century. The city was sacked by the Black Prince, the eldest son of Edward III of England, in 1370. It has a university.

Features The city has Roman remains, including a fountain and an amphitheatre. Its cathedral is partly 13th-century, and the university, originally founded in 1808, was reopened in 1965. The Impressionist painter Renoir was born here in 1841. Hydroelectric power has been developed in the area. Following the discovery and mining of uranium in the Ambazac Hills to the north of the town, a large uranium processing plant has been built at Bessines.