The
Limousin is an area of upland pastures, forestry and
pure water, springing from the region itself or just
a little higher in the Massif Central. Waterfalls, springs
and fountains, rivers and streams, flow into the Loire
or South into the Garonne, irrigating the green fields
and bisecting woods and gorges.
Thirty one per cent of the ground is covered by trees,
oak, firs and chestnut. The departmental roads are studded
with piles of logs, neatly stacked waiting to be loaded
onto trucks which grunt through the countryside on their
way to the huge paper manufacturer, Aussedat Rey, to
timber yards, or more exotically to be turned into barrels
for brandy.
The abundance of these natural staples explains the
industries for which the region has made itself a name:
Limousin beef (still eaten confidently due to its natural
raising outdoors), wool, weaving and tapestry, oak barrel-making
and, from the pure kaolin supply, chinaware and enamelling.
The geology of the Limousin has always lent itself to
the extraction of minerals, even from Roman times who
had chain gangs extracting tin and lead.
 Coal,
copper and quartz have also been mined, but the most
significant discovery was that of kaolin at St. Yrieix-la-Perche
in the XVIII century. A fine white clay, kao-ling, first
used by the Chinese, can be fired at a high temperature
to produce a delightful soft, buttery feel and, when
decorated by the likes of Monet, Renoir (a local lad),
Cocteau and Dali, made the porcelain of Limoges world
famous. By the XIVc, Limoges was efficient enough to
get an order from Canterbury for an enamelled reliquary
for the swiftly sanctified St. Thomas a Becket.
The region's three departements, Creuse, Correze and
Haute Vienne, make ideal holiday destinations for those
in search of peace and quiet, and unspoilt scenery:
ramblers, riders, anglers, golfers, rock climbers, canoeists
and other watersports fans. Artists and art-lovers are
also drawn here for the same reasons and because the
Limousin has a serious share of museums dedicated to
all epochs of art including the most contemporary. |
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