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Limoges – Pont Saint-Martial

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

One of the most beautiful pieces of medieval architecture still remaining in Limoges is the Pont Saint-Martial, which crossed the Vienne river. The stone bridge dates to 1215 and it replaces a much earlier Gallo-Roman bridge. Sadly this was torn down on the orders of King Henry II, showing just what a long history of trouble making there has been between France and England. All now resolved of course….

A view down the river of what I think is the Pont Neuf bridge.

A view from the bridge, which today carries only pedestrians and cyclists.

The bridge is one of the few crossing points for pedestrians over the river in this area, although it’s a rather lovely walk along the river bank.

There’s a photo on the river bank of what the bridge used to look like. Which is pretty much what it looks like now….

The bridge became a listed historic monument in 1908, and it’s sort of noticeable from the photo how different the lengths of span are along the structure.

July 29, 2025
Limoges – Chapelle Saint-Aurélien

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

I visited the Rue de la Boucherie earlier in the week, but this chapel wasn’t open at the time. It was originally constructed in the fifteenth century to replace an earlier church nearby, which has long been lost under other buildings. It was later closed down during the French Revolution, and purchased by the guild of butchers.

The church is small, evident by that I’m actually standing in the entrance to the building to take this photo. It’s brighter than the photo suggests, although it still feels an intimate place of worship.

The altar, which is where the historic relics owned by the church are kept for safety.

Above are two of the statues in the church.

A photo taken looking back towards the entrance, with the spiral staircase on the right and the balcony above.

July 29, 2025
Limoges – Église Saint Pierre (St. Peter’s Church)

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but reposted it in July 2025 to fix the broken image links]

This is one of the two churches in the central part of the city, and it’s a colourful and, to me, confusing building. The cathedral is wider than the nave is long, so the internal structure feels rather different to the usual layout. Looking at an overhead photo of the cathedral, the standard church design is visible, but the aisles have just been made particularly substantial.

The church was mostly constructed between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries in the Gothic style.

The organ at the end of the nave.

The nave cuts across the centre of this photo, with the pulpit visible on the right.

Jean Baptiste Hippolyte Delor, a local church official in the nineteenth century.

Some of the beautiful stained glass in the church. Unfortunately, since I didn’t bring my camera on this trip, the colours aren’t very vibrant in these photos.

A very beautiful church with numerous paintings, statues and decorative items which are on display. It feels much less of a touristy location than the other church and the cathedral in Limoges, making it harder for me to get an understanding of the building.

July 29, 2025
Limoges – Limoges Library

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

The rather beautiful Limoges library and despite the open plan nature of the building, it’s quiet and peaceful with a real feeling of space.

This is what irritates me slightly, seeing libraries overseas which are much better than those in the UK. Norwich library is one of the worst libraries I’ve experienced, it’s usually full of people shouting, there are usually examples of how users have evaded the filters on library computers and there are rarely chairs available. So, on that last point, Limoges library has no issues with having space for users.

There is a relatively large section of English books, as well a reference section for English books. In addition, there are many books in German and other languages, which is something that I haven’t seen from Norfolk Library Service.

Although of little interest to me, the music and DVD section was substantial, and was stretched across the top floor of the building. It was all neatly presented and everything seemed to be in a coherent alphabetical order.

But most of all, so many lovely books!

There was also a little exhibition that had been put together in the foyer area. It’s explaining how books are preserved.

Sometimes covers need replacing, or the book putting in a box, although mould in vellum covers is far more challenging. Having listened to the conservators at Norfolk Record Office, it is though something which can be achieved with some excellent results.

Books in need of repair.

This display was just showing the types of repair that were needed, from pasting a page back in to ensuring that the covers are secured.

July 29, 2025
Leipzig – Stadtgeschichtliches Museum (Paintings of Catharina Margarethe and Amy Dumont)

These two splendid individuals are Any Dumont and Catharina Margarethe, painted by Samuel Beck (1715-1778) in 1767. Amy Dumont, on the left, was a banker and iron wholesaler who evidently did well for himself financially. His ancestor Philippe Dumont was a founding member of Leipzig’s Reformed congregation in 1700, the family having settled in Leipzig as Huguenot refugees where they had been made welcome by the Germans who rather appreciated their skills. Catharina Margarethe, on the right, appears to be holding either a fan or an aggressively bound opera programme, either of which I could have done with in the city as it was far too hot. Her outfit is all muted finery and cautious lace, the clothing which must have been a nightmare to paint.

The paintings were donated to the museum in 2017 by members of the family who later became to be important figures in Leipzig in the nineteenth century, the couple’s daughters having married into the Melly and Thieriot families. The element that intrigued me the most here is just how welcome the Huguenot families were made, they were given special privileges because of their skills which were thought to bring an economic boost to the region. The same happened in Norwich, where large numbers came, with the city again offering a friendly welcome. I think it’s fair to say that migrants aren’t always treated with such reverence….

July 29, 2025
Leipzig – Stadtgeschichtliches Museum (Transporting Books in Barrels)

I’ve never really given much thought to this, but apparently this was once the way that books were transported about the place before thousands of Amazon Prime vans scuttled around the country. The printed sheets would be placed in barrels which would be filled with dry straw to prevent moisture getting in. Then, the lucky book buyer could get the book bound themselves in the style which they liked. The museum notes that the city was the main centre of German book trading in the eighteenth century, surpassing even Frankfurt. I can only imagine the competitive fury that must have ignited between the printers, each trying to out-barrel the other.

July 29, 2025
Limoges – Santiago de Compostela

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

Limoges is on the route of the pilgrim route that is known as Santiago de Compostela, a path which has become much more popular in recent years. I hope to do some of this path in 2019, but for a much shorter distance than the expedition that some pilgrims, and walkers, take.

The route of the camino is marked with scallop shells and there are many of these on the streets of Limoges. The French word for scallop is ‘Coquille Saint Jacques’, it is thought because pilgrims used to collect the shells towards the end of their pilgrimage.

There’s more information about the Vezelay Way, which goes through Limoges, at https://www.caminoways.com/introduction-to-the-vezelay-way.

July 28, 2025
Limoges – Gare de Limoges-Bénédictins (Railway Station)

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix some broken image links]

I always like visiting railway stations, just to see the array of food options they have, and of course to check the design and heritage of the building. My first impressions of approaching this railway station were positive because it looks different and interesting, although I had to climb a lot of steps to get to it, which wasn’t ideal given the hot weather (I may have mentioned that it’s too hot). The tracks for the station are underneath the concourse, so the station itself is elevated to a higher level, and hence the steps.

The side view of the city’s railway station, which is an interesting mix of architectural styles and designs. The current building dates to the 1920s, although there has been a station on this site since 1856. It takes its name from the Benedictine monastery that was located here but which was seized and closed down during the French Revolution.

The large central dome of the railway station giving it an airy and bright feel.

A photo of the grand interior, and another from the 1920s when the railway station opened. I should have had the foresight to find the original photo first before taking my one, then I could have taken them from the wrong place. But I didn’t, so they’re from different angles.

The information board, with the various destinations which are served, including Paris. Personally I think the prices for walk-up fares are too expensive for local journeys, but there are cheaper fares for longer distance journeys if pre-booked.

The railway station is known for its Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs, and the tower is one of the city’s landmarks. However, this was badly damaged in 1998 when some maintenance work went a bit wrong and they set fire to it.

The clocks on the main tower were also reportedly set two minutes in advance for some considerable time, an aid to ensure that passengers had a little more time than they might have thought. A clever trick, but they no longer offer this service to passengers….

The name of the railway station is clearly visible in stone above the central arch of the frontage.

There were once different section for departing and arriving passengers, although these entrances are no longer used.

Some decorative elements to the architecture. It’s certainly a beautiful and grand building, although the main restaurant is currently being closed down and I’m not sure what’s replacing it. At the moment there are what appear to be endless vending machines across the concourse, although these are clearly well used.

There is insufficient seating for the number of passengers using the station, or certainly, there was when I’ve walked in. It’s not the most functional of railway stations in that regard, but the signage all looked clear. There is apparently still a tunnel underneath the concourse, although now blocked off at one end, which was used by the Germans during the Second World War.

July 28, 2025
Limoges – French Resistance Museum

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

Limoges has a museum which is dedicated to the history of the French resistance during the Second World War, so a visit here was essential for me. This was part of the free entry on the first Sunday of the month arrangement which Limoges has, which was most agreeable.

I’m not normally one for audio guides, but as I knew the entire exhibition was in French, I thought it’d be useful. It cost €2, but since entrance was free of charge, I considered that a reasonable deal. The audio guide proved really useful, the numbering system was clear to follow throughout and I would have missed out if I hadn’t have got it.

A map of the French defences in Limoges towards the beginning of the Second World War.

The next section of the museum explains how the French Government split into wanting to enter into negotiations with Germany, and those who wanted to fight to defend the country. The end result was the free zone of France and the occupied zone, with the former being known as Vichy France, led by Philippe Pétain.

This poster was produced by Charles de Gaulle and encouraged French to stand up and fight for the country. At the time the French Government, known as the government in exile, was based in London and most of the posters were distributed in England.

The agreement that Philippe Pétain made to keep part of France free is now seen as highly controversial. Philippe Pétain was imprisoned for treason after the end of the Second World War, and narrowly avoided execution. One of the concessions made by Pétain was to enact anti-Jewish legislation, and the above photo is one French Jew who was sent to a concentration camp.

The political situation in France was inevitably very difficult to justify to the people, so there was a poster campaign to try and defend the regime. One way of doing that was to present the conflict as being a combined one against the spreading of communism from the Soviet Union.

There were numerous photos of members of the French resistance, who sought to bring down the German military forces.

Members of the French resistance were for a long time not part of a unified group, although they had a similar aim of wanting the liberation of France. They presented a real challenge to the German military, whether by attacking troops or damaging military infra-structure.

Many French men were forced by legislation to go and work in Germany for the war effort. Some of them were sent to concentration camps to do that, with nearly 10,000 Soviet and French slaves worked at the Buchenwald concentration camp.

This German plane was brought down by fire in 1944 at the town of Jumeau-le-Grand. It was placed on public display for some time, before being restored and brought to the museum when it opened in the 1980s. To do that, they had to bring it in through the roof. The second photo is of the inside of the aircraft, where the pilot once sat.

Overall, this museum took me around two hours to go through, and even though it was free of charge, there was only one other visitor. The displays were laid out chronologically and gave a really useful history of the work of the French resistance and the wider political system with which they to operate within.

July 28, 2025
Leipzig – Stadtgeschichtliches Museum (Swearing Oath on a Bible)

This Bible was printed in Leipzig in 1605 and there’s some impressive gold-working (or whatever the technical term is) undertaken here by the city’s goldsmiths. But, impressive as the Bible might be, the element that surprised and delighted me the most was knowing that generations of council members swore their solemn oath of office on this book, pledging to help everyone in the city regardless of whether they were rich or poor.

There is another Bible, published in 1597, that is near identical and was by Leipzig’s two most important goldsmiths, Hans Reinhart the Younger and Elias Geyer, and an early city chronicler, Johann Jacob Vogel (1660-1729), mentioned that they were made in quick succession, one for the judges and one for the council members. Both Bibles are hugely important as previously the council members had sworn on Catholic relics, meaning that it took them half a century for them to swear on a Lutheran Bible, making this something of a public declaration of Protestantism.

July 28, 2025