Haute-Vienne

Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. It is one of three departments which together, constitute the French region of Limousin. The chief and largest city of the Haute-Vienne is Limoges. All other towns in the department have less than 20,000 inhabitants. The source of the Charente River is in the department, near Rochechouart.The neighboring departments are: Creuse, Corrèze, Dordogne, Charente, Vienne, Indre.

Forest, lakes and countryside continue to attract tourists to the Haute-Vienne who enjoy a range of activities including walking, fishing, sailing, boating and skiing. The countryside is hilly and wooded, ideal for the famous Limousin breed of cattle.

Haute-Vienne is proud of its cultural & historical heritage with well preserved abbeys & Roman churches (Soulignac & Chateauponsac), fortified castles (Chalus & Montbrun). Limoges is the department's capital and has long been famous for its enamel and fine china production.

Places to go:

• Porcelain at Limoges - for a demonstration on how to produce some of the finest porcelain, head to the Bernardaud porcelain factory.
• History of Enamel at Limoges - the Musee National Adrien-Dubouche charts the history of enamel from early Greek & Chinese works to the present day.
• A day out to Solignac - a pretty medieval village with an impressive granite church. From here, take the Sentier de la Briance to discover the surrounding forested countryside.
• WWII memorial at Oradour-sur-Glane - a moving memorial where a 1944 massacre took place.