Limoges

Limoges, capital city of the Haute Vienne and of the Limousin Region, is the first economic and demographic point in the Atlantic Centre West of France. The city has a population of 140 000 inhabitants and its urban area has a total of 248 000 persons. For more than two centuries, Limoges has been known all over the world for fire crafts, among which the porcelain masterpieces it creates. Limoges today is an international centre for skills and research in technical ceramics. What was a humble matter has become a high tech material. The European Ceramics Center brings together all the elements involved in the field of ceramics. Through a wide variety of exhibitions and sites dedicated to fire crafts, Limoges has succeeded in using its industrial heritage to develop a high quality touristic offer. It has recently received the prestigious award of “City of Art and History”. Website :

Limoges faces major challenges related to the consequences of international competition, which has impacted on various sectors of Limoges’ industries (as ceramics and textiles). The problem of competitiveness revealed by severe jobs loss underlines structural handicaps partly due to a lack of anticipation, a failure of common work, and insufficient strategic management.

The main challenge for Limoges, in its transition to a global knowledge economy, is :
“to build on the ongoing experience of the Ceramics Pole and the European Centre of Ceramics (in achieving process) by consolidating its position as a lead city, in research, innovation and industrial development”.