Uzerche

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uzerche

Coat of arms
Uzerche
Coordinates: 45°25′32″N 1°33′51″E / 45.4256°N 1.5642°E / 45.4256; 1.5642Coordinates: 45°25′32″N 1°33′51″E / 45.4256°N 1.5642°E / 45.4256; 1.5642
Country France
Region Limousin
Department Corrèze
Arrondissement Tulle
Canton Uzerche
Intercommunality Pays d'Uzerche
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Sophie Dessus
Area
 • Land1 23.85 km2 (9.21 sq mi)
Population (2008)
 • Population2 3,187
 • Population2 Density 130/km2 (350/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 19276 / 19140
Elevation 270–441 m (886–1,447 ft)
(avg. 333 m or 1,093 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.
Abbey church of St Peter and St Andrew at Uzerche, consecrated 1097.

Uzerche (Usercha in Occitan) is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Limousin region of central France.

In 1787, the English writer Arthur Young described the city as "The Pearl of the Limousin," nicknamed because of its picturesque setting, and a name by which it is still widely known today. Built atop a rocky outcrop, surrounded by a meander of the river Vézère which it dominates, Uzerche possesses a rich cultural heritage. First as a centre of influence and an important crossroads fortress under Pepin the Short, the city was also the seat of a powerful abbey and later a Seneschal. This legacy means that Uzerche features castles, hotels and other buildings marked by turrets [1] that were built by the uzerchoise nobility and that can still be seen today, thereby, adding weight to the saying, "He who has an Uzerche house has a castle in the Limousin [2].

Location

Uzerche is a hill town, built on a deeply incised meander of the Vézère River. As such, it is a natural citadel. Uzerche is located a few kilometres beyond the western edge of the Plateau de Millevaches. Situated directly on one of France's main north-south routes historically, it is now by-passed to the west by the A20 autoroute.

History

Uzerche's history as a fortified town began in the late Roman period. According to legend, Uzerche was evangelised by Saint Martial, the first bishop of Limoges. It remained an important citadel and ecclesiastical centre throughout the Merovingian and Carolingian periods.

A Benedictine abbey was founded in the 9th century. In the 11th century, a major Romanesque abbey church was constructed at the summit of the town. It was consecrated in 1097. With some Gothic additions, this constitutes the abbatiale Saint-Pierre or Abbey Church of St Peter, which commands all views of the town to this day.

As a major route junction and market town, Uzerche continued to grow throughout the medieval period. It became the seat of a royal seneschal and the recognised capital of the lower Limousin.

The mid-18th century saw the construction across the river of a notable bridge, the Pont Turgot, the main approach to the town today. In 1855, a major tunnel improved access along the main north-south route, later the RN20. The arrival of the railway in the late 19th century resulted in the construction of large viaducts and tunnels, some of which have since become redundant and form footpaths from which to view the town.

Another major product of the period is the town's old lycée or grammar school, which was built deliberately alongside the abbey church, in a commanding position above the river, symbolically challenging the old clerical order in the town.

The town today retains a large number of medieval and early modern buildings, all dominated by the ancient abbey, with the school and the mairie, arranged around a steeply sloping square, now named the Place de la Libération. It has seen a rapid growth in tourism in recent years.

Localisation

Uzerche is found in the central west area of France, nestling to the west of the Massif central mountain region. The village is sited next to the Autoroute 20 motorway heading for the «l'Occitane», and connects Uzerche to the Préfecture of Tulle with Uzerche being located some 35 km to the north of Brive-la-Gaillarde, the prettiest town in the Department of the Corrèze Uzerche is fed by two rivers, the Bradascou and the Vézère [1] · ,[2] which have as their starting source the Tourbière du Longéroux in the plateau de Millevaches and end where it joins the Dordogne.

Population

Historical population
Year Pop.  ±%  
1793 1,900—    
1800 1,808−4.8%
1806 1,942+7.4%
1821 2,102+8.2%
1831 3,214+52.9%
1836 3,223+0.3%
1841 3,217−0.2%
1846 3,415+6.2%
1851 3,428+0.4%
1856 3,324−3.0%
1861 3,180−4.3%
1866 3,221+1.3%
1872 3,022−6.2%
1876 2,982−1.3%
1881 3,019+1.2%
1886 3,228+6.9%
1891 3,351+3.8%
1896 3,222−3.8%
1901 3,126−3.0%
1906 3,173+1.5%
1911 3,175+0.1%
1921 2,900−8.7%
1926 3,030+4.5%
1931 3,163+4.4%
1936 3,201+1.2%
1946 3,575+11.7%
1954 3,536−1.1%
1962 3,316−6.2%
1968 3,314−0.1%
1975 3,091−6.7%
1982 3,097+0.2%
1990 2,813−9.2%
1999 3,058+8.7%
2008 3,187+4.2%

Agriculture

Limousine cow

Between 1988 and 2000, 20 farms disappeared, raising the total to around 43 during this period. Of these, some 33 owners out of the 43 had set up as bovine livestock farmers back in 1988 [note 1], this was down to 17 in 2000. The number of head of cattle, which was 2,641 in 1988 fell to no more than 1,710 by 2000 [1]. In 2000, most agriculture was largely dedicated to raising animals, with 80% bovine cattle and some 10% other animals. the fruit and vegetable field crops made up little more than 5% of the total agriculture area.[3]

Personalities

  • Famous Uzerchois

  • Alexis Boyer

  • Jean Baptiste Léonard Durand
    (on French wiki)
  • Henri Joseph Brugère
    (on French wiki)
  • Henri Cueco
    (on French wiki)
  • Gaucelm Faidit (Around 1150- to 1205) - one of history's most prolific troubadours, born in Uzerche.
  • François de Grenaille (1616–1680) - writer born in Uzerche.
  • Guillaume Grivel (1735–1810) - writer and lawyer born in Uzerche.[4]
  • Alexis Boyer (1737–1833) - Doctor and anatomist born in Uzerche.
  • Jean Baptiste Léonard Durand (1742–1812) - Administrator and ex-Director of the Compagnie du Sénégal, born in Uzerche.[citation needed]
  • Félicité de Genlis (1746–1830) - Woman of letters, she ran a woman's hostel in Uzerche from 1782. The action in her novel Olympe et Théophile takes place in the Chateau de Puy-Grolier where she lived.[5]
  • Henri Joseph Brugère (1841–1918) - General born in Uzerche.[6]
  • Louis Rollin (1879–1952) - Politician born in Uzerche.[7]
  • Simone de Beauvoir (1908–1986) - Philosopher, novelist, épistolière, mémorialiste and essayist. During her youth she spent her summer holidays not far from Uzerche at Saint-Ybard, in Merignac a village started by her great-grandfather Ernest de Beauvoir about 1880. The land had been bought by her great-grandmother Narcisse Bertrand de Beauvoir at the start of the 19th century. It is possible to see the influence of this happy period of her life with the companionship of her sister Hélène in her book Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée. On May 24, 2008, the town celebrated the centenary of the writer's birth.[8]
  • Henri Cueco (1929) - painter, artist and writer born in Uzerche.[citation needed]
  • Patrick Dumas (1953) - cartoonist, born in Uzerche.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ↑ (French) Mesures de la station d'Uzerche - Préfecture de la Dordogne (service de prévisions des crues du bassin de la Dordogne)
  2. ↑ (French) Caractéristiques de la station hydrométrique d'Uzerche
  3. ↑ Source : AGRESTE, recensement agricole 2000 (French) Site de l'AGRESTE
  4. ↑ Antoine-Vincent Arnaul et al, Biographie nouvelle des contemporains, p.338, Grivel (Guillaume) at Google Books, accessed 15 December 2013.
  5. ↑ (French) Parcours du patrimoine de la ville d'Uzerche en ligne (document pdf)
  6. ↑ Henri Joseph BRUGERE at geneanet.org, accessed 15 December 2013
  7. ↑ Louis Marie Joseph Etienne ROLLIN at official website of Assemblée nationale, accessed 15 December 2013
  8. ↑ (French) Vidéo sur CorrèzeTV

Gallery

  • View over Uzerche.

  • Abbey St Pierre

  • river flowing into Uzerche from the south.

  • View across Vézère river from city wall, with viaduct clearly visible

  • The double-sided altar in the abbey church, 18th century

  • Pentagonal apse, in characteristic Limousin style, abbey church.

  • Decorative panel in Uzerche abbey church, depicting bishop (possible Saint Martial) and apostles. 17th century.

  • The old lycée or grammar school building, a landmark in secularization when it was built.

  • Crypt of the abbey church

  • Tour du Prince Noir

  • La Chapelle de l'Hospice

  • l'Hospice

  • Library

  • Maison de Tayac

  • Maison de Tayac with garden

  • House in style 'à pans de bois'

  • Hôtel Bécharie

  • Hôtel Bécharie from the Vézère

  • Hôtel des Joyet de Maubec

  • Hôtel des Joyet de Maubec with chapelle (left)

  • Maison Boyer-Chammard

  • Château Pontier

  • Rue Jean-Gentet

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uzerche.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.