Gare de Limoges Bénédictins
Encyclopedia
Limoges-Bénédictins is the main railway station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

 of Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....

. It is situated on the Orléans–Montauban railway
Orléans–Montauban railway
The railway from Orléans to Montauban is an important French 544-kilometre long railway line, that connects Orléans and northern France to Montauban and southern France via Limoges...

. It was named Bénédictins due to the presence of a Benedictin monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

 closed during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

.

History

The CF du PO opened the first railway line in the city in the 1850s. The first station, built of wood, opened on 16 June 1856. The first stone-built station opened in 1860.

On 21 November 1918, the Limoges city council and CF du PO signed an agreement regarding the construction of a new station. Work lasted from 1924 and 1929. The station was inaugurated on 2 July 1929.

The station was listed on 15 January 1975 and work to restore the Great Hall ended in 1979.

About 13:20 on 5 February 1998, a fire broke out under the station's dome. The city's population was deeply touched and the dome was rebuilt to its original design.

Architecture

Bénédictins station was designed by architect Roger Gonthier
Roger Gonthier
Roger Gonthier was a French architect, whose major works were in Limoges, France. He worked within the Compagnie du Paris-Orléans architectural practice....

. A particularity of the station is that it was built over the ten railway lines as opposed to next to them. A large 90 by 78 metre platform was built over the line to support the station building.

The building is made of a concrete bone structure, filled in with limestone. The dome which covers the passenger concourse is made of a metallic framework, covered in copper.

On the Southwest corner is a 60 metre tall clock tower composed of twelve levels. It is mounted by a dome itself mounted by a five metre tall vase. Below these are four four metre wide clocks.

Services

The following services currently call at Limoges-Bénédictins:
  • intercity services (Téoz) Paris - Vierzon - Limoges - Toulouse - Narbonne - Cerbère
  • intercity services (Intercités) Bordeaux - Périgueux - Limoges - Montluçon - Roanne - Lyon
  • night service (Lunéa) Paris - Limoges - Portbou/Latour-de-Carol/Luchon
  • local service (TER Limousin) Limoges - Thiviers - Périgueux
  • local service (TER Limousin) Limoges - Saint-Yrieix - Brive-la-Gaillarde
  • local service (TER Limousin) Limoges - Uzerche - Brive-la-Gaillarde
  • local service (TER Limousin) Limoges - Ussel - Clermont-Ferrand


External links

Details and information of the station. Photos of the station.
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