Situated on the first western foothills of the Massif Central , Limoges is crossed by the river Vienne , of which it was originally the first ford crossing point. The second most populated town in the New Aquitaine region after Bordeaux , a university town , an administrative centre and intermediate services with all the facilities of a regional metropolis, it has an urban area of , inhabitants in During the Middle Ages Limoges became a large city, strongly marked by the cultural influence of the Abbey of Saint-Martial , where the Dukes of Aquitaine were invested and crowned.
From the 12th century onwards, its enamels were exported throughout the Christian world. In , during the industrial revolution, the discovery of a deposit of kaolin in the Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche region enabled the development of the Limoges porcelain industry. It is sometimes nicknamed "the red city" or "the Rome of socialism" because of its tradition of voting on the left and the workers' events it experienced from the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century.
Since the s, the city has had a basketball club, Limoges CSP , which has won several French championships and the European championship in Because of its heritage policy, it has held the label "City of Art and History" since Economic activities include butchering , electrical equipment for the building industry , and luxury goods. It is home to porcelain houses and art workshops working with enamel or stained glass. Scarce remains of pre-urban settlements have been found in the area of Limoges.
The city proper was founded as Augustoritum by the Romans , around 10 BC: "rito-" is Gaulish for " ford ". The foundation was part of the reorganization of the province by the emperor Augustus , hence the new name. The Roman city included an amphitheatre measuring x metres, a theatre, a forum , baths and several sanctuaries. According to tradition, a temple consecrated to Venus , Diana , Minerva and Jupiter was located near the modern cathedral.
The city was on the typical Roman square plan, with two main streets crossing in the centre. It had a Senate and a currency of its own, a sign of its importance in the imperial age. Later, like many towns and cities in Gaul, it was renamed after the tribe here the Lemovices whose chief town it was; "Lemovices" subsequently evolved into "Limoges", and "Lemovicinus" for the area around changed into " Limousin ". Limoges was evangelized by Saint Martial , who came to the city around with two companions, Alpinianus and Austriclinienus.
