Gare de Limoges Bénédictins

Infobox France station
name=Limoges-Bénédictins

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Services=TER Limousin
Opened=16 June 1856
Region=Limousin
Department=Haute-Vienne
Commune=Limoges

Limoges-Bénédictins is the main railway station of Limoges. It was named Bénédictins due to the presence of a Benedictin monastery closed during the French Revolution.

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. 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 m 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.

At the southwest corner is a 60 m tall clocktower, comprised of 12 levels. It is mounted by a dome itself mounted by a 5m tall vase. Below these are four 4 m wide clocks.

External links

*fr icon [http://www.lebuffetdelimoges.com/historique.htm Details and information of the station.]
*fr icon [http://grizzli.beat.free.fr/limoges/noeud.htm Photos of the station.]