Place des Bancs

The Place des Bancs, in Limoges

The Place des Bancs is a former commercial crossroads of old Limoges, whose origins go back to Antiquity, where a market was formerly held. The Limoges audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this picturesque square, merchant heart of the town since the Middle Ages, lined with old houses.

The merchant crossroads since Antiquity

Here we are on the Place des Bancs, one of the oldest and most lively places of old Limoges. Its history goes back very far, to the Roman era, where this sector was already a place of market. Over the centuries, and particularly from the thirteenth century, the square imposed itself as a great commercial crossroads of the town, where merchants and craftsmen crossed. Its very name of Place des Bancs comes from the benches, these wooden stalls on which the merchants displayed their goods, that formerly occupied the space on market days. In the heart of the merchant district, near the famous Rue de la Boucherie and the market hall, it was one of the economic lungs of the town. Still today, the Place des Bancs has kept its picturesque charm, with its old houses, some half-timbered, and its lively atmosphere of a commercial and popular district. Lined with shops, cafés and restaurants, it invites to strolling and offers a fine testimony of medieval Limoges and of its long merchant tradition. With its thousand-year-old past and its preserved setting, it is one of the emblematic places of the historic centre. An old square and a merchant crossroads, the Place des Bancs is a fine stop of the discovery of Limoges.

What to see

Here you discover one of the oldest places of old Limoges, a market since the Roman era and a great commercial crossroads from the thirteenth century, whose name comes from the benches where the merchants displayed their goods; the square has kept its picturesque charm, with its old houses, some half-timbered, and its lively atmosphere of a commercial district. The Place des Bancs is a merchant crossroads of Limoges. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place des Bancs lies in the heart of old Limoges, in the merchant district, reachable on foot. It is a freely accessible public square, lined with shops, cafés and restaurants. You discover it during a walk in the historic centre.

Where does the name of the Place des Bancs come from in Limoges?

From the benches, these wooden stalls on which the merchants displayed their goods on market days; a place of market since the Roman era and a great commercial crossroads from the thirteenth century, the square has kept its picturesque charm, with its old houses, some half-timbered.

Where is the Place des Bancs in Limoges?

In the heart of old Limoges, in the merchant district, in France.