Prefecture building

The prefecture, in Limoges

The prefecture of Limoges is an imposing building with a fine façade, conceived in the shape of an irregular pentagon around an interior courtyard. The Limoges audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this seat of the State in the department, one of the most remarkable official buildings of the town.

The seat of the State in the department

Turning round for a moment, you discover the fine façade that faces us. Conceived in the shape of an irregular pentagon, surrounding an interior courtyard, the prefecture is one of the most remarkable buildings of Limoges. This official building is the seat of the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne, that is to say the representation of the State in the department, where the prefect resides and works, a high official who embodies the authority of the State at the local level and watches over the application of the laws and the national policies. Built in the nineteenth century, at a time when the Republic endowed its towns with official buildings worthy of their function, the prefecture presents an elegant and monumental architecture, in the official style of the era, marked by order, symmetry and solemnity. Its fine façade, orderly and ornate, and its organisation around an interior courtyard make of it a building of state, up to the importance of the institution. The prefecture testifies to the administrative and political role of Limoges, a great town and capital of department and region. With its careful architecture, it is a major element of the official heritage of the town. An official building and a seat of the State, the prefecture is a fine stop of the discovery of Limoges.

What to see

You admire the imposing building with a fine façade, conceived in the shape of an irregular pentagon around an interior courtyard, one of the most remarkable buildings of Limoges; seat of the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne and representation of the State in the department, built in the nineteenth century in the elegant and solemn official style of the era, it testifies to the administrative role of the town. The prefecture is an official building of Limoges. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The prefecture lies in the heart of Limoges, reachable on foot. You admire its façade from outside; it is an official building whose interior access is restricted and follows its own conditions. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

What is the prefecture of Limoges?

An imposing building with a fine façade, conceived in the shape of an irregular pentagon around an interior courtyard, one of the most remarkable buildings of the town; seat of the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne, where the prefect resides and works, representative of the State in the department, it was built in the nineteenth century in the elegant and solemn official style of the era.

Where is the prefecture in Limoges?

In the heart of Limoges, in France.