Team a great quality of life with a central location near gems such as Limoges with very affordable property prices, and you have Uzerche, says Carolyn Reynier
Qui a maison à Uzerche a château en Limousin” – so goes the old saying, but what could your budget buy in this old fortified town? One of the Plus Beaux Détours de France, Uzerche sits up on a rocky spur in a meander of the Vézère river. Its rich medieval architectural heritage is built around the 11thcentury Romanesque abbatial church of St-Pierre. Bristling with towers and awash with vaulted passages, the old town is adorned with dwellings resembling little châteaux – hence the saying.
The rest of Uzerche, on the opposite river bank, is reached via two bridges. It’ll help to look at it on a map to see how it works. To the west lies the Parc Naturel Régional (PNR) du Périgord-Limousin, to the east the Millevaches en Limousin PNR while the Corrèze prefecture, Tulle, is to the southeast. The Lemovices, a Gallic tribe, gave their name to Limoges and Limousin; more recently, the administrative region, comprising the Haute-Vienne, Corrèze and Creuse departments, was incorporated into Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Uzerche (population 2,700) has a vibrant year-round cultural scene – classical music, street theatre and art, potters and glassblowers; you can walk locally, hike, climb and mountain bike. The Vézère river and its gorges – its waters rise up on the granitic Millevaches plateau and enter Dordogne at Limeuil 211km later – offers canoeing, kayaking and fishing.
Looking for your own little Limousin château in or around Uzerche? Isabelle Auboiroux at Celaur Immobilier says that houses in the old town are tall and often terraced. Dating back to the 18th century and earlier, they may have a balcony or little garden. These properties don’t lend themselves to conversion into apartments because the living area is not large. Given their historic location, the work you can do on your property comes under the jurisdiction of the Bâtiments de France.
Although there is a good restaurant here, there are no longer any shops in the old town, says Isabelle. Before the town was bypassed, all traffic used to pass right through Uzerche old town on the N20, now the D920. Prices vary but Isabelle says she could sell a small house requiring complete renovation for €20,000 or something ready to live in for €150 000–€160 000.
On the opposite bank of the Vézère, St-Eulalie, now attached to Uzerche, used to be a separate village with its own chapel and little town hall. It’s possible to find houses with fine views
