Les Casseaux Porcelain Kiln Museum

The museum preserves an intact kiln of the world-famous Limoges porcelain industry. The Les Casseaux district was an important centre of the industry from the 18th century, close to the River Vienne, which carried fuel for the kilns. The museum is sited at the rear of the Royal Limoges factory, next to the shop. It was opened to the public by a local association for industrial history in 1992. It occupies three original stone buildings with tile roofs and large windows: the middle one of the three contains the kiln and the others are filled with displays about the history, techniques and products of the industry. The kiln was built in 1900 and is 20m high and 8m in diameter with eight firing portals. A chimney extends through the roof of the building. Visitors can see inside the kiln, which could fire up to 15,000 pieces at once. The museum also shows temporary exhibitions of Limoges porcelain.