Discover Ussel

In Ussel, arriving from the west via Avenue Thiers, park in the large car park near the Roman eagle, close to Collège Voltaire and the tourist office.

(S/E) Head towards the tourist office, then turn left and follow Boulevard Victor Hugo to the right. At the large crossroads, take the second street on the left, towards the church that you can see, passing to the left of the post office. Do not go all the way to the church, but turn right just behind the post office and follow Rue Saint-Boniface. Note the beautiful 15th-century house with a turret^(a).

Follow the street as it turns left. At the next intersection, continue straight on Rue du Transvaal. This street turns right and ends at Rue de la Liberté. Continue left and, at the crossroads, turn right onto Rue des Sans Culottes. Note the beautiful gate of the Ventadour college ^(b) on the right, in a small private courtyard.

Ignore the first street on the left (Rue des Fossés) and turn onto the next street on the left (Rue des Ventadours). Pass below Place de la République and, at the crossroads, you will find the Maison Ducale de Ventadour on the right ^(c).

(1) Go up to the left onto Place de la République, cross it and turn right to take a small street to the left of the Ventadour bookshop. You will arrive at Rue des Troubadours and follow it straight ahead. Turn left onto Rue Esparvier and note a house from 1615 with a round tower, and the Maison Esparvier, built in the 12th century.

Turn left onto Rue Neuve du Palais, then right onto Rue du 4 Septembre to reach a small square behind the church with a fountain. Note the façade of the Boucherie Moncourrier ^(d) (and be sure to take a look inside), a beautiful 15th-century house opposite, slightly to the left, and the Maison des Cosnac^(e) on the right a little further on. Also note the Varan.

Turn right onto Rue de l'Église, then left to pass in front of the church porch ^(f) and turn right onto Rue Saint-Martin (alley). You will arrive at the crossroads with Boulevard Foch (note the beautiful Art Nouveau house on the right and the small sculpture of dancers opposite).

Cross the boulevard and continue straight ahead on Rue Michelet. Take the first street on the left, at the corner of a school (note the beautiful cedar tree in the courtyard and the plaque commemorating the assassination of 47 members of the Resistance), and you will arrive at Avenue Thiers, opposite the car park (S/E) and the Aigle Romain^(g).

Very easy urban walk, no special equipment required.

Discover more walks in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Some photos here

The Viscounty of Ventadour was an ancient feudal principality corresponding to a territory in Lower Limousin (now Corrèze) which included the regions of Ussel, Meymac, Neuvic and Égletons. It corresponds approximately to the current district of Ussel and the Millevaches plateau.

Among the ancient seigneuries belonging to this viscountcy, the most important in the 12th century were those of Ussel, the largest, followed by those of Soudeilles and Mirambel (commune of Saint-Rémy in Corrèze).

^(a) There are many 15th-century houses in this historic centre. They are often built in a layout typical of the period: a shop on the ground floor, living quarters upstairs and a spiral staircase in the tower, whose door is surmounted by a tympanum decorated with a coat of arms.

^(b) From 1730 onwards, the Viscounts of Ventadour established a college in this building, which has a Renaissance-style door.

^(c) The Ducal House of Ventadour was built in the 17th century; it was the residence of the lieutenant generals of Ventadour in the absence of the dukes; Renaissance-style door.

^(d) The Moncourrier Butcher's Shop bears witness to the establishment of butcher's shops behind churches; it has corbelled housing and hooks for hanging meat.

^(e) The Maison des Cosnac dates from the 13th-14th centuries. It has a pointed arch doorway with a slanted shield, wooden door leaf with wrought iron peephole and knocker.

^(f) The Church of Saint-Martin d'Ussel was built at the end of the 12th century. It was then a Romanesque church with a choir, transept and three-bay nave. The aisles did not appear until the beginning of the 16th century.
The bell tower collapsed in 1841 after being struck by lightning; it was rebuilt in 1860 by Viollet-le-Duc. Inside, you can see a Cavaillé-Coll organ, built between 1864 and 1874 in the Neo-Renaissance style.

^(g) Roman eagle, a granite sculpture symbolising the Roman army, the head was restored in 1804.