Uzerche

Uzerche (French pronunciation: [yzɛʁʃ]; Occitan: Usercha) is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of central France. In 1787, the English writer Arthur Young described the town as "the pearl of the Limousin" because of its picturesque setting. Built on a defensible rocky outcrop in an oxbow of the river Vézère, and located at a medieval crossroads, Uzerche has a long cultural heritage. Under Pepin the Short, the city was the seat of an influential abbey and a seneschal. Uzerche still has many castles, hotels, and other buildings displaying turrets built by the Uzechoise nobility, thus adding weight to the saying "He who owns a house in Uzerche has a castle in the Limousin." In 1996 Uzerche was awarded "village étape" status and, since 2010, has been listed among the towns of France to be worthy of a "plus beaux détour". The commune is listed as a Village étape.