Saturday, August 14, 2021

Day trips by train: Tulle.

Tulle is above all a city of civil servants, the train station.
Tulle is above all a city of civil servants, the train station.
Les gens de T(ulle) disent que’on pleure en y arrivant, et qu’on pleure en la quittant. C’est vrai pour beaucoup de fonctionnaires. Ils sont nommés à T(ulle)…’*

‘Tulle is above all a city of civil servants’ observed Denis Tillinac in his book: Spleen en Corrèze (1979). And ‘...must have many resources to make itself loved by the civil servant - because the civil servant, fundamentally, necessarily, is a stateless person, member of the great International of the bureaucracy …’. To understand, and appreciate, Tulle you have to accept it is a departmental capital that is essentially governed by ‘Paris’ and for-fills the responsibilities of the state.
The modern ‘Médiathèque Intercommunale Eric Rohmer’.

The modern ‘Médiathèque Intercommunale Eric Rohmer’.

It receives tasks, responsibilities and budgets that have to be implemented by qualified civil servants living in what they perceive as an exile. An exile in space and time, ‘... it deprives me of the rhythm of contemporary life’ wrote Denis. “… Along its murky river… Tomorrow will be yesterday, and my exile will be like Paradise Lost.’ The ‘perfect place to dream of Paris, or America’, America where they ‘burn the past like they burn gasoline ... We burn nothing, we save, we let Time sort out the useful and the useless, the solid and the inconsistent, the permanent and the ephemeral, certainties and randomness …’ an important insight walking around Tulle wondering if there is, at all, a plan to this? (And the short answer is: ‘No’ ).
Tulle is constructed on the banks of the Corrèze river in a narrow valley.

Tulle is constructed on the banks of the Corrèze river in a narrow valley.

Denis was a ‘localier’, a regional press journalist who does not work at the headquarters of his newspaper but from a local agency, writing the ‘local pages’ for La Dépêche du Midi. The localier is locally known, ‘when they see us walking down the street with our camera, people say, "Hey, the journalist from La Gazette. There must be an accident somewhere."’. I read a few of his books, but reading Spleen en Corrèze made me so curious about Tulle so as to disregard the general negative advice. And with several direct trains a day connecting Terrasson and Tulle… what stops me?
Map of Tulle.
Map of Tulle.
‘... while attending the inauguration of the new gendarmerie. I met the usual bunch there: the prefect and the secretary general, the mayor of Tulle and two deputies, the prosecutor, the president of the Chamber de Commerce, the Commissioner of General Information… The same people, and a few others, meet in all the ceremonies, wines of honor, commemorations, inaugurations. The localiers are also there, by necessity with a notepad and a camera.’
Walking up one of the stairs and looking back.
Walking up one of the stairs and looking back at the historic center  of town.
Time to take my notepad and camera and explore Tulle. First impression did not ‘disappoint’, the train station (1) is located at half an hours walk from the ‘historic center’ and the mismatch of buildings is impressive. End 1900’s buildings line the street and recall the Belle Époque when the railroad arrived. The modern Médiathèque Intercommunale Eric Rohmer looks actually good, some 60s/70s concrete blocks a little less.
‘Cité administrative Jean Montalat’ complete with podium and pedestrian bridges.
‘Cité administrative Jean Montalat’ complete with podium and pedestrian bridges.
Tulle is constructed on the banks of the Corrèze river in a narrow valley. So space is limited and the shortest routes perpendicular the river are often stairways up the steep hillside. The highlight was a huge high-rise Cité administrative Jean Montalat (9) complete with podium and pedestrian bridges. A city within the city. It would not raise an eyebrow in any of the new towns on Hong Kong, but smack in the middle of Tulle…
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Tulle.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Tulle.

Reaching the historic center we walked the heritage trail that starts at the Church of Saint Jean (2), towards a cluster of medieval buildings surrounding the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Tulle (4) with its cloister. The cloister museum had an interesting exhibition ‘Poincts en suspension’ by artist Annie Bascoul. The ‘poinct de Tulle’ (needle-point lace) is a combination of embroidery and its square ‘fishnet’ knotted mesh support. When the original hand knotted mesh is used it accentuates the embroidery on a slightly pecked background.
exhibition ‘Poincts en suspension’ by artist Annie Bascoul.

Exhibition ‘Poincts en suspension’ by artist Annie Bascoul.

The exhibition is a culmination of different projects supported by the city of Tulle since 2013. Several artists have been invited through residencies to create unique works that will; ‘bear witness to generations to come of the fertile dialogue between historical know-how and contemporary creation’. It was done in collaboration with the Association Diffusion Renouveau Poinct Tulle a group of friendly ladies who run a small workshop just next door.
14th century frescoes and a central vault with chevron design moldings.

14th century frescoes and a central vault with chevron design moldings.

Worth a mention are the Hôtel Lauthonie (3) and the Maison Loyac. We explored the neighborhood a bit and were surprised to find an (abandoned) Belgium Consulate. Somewhat surprised I looked for information and found a La Montagne article** online explaining how a Mr. Vackier had ran a hardware-store in Tulle since 1906, occupies himself with Belgium refugees during the first world war and by 1931 received the title of vice-councilor by royal appointment. By 1940 he found his loyalties split between king Léopold III’s surrender to Nazi-Germany, and the Belgium government’s decision to go into exile.
The (abandoned) Belgium Consulate.
The (abandoned) Belgium Consulate.
Here the story gets an intriguing twist when the Belgium King decides that Tulle, initially part of non occupied (Vinchy) France, would be a good place to shelter his three children from the war. So princes (and future kings) Boudewijn and Albert arrive, together with their sister princess Charlotte, an aunt of the king finds refuge joining a religious order in nearby Aubazine. As a thanks for his good care of the children Mr. Vackier receives the title ‘consul de Belgique à titre personnel’ in 1946, with jurisdiction over the three departments of the Limousin. A title he holds-onto till his death in 1962, ‘Portant une fière moustache, bardé de distinctions et roulant dans les rues de Tulle avec une grosse voiture noire, une Chambord ou une Versailles dotée de plaques du corps diplomatique.
The Church of Saint Pierre.
The Church of Saint Pierre.

The rest of the heritage trail passes the Church of Saint Pierre (5), the tour d’Alverge (6) and the municipal Theater (1899) (7) once know as the Théâtre des Sept Collines in reference to the geography of the town. Looking up the hillsides you are surrounded by government buildings, schools and services. A good selection of restaurants in town make it an interesting day out. I smiled leaving, maybe it was the nice weather, maybe I left in time...

Find out more about the landscape, history, vegetation, the villages and life on the causse:

 The index of this blog.

*) ‘The people of T(ulle) say that you cry when you get there, and you cry when you leave. This is true for a lot of public servants. They are appointed to T(ulle) ... ’
Denis Tillinac (1979): Spleen en Corrèze. Collection <<Les Localiers>> Éditions des autres, 1979. ISBN 2-7305-0031-6  

**) Albinet A., 2015. Comment le plus tulliste des Belges a ouvert un consulat dans sa ville d’adoption ? In: La Montagne, 29/07/2015.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The Foire du livre de Brive and the École de Brive.

The posters,bookmarks and leaflets were reprinted, the stickers had a whiff of ‘country’ this year. ‘ Ce qui nous unit tous les cinq n’est...