Brignac trail to the mill at Le Got

Dating from before the 18th century, the Moulin de Brignac was first called Moulin de Cape. Equipped with paddle wheels, it used hydraulic energy to produce rye and wheat flour. At the end of the 19th century, the mill became a Jerusalem artichoke alcohol distillery. At the beginning of the 20th century, a papermaking business was established. Then, in 1942, the Resneau family bought the building and installed a ‘filterie’ for making thread, still in operation today. Although the old wheels have disappeared, turbines still produce electricity.

Twenty years after the inauguration of the Paris-Limoges route, the Limoges-Eymoutiers line was put into service in 1881 following a construction project that involved more than 1500 workers. Brignac station in Royères was used to transport wood (previously floated along the Vienne), stones, tiles and bricks and food and fertilisers. Today, the line still carries passengers. The station building is now private property that cannot be visited.

Called Vinhana in Occitan Limousin, the Vienne is a river that originates in Corrèze on the Millevaches plateau. It is 372 km long and passes through the departments of Haute-Vienne, Vienne, Creuse, Corrèze, Charente and Indre-et-Loire. It is one of the main tributaries of the Loire and the largest in terms of flow. The Vienne has many tributaries and sub-tributaries, including the Taurion, the Creuse and the Gartempe.

Four famous mills have worked on the Vienne and its tributaries in the commune of Royères: the mills of Lageas Basse, Brignac, Châtaigne and La Lathière. On the way, you can see the ruins of the Lathière mill that once produced flour.