Ussel (; ) is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Its inhabitants are called Ussellois.

Location The community of Ussel is located in the Massif central on the foothills of the plateau de Millevaches. The city itself sits on a hilltop in between the valley of the river Diège and the valley of the river Sarsonne. It is situated at an altitude of 2070 ft (631 m), in the Massif Central on the last buttress of the Plateau de Millevaches. Ussel is crossed by the Green Meridian.

Hydrography Three main watercourses flow through the community, the river Diège (the town is sometimes also called Ussel-sur-Diège), the river Sarsonne and the stream of Étang Roux.

Demography

Historical heritage

Places and monuments The Borde Castle, 15th century, reworked during the 17th century The Mothe Castle, 16th century, historical monument since 1980 The Ventadour Hotel, historical monument since 1932 The Church Saint-Martin, 13th century, classified historical monument since 1926 The Roman Eagle situated in Voltaire Square. This monument is sculpted in granite, and was discovered in The Peuch Mill, on the Sarsonne. It was cleaned and temporarily removed in 2009 during the refurbishment of Voltaire Square. The Chapel of Notre-Dame de la Chabane The Church Saint Martial The Church Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption, in La Tourette The Church Saint-Dizier in Saint-Dézéry

Parks and green areas Ussel has many green and natural areas, and is also Ussel is composed of a large number of natural spaces, with hiking and walking trails. The municipality has been awarded 'trois fleurs' (three flowers, out of a total of four) by the Villes et villages fleuris.

Transportation The commune is served by two main exits onto the A89 highway: exit 23 (Mauriac-Maymac-Ussel Ouest) to the south west of the town and exit 24 (Ussel Est-Eygurande) to the north east. Ussel is also crossed by the RN 89.

Ussel train station lies on a main railway line linking Lyon to Bordeaux. As of 2026, there are TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine services to Bordeaux, Brive-la-Gaillarde, and Limoges.

The closest commercial airports are Limoges-BellegardeLimoges-Bellegarde airport site and Clermont-Ferrand-Auvergne.Clermont-Ferrand-Auvergne airport's site A few kilometres away from the commune is the Ussel-Thalamy Airport, a small civilian airport.

Twinning Ussel is paired with Auray (France), located in the department of Morbihan.

Economy

Forest products and wood

Ussel houses many company in the wood field, including panel producer MDF Isoroy, stratified clothes designer Polyrey, and door manufacturers Jeld Wen and Bel .

Mining and steel The Des farges mine, located 3 kilometers from Ussel, is part of Nouvelle-Aquitaine's mining. The extraction of lead was applied, as well as silver and much more, until its closure in 1981.La Société des fonderies d'Ussel (SFU) is one of the metallurgical representative of the region.

Food processing The commune is in the centre of a farming region and has the bovine breed limousin. The pork butcher group Loste owns a production site of salted meat in the industrial area. Regional products are beef and pork, hunting and fishing products, and harvest products (cep, chanterelle, blueberry). Local dishes include the tourtou and the farcidure.

Pharmaceutical industry The industrial sector sets up in High-Corrèze since 1990 when Bristol-Myers Squibb settles a production site in the town of Meymac. In 1999, Pierre Fabre came to Ussel by building a distribution and logistics center in the industrial zone of L'Empereur. The company Chesapeake features a production unit specializing in packaging for the pharmaceutical industry (holsters and instructions), also located in the industrial zone of "The Emperor".

Culture Museum of Ussel The museum of Ussel is dedicated to history, arts and tradition of the region of Ussel. It features some objects and pictorial representations. Another part is devoted to the history of printing and exhibitions of engraving. Many of the objects exhibited concerning agricultural trades were provided by Dr. Ernest Chiocconi, a salvage dealer. He had recovered objects in agricultural holdings which were no longer used.

Transcorrezien Railway Line

Ussel was the northern terminus of the Metre Gauge Transcorrezien railway line linking Tulle to Ussel via Marcillac-la-Croisille, Lapleau, Soursac and Liginiac. This line was part of the narrow gauge network of railways in the Corrèze region.Details about the Transcorrézien.

While the line has disappeared, many architectural and track elements still remain and can be visited by the public. Many of the stations are preserved and have been restored and a Tourist Route created which enables visitors to follow the track from its terminus at Languenne on the outskirts of Tulle to Ussel. The road signs are rectangular with "Transcorrezien" shown on them on a white background

The area includes the Roche Noir Viaduct, a suspension bridge crossing the deep gorge of the Luzège river between Lapleau and Soursac. It is possible to visit both ends of the bridge but, while it remains in good condition, it is closed even to pedestrians.

The Soursac end of the bridge leads straight into a 150 m-long curved tunnel. Visitors can park at the Soursac end, walk through the tunnel (which is lit) and emerge by the bridge.

Climate

See also Communes of the Corrèze department

References