National Limoges porcelain Museum (Musée national des Beaux-Arts de Limoges)

A note on the name: the museum described here is the Musée national Adrien Dubouché, Limoges' national museum of ceramics and porcelain. It is not the same as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Limoges, the municipal fine-arts museum, which is a separate institution in the former bishop's palace beside the cathedral gardens. The porcelain museum stands in the city centre and is one of the leading collections of its kind in the world, showing ceramics from many countries and periods rather than only the local product.

The story of Limoges and porcelain begins in 1768, when deposits of kaolin, the fine white clay needed for true porcelain, were found near Saint-Yrieix, not far from Limoges. Until then, European makers had struggled to match the hard white ware imported from China, and the discovery turned the region into a centre of production. Over the following century, factories grew up in Limoges, and the city's name became a byword for fine dinner services, decorative objects and tableware. Names such as Bernardaud and Haviland are linked to this history, and the Four des Casseaux, an old kiln site in the city, preserves part of the industrial memory.

The museum itself was founded in the middle of the nineteenth century to show the best in ceramics for the benefit of local makers, and it was named after Adrien Dubouché, a Limoges collector who enriched it and helped make it a national institution. The present building was designed to hold the collection, and a renovation in the early twenty-first century added a modern glass extension and new galleries, so that the historic spaces and contemporary architecture sit side by side. The collection runs to many thousands of pieces, and it follows ceramics from antiquity through Islamic and Asian wares, Italian maiolica, Delft and Sèvres porcelain to the Limoges output and modern design, so you can see the technical and artistic evolution in one place.

A visit gives a good idea of how many forms the material can take, from delicate cups to large vases and sculptures. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary ceramics and design. Nearby, the Limoges Covered Market, a nineteenth-century iron-and-brick hall, is a lively place for lunch, and the Saint-Étienne Cathedral, a Gothic church, rises over the old quarter.

Plan an hour or two. It suits craft lovers, collectors and anyone curious about the history of European tableware. Check opening days, prices and any joint tickets with the other porcelain sites before you go.