on December 23, the first train arrives at Montmorillon station

On August 24, 1837, the first passenger railway line between Paris and Le Peck, near Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines), was inaugurated. Amusing detail, King Louis-Philippe had been dissuaded by the government from participating in the trip so as not to expose himself to the “risks” of such a train journey.

It is with this historical reminder in the form of a wink that Béatrice Guyonnet, heritage facilitator at the Communauté de communes Vienne et Gartempe (CCVG), began the conference which she hosted on Saturday December 14, 2024 in the middle of afternoon at the service center. It was devoted to “The adventure of the railway in Vienne and Gartempe”.

It was in 1867 that the first line in the region, that of Poitiers-Limoges (1), opened. But this line was only the first of an important coverage of the territory which continued thereafter.

« The territory of Vienne and Gartempe had up to six linesrecalled the speaker. Four of general interest and two secondary “small train” lines between Poitiers and Saint-Martin-l'Ars, and between Châtellerault and Bouresse via Chauvigny. » Of this rich railway epic, all that remains today is the Poitiers-Limoges line. The other routes have since been decommissioned, dismantled and sometimes transformed into hiking trails.

The arrival of the railway had consequences in the territories: transformations of the landscape with the construction of numerous works of art, such as in L'Isle-Jourdain with its imposing viaduct, development of new districts around the stations, but also economic transformations such as the transport of livestock or the introduction of slate to cover roofs. But the arrival of the railway was not always without unfortunate consequences. « To Lussac-les-Chateauxmentioned Béatrice Guyonnet, the development of the railway line led to the site of the old feudal castle being completely cut in two. »

Montmorillon removed from the railway route

The creation of the Poitiers-Limoges line was not without its problems for Montmorillon, starting with its route which could, as with the N147, have passed away from the town.

In 1859, the municipal council was alarmed by a study carried out by the Compagnie d'Orléans “leaving Montmorillon outside this line and at a distance of 7 to 8 km from the point where the station would be established, which would cause an immense loss for the town”. Montmorillon finally obtains a “station”, but then the problem of its location arises.

The inhabitants of the lower town asked that it be located on the right bank of the Gartempe, at the Croix-Blanche. But this location being considered of little interest, it was ultimately the left bank which was chosen. Once envisaged in the Augustins district, the station is finally positioned on “the plateau which is opposite the Fosse Blanche factories, on the right of the Saulgé road, getting as close as possible to Montmorillon. »

This choice then led the municipality to create a beautiful avenue leading to the station, which became Avenue du Général-de-Gaulle, and to build the current rue du Chemin-des-Dames to connect the upper town. Near the station, no fewer than three hotels were created, now closed, while the station itself is home to a station buffet which operated until 1957.

(1) The Poitiers-Bordeaux line was inaugurated on 1^is July 1851 in the presence of the President of the Republic at the time, Louis Napoléon Bonaparte.