Two historic hotels, one remarkable story

The story of Hôtel de France et de Russie is closely intertwined with the history of Thiviers itself.

The building that houses the hotel today is believed to date back to 1776 and originally formed part of the Theulier family estate. Over the years, it served a variety of purposes, including as a private residence, a bank and a tax office; some historical accounts also refer to its use as a coaching inn.

To understand the hotel's unusual name, however, we need to go back to the late 19th century.

At that time, Thiviers was home to two notable establishments: the Grand Hôtel de France, situated opposite the church, and the Grand Hôtel de Russie, located at the Château de Thiviers.

By the late 19th century, Thiviers was particularly renowned for its important fairs and local produce, attracting travellers and visitors from well beyond the surrounding area.

1976: Hôtel de France et de Russie is born

In 1976, at the age of 23, Aline Urbain took over the property at 51 rue du Général Lamy and gave the building a new purpose.

When naming her hotel, she chose to bring together the names of two historic Thiviers establishments: Hôtel de France and Grand Hôtel de Russie.

And so Hôtel de France et de Russie was born.

Its name was therefore not an invented brand, but a way of preserving the memory of two former hotels and a small but fascinating part of Thiviers' hospitality heritage.

Over the following decades, the hotel continued its story, welcoming travellers, visitors to the Périgord, business guests and generations of people passing through Thiviers.

A story continued across borders

A succession of owners followed, including several British proprietors.

Among them, Adrian and Sharon Finch ran the hotel for many years and helped establish Hôtel de France et de Russie as a familiar part of the hospitality landscape of the Périgord Vert.

A new chapter since 2024

In April 2024, the hotel changed hands once again and a new chapter began.

Since then, the property has been evolving gradually, with a desire to preserve its individual identity while improving its spaces and comfort year after year.

The intention is not to erase its past or turn this characterful old house into a standardised hotel. Quite the opposite: room by room and space by space, we want the property to evolve while retaining what makes it distinctive.

Behind the intriguing name of Hôtel de France et de Russie lies more than two centuries of a building's history, the memory of two former Thiviers hotels, generations of owners and countless travellers.

Since 1976, Hôtel de France et de Russie has continued a story deeply connected to Thiviers itself — a story that is still being written today in the heart of the Périgord Vert.