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Arras Grand-Place: business and underground cellars

Detail | Devisme.alain / CC-BY-SA
Street District Troglodyte Arras squares

We're now on the Place des Héros ("Heros' square") and the Grand-Place, with their particular houses... a little bit Flemish! In the past, they called the Place des Héros the Petite Place ("small square") or Petit-Marché ("small marketplace"), and the Grande place was called Grand-Marché ("Big marketplace") because in the Middle-Ages, these squares were the city commercial heart.

Between our two squares, there was the rue de la Taillerie ("Tailor street"): actually, we could find here sheets exchange since 14th century, a very prosperous activity in Arras.

At the end of the 17th century, they rebuilt all the houses in stones and bricks, with two storeys. Under the houses, we found big cellars, called bôves.

Those bôves are very old and they are deeply underground. During World War I, people sheltered here... This war totally ruined our two squares. In 1919, the city began the reconstruction.

About the the author

Vinaigrette
I'm fond of strolls and History, with juicy and spicy details!