Rue du Bourg

Taking its name from ? Burgum Barri?, the district it runs right through, Rue du Bourg is one of the city?s oldest urban thoroughfares. It features a wide variety of architectural styles. On the way to the château, it features Renaissance facades that have inspired many writers.
The Bourg, founded in the 5th century on the left bank of the Ornain river within the town walls, originally housed most of the town?s population and economic activity, as well as a hôtel- Dieu. The first castle is thought to have been built here in the High Middle Ages. The canal running along its southern flank gave rise to the first crafts, notably textiles. Built of Savonnières stone in the first half of the 17th century, the mansions of the wealthy patricians are very similar in plan and elevation to their counterparts in the upper town. The later mansions feature an abundance of ornamental decoration, revealing a style that has sometimes been described as Baroque. Alternating triangular and curvilinear pediments, engaged columns and exuberant carvings of hybrid beings, foliage and masks lend the ensemble a rich ornamental quality. The Maison des Deux Barbeaux at number 26, with its sculpted mermaids emerging from sheaths of foliage, was immortalized by writer André Theuriet.
In the 18th century, bays were enlarged, arched and decorated with rocaille motifs. In the following century, the canons of classical architecture were well integrated by architects into official buildings, while at the end of the century, a new aesthetic emerged - Art Nouveau - visible in the overhanging construction, known as an oriel, at number 59.

DATAtourisme France