Les Places - Arras, France
N 50° 17.440 E 002° 46.719
31U E 484232 N 5570972
[FR] Les 155 façades baroque des places forment un ensemble harmonieux, unique en Europe. [EN] Today, Arras is famous across the world for its two magnificent squares, built in a Flemish-Spanish baroque style.
Waymark Code: WMC5C1
Location: Hauts-de-France, France
Date Posted: 07/27/2011
Views: 19
[FR] Au XVIème siècle, l’édit de Philippe II interdisant de « bâtir dans la ville d’Arras, à moins que les murs ne soient faits de pierre ou de brique sans aucune saillie sur les rues », marque le début d’une longue série de règlements émanant de l’échevinage. Ces contraintes architecturales sont mises en place par mesure de sécurité mais aussi dans un souci d’embellissement. Elles ont donné naissance à un ensemble unique en Europe de 155 façades.
Construites perpendiculairement aux places, les maisons étroites de façade sont nombreuses et permettent à davantage de commerces d’avoir « pignon sur rue ».
Depuis le Moyen Age, l'histoire des places se confond avec celle de ses marchés. Témoin de 1000 ans de traditions, le marché d'Arras est un rendez-vous coloré à ne pas manquer.
[EN]From the XI century, they were the centre of commerce. They are spread over 17,000 square metres of historical paving stones. The 155 facades that make up the squares date from the XVII and XVIII century. They are supported by 345 sandstone columns. Almost destroyed entirely during the First World War, the houses were faithfully rebuilt even if the wood was replaced by bricks and stones. Their facades are adorned with a great number of sculpted ornaments such as bells, helmets, wheat sheaves, and cauldrons.
Known as ‘petit marché’ (small market) in the XII century, the ‘Petite Place’ (small square) was rebaptized ‘Place des Héros’ (square of the heros) from 1945 to pay tribute to the French Resistance members in Arras, shot during the Second World War. On every Wednesday and Saturday morning, the market of Arras takes place on these squares.
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
24x7
Admission Prices:
Free
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Up to 1 hour
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle or Public Transportation
The attraction’s own URL: Not listed
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