Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The buildings at 34-36 rue Esquermise have been part of the historical monuments of Lille since 13 March 1944, with their facades and roofs protected. They are placed in one of the oldest streets in the city, formerly connecting the Grand'Place to the Dunkirk road. Their architecture reflects Lille's urban history, marked by successive extensions since the Middle Ages.

The street Esquermese, where these buildings are located, was a major axis crossing the old gate of Weppes, integrated into the second enclosure of Lille in the 12th century. Until the 19th century, it crossed canals that were now lost, such as that of the Baignerie, which was covered in 1878. The current buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries bear witness to this period when the street was lined with constructions masking the waterways.

The neighborhood evolved with the expansion of Lille by Vauban in 1670, which incorporated suburbs like Weppes. The buildings of 34-36, with their characteristic facades, illustrate this transition between the medieval city and its modern development. Their inscription in 1944 underscores their heritage value in an area marked by major urban transformations, such as canal cover or the creation of Thiers Street in 1878.

Nearby, the former hotel of the Poterno (14th-15th centuries), seat of the Chamber of Accounts, recall the administrative importance of this area. The rue Esquermoise, with its historical signs such as that of Maisoncelle (No. 15), also preserves traces of past commercial activities, such as the Méert pastry (founded in 1761), classified for its 1839 storefront.

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