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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The two so-called "Dutch" houses, located at the 28th and 29th quay of the Chartrons in Bordeaux, were built around 1680 by the bourgeois and merchant Hilaire Renu. Their particularity lies in their gables on façade, an exception to the law of 1667 imposing on traders a wall-dropper facade. These houses, inspired by Flemish architecture, recall the influence of Dutch and Flemish in the 17th century Bordeaux trade.

The facades, adorned with cornices, crawling, and volute fins and lion heads, are separated by horizontal flat bands. The mansart windows and roofs highlight their distinctive style. In 1738, the Ferme Générale installed an office at n°29 to control foreign trade until the Revolution. These houses, protected since 1990, symbolize Bordeaux's commercial and architectural heritage.

Although their name evokes a Dutch origin, they were actually sponsored by a Bordeaux bourgeois, Hilaire Renu. Their preservation illustrates the importance of the heritage linked to the golden age of the port of Bordeaux, marked by trade with the Netherlands and Flanders. Their location on the banks of the Garonne makes them privileged witnesses to the economic history of the city.

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