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Origin and history

The hotel Le Gouesbe, also known as Café des Quatre Soldiers or Hotel Le Goaësbe, is a private hotel built in 1593 in Ploërmel (Morbihan) for the Goaësbe family. It rises on a plot of the old fortifications of the city, acquired by this family from 1280. Its strategic location, in the heart of Ploërmel (Union Square), reflects the social importance of its first owners, linked to the local aristocracy.

In the 17th century, the hotel passed into the hands of Crévy's chestnut before returning to Le Goaësbe in 1679. During this period, the building briefly served as a temporary prison for detainees awaiting trial, guarded by four soldiers — a function that later inspired its nickname, Four Soldiers' Café. This change in usage illustrates the frequent adaptations of hotels to the administrative or judicial needs of the Old Regime.

In the 19th century, the hotel was transformed into a café, definitely adopting the name of the Four Soldiers' coffee as a reference to its prison history. This reconversion reflects the urban and social changes of Ploërmel, where historic buildings are often reassigned to commercial or public uses. The building was finally listed for historical monuments on September 25, 1928, recognizing its heritage and architectural value.

The architecture of the hotel Le Gouesbe combines elements of the Breton Renaissance — visible in its facades and openings — with remains of the medieval fortifications on which it is built. Its inscription in the title of historical monuments today protects this testimony of the links between local nobility, judiciary and urban evolution in Brittany.

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