Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The House of the Three Flutes, located in Bourges, is a remarkable example of medieval civil architecture in wooden strips. Built at the edge of the 15th and 16th centuries, it bears witness to the rapid reconstruction after the 1487 fire that ravaged part of the city. Its name comes from a cornel post decorated with three carved flutes, a rare and emblematic decorative element.

Certified in 1512, this house was built for merchant Louis Olivier, reflecting the commercial dynamism of Bourges at that time. It will later house various merchants, including a pastry master in the 16th century. Its facades, characteristic with their superimposed corbellations, illustrate the know-how of the carpenters of the period. Ranked a Historic Monument in 1928, it now retains its original facades and roofs.

The location of the House of the Three Flutes, at 13 rue Bourbonnoux, makes it a central element of bourgeois heritage. Its architecture, combining functionality and decoration, recalls the importance of half-timbered houses in the medieval urban landscape. Although its geographical accuracy is considered mediocre (note 5/10), it remains a must-see historical landmark to understand Bourges' urban planning after the destructions of the 15th century.

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