Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of Châteaudun is part of the vast reconstruction project of the city after the devastating fire of 21 June 1723, which destroyed more than 1,000 houses. Jules Hardouin, building controller, was tasked with developing a new urban plan in chessboard, centered on a large rectangular square lined with public buildings and uniform houses. This project aimed to modernize the city according to rigorous geometric principles, with arcades for shops and landmark buildings at the ends of the square.

Of the four large buildings planned to protrude on the square, only two were built, including the stone town hall (1777). The two missing pavilions, originally planned on the opposite side, were finally replaced by a post office hotel erected in 1900. The current building, whose facades and roofs have been protected since 1953, illustrates this 18th century urban ambition, combining architectural regularity and commercial functionality.

The place of October 18, the heart of this project, was to symbolize the renaissance of Châteaudun after the disaster. Its geometric plot, where the large side of the rectangle is equivalent to the diagonal of a square built on the small side, reflects the classical influences of the era. Although some of the original elements had not been realized, the ensemble retained a remarkable architectural consistency, classified as Historical Monuments for its facades and roofs overlooking the square and adjacent streets.

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