Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of Châteaudun is part of the reconstruction plan of the city after the great fire of 21 June 1723, which destroyed more than 1,000 houses. Jules Hardouin, the building controller, was commissioned to redraw the city centre according to a chessboard plan, with a large rectangular square lined with public buildings and uniform houses. The stone facades and arcades were to give an architectural unit to the whole, reflecting the urban principles of the eighteenth century.

The central square, designed as a rectangle with precise geometric proportions, was designed to accommodate four large projecting buildings, higher than the neighbouring buildings. Among them, the town hall (1777) and two pavilions planned on the opposite side – finally replaced by a post office hotel in 1900. The facades and roofs of this building, representative of this reconstruction, were inscribed in the Historical Monuments by order of 18 August 1953.

This project illustrates the desire to modernise and rationalise urban space after a disaster, typical of the Enlightenment. The arcades planned for the shops also underline the importance attached to trade in town planning. Today, the building embodies this architectural heritage linked to a landmark event in local history.

External links