Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The building of Châteaudun is part of the vast reconstruction project of the city after the fire of 21 June 1723, which destroyed more than a thousand houses. Jules Hardouin, building controller, was tasked with developing a new urban plan in chessboard, centered on a large rectangular square. The plan provided for regular houses, arcades for shops, and four large public buildings, two of which were actually built, such as the stone town hall (1777).

The square, designed in precise geometric proportions, was to symbolize order and modernity. Two of the four pavilions on its large sides were never built, leaving a post office hotel built in 1900. The facades and roofs of some buildings, such as the one located in Place du 18-Octobre, were protected by a registration order in 1953, highlighting their heritage value.

This urban project reflects the principles of rational urban planning of the 18th century, combining functionality (archive shops, administrative buildings) and classical aesthetics. The reconstruction marked the landscape of Châteaudun for a long time, with elements such as the central square and the town hall, still visible today. Subsequent adaptations, such as the post office, illustrate the evolution of the city's needs over the centuries.

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