Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Mail de Josselin is an urban promenade built at the end of the 18th century, on land acquired by the city in 1760. The architect Molac then proposes two projects, one of which is retained to create this 3 200 m2 esplanade, bordered by two rows of trees and bounded by a wall. Its main access to the west is via a staircase, while to the east is today the monument to the dead, added much later.

The monument to the dead, erected in 1922 by architect Lafargue, honours the Josselin soldiers who had fallen during the conflicts of the 20th century: 104 names for the First World War, 14 for the Second, as well as victims of the wars of Indochina and Algeria. The granite column, surmounted by a bronze cock, bears the inscription "The City of Josselin to his dead children for France", followed by names engraved in alphabetical order.

Ranked among the few public walks preserved in Brittany, this 18th-century achievement reflects the importance of sociability spaces in the small towns of Ancien Régime. Its inscription in historical monuments in 1996 underscores its heritage value, both for its landscaping and for its later memorial role.

The location of the Mail, Place de la Résistance (formerly along Rue Lucien-Briend), makes it a central place of the city. Its fence wall and structure make it a characteristic example of pre-revolutionary urban development, preserved despite subsequent transformations. The sources mention a "passable" location accuracy (note 5/10), without further details on any changes to the site.

External links