We are back my wonderful capital city of Vannes, let me continue telling you of its gems from a medieval look ramparts comes the wash houses or lavoirs. Let me tell you more with new text and new older pictures in my blog. Again, thanks for reading me since Nov 2010!! As mentioned in bits and pieces in my other posts on Vannes, I like to tell you a bit more on the wash houses or lavoirs of Vannes!
These washhouses are part of the most famous landscape of Vannes. The washerwomen took shelter under the covered gallery to rinse the laundry in the Marle river. You are at the foot of the Garenne bastion, built at the beginning of the 17C, it is the last defensive element added to the medieval enclosure. Its terrace made it possible to receive large pieces of artillery. These so-called “French-style” gardens were laid out in the 1950s and now serve as a natural theater for the great festivals of Vannes.
These washhouses were actually first built between 1797 and 1807. To cope with the influx of washerwomen, they were enlarged twenty years later, between 1827 and 1831. Private property, the Taslé family and their descendants who sold them to the city of Vannes in 1928, The washouses were restored in 2006.
The whole building is about 40 meters long, protected by a slate roof. The first building, a rectangle of about 13 × 7 meters is built of timber with exposed beams. Despite its small size, the main building has a chimney roof. And for good reason: this is where the laundries were located where we put the laundry to boil. Under the gallery covered with a slate roof, which follows the curvature of the Marle, the women came to wash and rinse their linen in relatively polluted water. Then, they invested the banks of the river and the orchards, which were replaced by French gardens, to put it to dry, Upstairs, it now houses the heritage animation service. On the ground floor: exhibition rooms.
The City of Vannes on the washhouses or lavoirs : https://www.mairie-vannes.fr/lavoirs
The local Gulf of Morbihan tourist office on the lavoirs of Vannes in pdf file format : https://golfedumorbihan56.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/lavoirs-de-la-garenne.pdf
There you go folks, another enjoyable stroll in quant medieval Vannes, right off the ramparts and heading on the Porte Poterne along rue Porte Poterne into the old town and its laberynth of beautiful architecture, history, and shops/restos to please. Hope you enjoy this new post on the lavoirs or wash houses of Vannes !
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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