Paris1972-Versailles2003

I came to historical Cholet, in the Maine et Loire dept 49 of the Pays de la Loire region and in my belle France! Wonderful town I said, and to show you France is a mouvable feast indeed ! Well we love the food and wines ,and of course every time in town we seek the market. No better place to soak in the local culture and foodies galore! The market are it and here Les Halles are gorgeous with plenty of parking after 13h30 that we use to walk around the town! And, we arrive early so had lunch elsewhere but it looks nice here!

The covered market are at Place du 8 mai 1945. Since September 10, 2019, the Les Halles de Cholet have opened their doors in a brand new setting: 2358 m² of total area which accommodates 33 stalls, 1 bar-brasserie, 1 convivial space. It is a real place of life, where exchanges and meetings are the norm as in all markets. Les Halles are modern, welcoming, bright, with indoor and outdoor terraces. Emphasis was placed on the fluidity and accessibility of the stalls. There are no right angles, even the benches have 45 ° angles. As for the predominant white color, it signifies hygiene and cleanliness. There are butchers, delicatessens, cellar, coffee, world cuisine, fishmonger, dried fruit, honey, early vegetables, poultry etc. Some new products are also emerging, such as a florist, an organic grocery store, a new bakery or a group of farmers from Lys-Haut-Layon. Open all year Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 6h to 13h ; Friday,and Saturday 6h to 13h30.

As I cannot go into a place without getting into its history and architecture that makes France so unique let me give some more of it here, The sort of chronological order of the emergence of Les Halles of Cholet.

The earlier markets were call Petite and Grande Halles, they were located at the corner of rue du Commerce and rue des Vieux-Greniers, near the cemetery. The Petite-halle dates from the 15C. The Grande Halle was built by the Marquis de Broon in the 17C. A bell, still visible at the corner of a house at the beginning of the 20C, opened the market.  Then, they had the Halles Marchandes built in 1781 on the brand new Place Rougé. They included several buildings including a house forming the decoration of the square, a canvas hall, a corn hall, a butcher’s, a fishmonger’s, a clog-maker’s hall…, around a central courtyard. It became property of the city of Cholet in 1806, the dilapidated building was destroyed at the end of the 19C.  Moving right along, we had the Halles Métalliques .built in 1882, on the site of the old halles marchandes of Place Rougé, these halles, also called the covered market, were the symbol of 19C metal structure architecture. The use of cast iron, iron and glass gave an impression of lightness to the work. The metal halles disappeared under the action of bulldozers in 1968.

Cholet move on in 1966, to the weekly Saturday market which was transferred from Place Travot to Place de la Grange (current Place du 8 mai 1945). The new halles, were inaugurated in March 1968. Finally, the new halles built between avenue Maudet and the Lattre de Tassigny bridge, along the La Moine car park, the new, modern and bright halles free up space in the square in order to organize the Saturday market differently and to accommodate the public more comfortably. The building was inaugurated in September 2019. This is the one we visited of course.

The City of Cholet on its markets: https://www.cholet.fr/chaines/dossier_265_les+halles+marches+cholet.html

The official Les Halles de Cholet :https://www.leshallesdecholet.com/

There you go folks a nice place always to stop by and we will leave earlier next time to see the hussle and bussle of it,much more, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Halles of Cholet as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!