The Hôtel Goüin of Tours !!

Posted in Bretagne, Europe, France

We were on our road warrior mode and of course, needed to stop by Tours. As usual, we walked the City all over really, many nice sights to see here but we passed by one particular that caught our attention, I am happy to have found this older paper picture that needs to be in my blog. For reference, the City of Tours, on the banks of the Loire and Cher rivers is in the department 37 of Indre-et-Loire, and the region of Centre Val de Loire. Therefore, let me tell you a bit on the Hôtel Goüin of Tours !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Tours hôtel Goüin entr rue du commerce c2009

The Hôtel Goüin is a 15C mansion located in the Vieux Tours section of the City of Tours, one of the rare vestiges of Renaissance architecture in the city The hotel is located at No. 25 on rue du Commerce, The mansion dates from the 1490s ; it was the subject of a major work campaign around 1510 with the creation of its majestic facade side Grand Rue, today rue du Commerce. Until the beginning of the 19C the identity of the sponsors was not yet known with certainty over the centuries, large families of Touraine were transmitted the property up to the Goüin family in 1738. These notables from Brittany retain the property until 1925. The Hôtel Goüin hosted the family bank founded in Tours in 1714 by Henri-François Goüin for a time. The property was bequeathed to the Archaeological Society of Touraine (SAT) in 1925 but was partly destroyed by the fire of Tours in 1940. Only the southern facade and the portal remain After having sheltered the SAT collections for several decades, the ‘Hôtel Goüin now opens its doors during temporary exhibitions and cultural events.

Tours hôtel Gouin facade 15C c2005

The hybrid character of the facade of the Hôtel Goüin is typical of the first French Renaissance ,and is not a simple veneer or an adoption of Italian decor elements, but a local adaptation of the Italian model . On the one hand of the triangular gables and pinnacles decorated with hooks and flagships, the essential cabbage, the three -bobed patterns, on the other fines, candelabra, friezes of oves and darts, fluted pilasters, crowns and medallions, baskets fruits, ribbons, niches with shells, dolphins … The facade was fully restored in 2014/2015 by its owner, the department of Indre-et-Loire.

The official Hôtel Goüin : https://www.hotelgouin.fr/le-lieu/un-lieu-dexpositions-temporaires/

The local Touraine Loire Valley tourist office on the Hôtel Goüin : https://www.touraineloirevalley.co.uk/cultural-heritage/hotel-gouin-tours/

The Tours tourist office on the Hôtel Goüin : https://www.tours-tourisme.fr/preparez-votre-sejour/chateaux/hotel-gouin/

There you go folks, this is Tours ,lots more to see and enjoy this wonderful city of the Touraine. There are those that said the purest French is spoken here, This is a wonderful nice architectural gem that is worth the detour , me think, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Hôtel Goüin of Tours as I.

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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