We have driven in the area and would like to have an imprint in my blog on the old town of Tours of my belle France, There is so much to see , doing my best, and glad found me these older paper pictures which now transposing in my blog for you and me, The pictures are old ,so the quality may not be as good ,but the memories are forever, Therefore, here is my take on the streets of Tours, part II !!!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The City of Tours is in dept 37 Indre et Loire in the region of Centre-Val de Loire of my belle France, It is 88 km from Le Mans, 118 km from Orléans, 199 km from Nantes, 226 km from Versailles, and 342 km from my current house, Gone there by the A10 from former house in Versailles and also on the N165 ,A11, and A85 from current house, Do read my many posts on the City in my blog.
Completely surrounded by cafes, especially in summer when the tables take up all the space … from the center of Place Plumereau. But it must be admitted that the real charm of Place Plume (name given by the local Tourangeaux) is its old houses with wooden sides that surround it. These old houses are called half -timbered houses, they date from the 15C, and consist of two main elements: a wooden frame made up of wooden sides, and the Hourdage which forms the walls and which has a role of filling and stiffener. The square was called “Carroi aux hats” in the 13C, “Place Saint Piere le Puellier”, “Place aux Fruits” in 1816, “Carroi saint Peter” and “Carroi des Quanouilles”. It was from November 18, 1988 that it was called Place Plumereau in honor of Charles Plumereau, a businessman and former municipal councilor who bequeathed his property to the City, This square has wooden houses as well as a stone house from the 17C in its southern part. To the north, the demolition of the Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier church during the French revolution led to a reconstruction of the first quarter of the 19C , Already in the 18C the western part of Place Plumereau suffered a realignment, the N ° 13 is an old house, n ° 11 is a house whose facade in wooden sides – undoubtedly plated on another facade – date of the 1st quarter of the 20C, Place Plumereau also has links with the great history of France. It is notably here that Jeanne d’Arc would have spent time to have her armor made and bring her army together to deliver the city of Orleans.
The Place Foire le Roi, bordered by gable houses from the 15C. At no 8, a beautiful Renaissance hotel, this was the theater of the frank fairs established by François Ier. A first fountain was built in 1512 in the center of the square. It was demolished in 1784, only the basin had been preserved. In 1835, a new fountain was established at the southern end of the square with a part of the wall of the initial basin. It owes its name to King Jean Le Bon who wanted to tax the goods landed on the port of the square for the Saint-Christophe fair (held September 15). It thus took the name of “Fère-le-Roi” then “Foyre-le-Roi” and finally Foire le Roi. In its original form, the square was double the current one. It, also, owed its central place in Tours to its port which allowed the landing of goods transported by the Loire. The Place Foire-le-Roi was repeatedly the place of reception of the sovereigns. Their visits to Tours were the occasion for sumptuous solemn entrances ,The hosts and the aldermen then accosted at the port of the Place Foire-le-Roi. This is the case for François Ier on August 21, 1516 and later for Henri II, on March 18, 1556 ; the square, then took place his festive costume and became a space of theatrical representations. The mystery of the passion was staged for Charles VII in November 1457 and that of the Hercules was played for François Ier in 1516. The place Foire-le-Roi square was the first image that the hosts saw of the city and the starting point of splendor urban procession.
Just around the corner in the old Tours, you see the rue Briconnet, You see at no, 37 a house for the second part of the 19C built in an Italian neo-Renaissance style. It is bordered by old Tourangelles residences: Romanesque facade at no 35, Gothic facade at n ° 31, Renaissance house decorated with wooden statuettes (the resto Le Tatoué Toqué). In n ° 32, the house touched the church cloister, as well as canonical houses. The facade is coated with slates from the ground floor, The first floor is cantilever. It is supported by a molded crosspiece based on consoles decorated with wooden statues of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul , Marking the entrance to Place St-Pierre-le-Puellier, classic facade at the no 23. Finally, at no 16 stands the beautiful house of Tristan in brick and stone, wearing a sparrow gables, the architectural style of this house with spikes with sparrows, evokes the Flemish-Rhenian houses as well as the houses of the northeast of France, dating from the end of the 15C. Tristan L’Hermite, a close friend of Charles VII, was from Flanders, provost of the Maréchaux, then appointed Grand Provost of the King’s Hotel by Louis XI. The Cordelière placed under the windows of the facade on the street and, in lesser regard that which adorns the departure of the nucleus of the stairs, would have been ordered by Tristan l’Hermite to recall the cord intended for the hangs executed by its orders The works present Tristan l’Hermite as a cruel executioner, the most famous being Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo.
The local Touraine Loire Valley tourist office on Tours : https://www.touraineloirevalley.co.uk/discover/the-finest-cities/visit-tours-loire-valley-france/
The City of Tours on its emblematic spots : https://www.tours-tourisme.fr/blog/vivre-la-ville/top-5-des-spots-pour-boire-un-verre-en-terrasse-a-tours/
There you go folks, a dandy area to explore and enjoy with the family, Memorable moments in my belle France, going all over in my road warrior trails brings out sublime awesome spots with nice memorable family visits of yesteryear always remember and always looking forward to be back, eventually. Again hope you enjoy the post on the streets of Tours, part II !!!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 