Garenne wash-houses

Another point of interest in the heart of the garden is the Garenne wash-houses. This is an old public washhouse supplied by the Marle. Imagine the washerwomen around you washing clothes with ashes and hot water, either by hand or with a beater. In summer and winter alike. When the use of washing powder, which polluted the Marle, was banned in 1958, washerwomen stopped washing there in favour of other washhouses. The wash houses were severely damaged by a major flood, and were later fully restored in 2005. They bear witness to a tough lifestyle in a bygone era. A little further on, we'll head outside the town walls to discover the beautiful façade of the Hermine castle, just a few metres from here.