Garibaldi Square

Garibaldi Square is a space that has changed its name and appearance many times over the years. At the end of the eighteenth century, it was known as Place du Chemin-Neuf, then became Place d’Orléans and later Place du Duc de Bordeaux, before taking its current name in tribute to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian hero of unification, widely admired in the nineteenth century for his fight for freedom. The square has always been an important thoroughfare, located between the railway station, which began developing in 1857, and the historic centre higher up toward Jean-Jaurès. In the early twentieth century, it was even crossed by a tramway, as shown in old postcards. In 1938, it was enhanced with a bust of Alphonse Mas, mayor of Béziers in the late nineteenth century and known for modernising the city; this monument, just to your left, still keeps the memory of the place alive today. Around the square, the buildings and streets reflect the evolution of the neighbourhood, from an old residential area to an urban crossroads where shops, cafés and local activities have taken root.