Old Market Square

Place du Vieux-Marché

The Guérande audio-guided tour leads you to Place du Vieux-Marché, one of the oldest of the city. Paved and lined with fine typical houses, it keeps all the charm of medieval Guérande.

A market and the House of the Seneschal

As its name indicates, the square housed a market from the fourteenth century, where wheat notably was sold, as well as a former cemetery. The market and the cemetery have since disappeared, which allowed the square to be enlarged. On the right stands the House of the Seneschal, of the seventeenth century; the seneschal was an officer in the service of the king, in charge of local judicial affairs. It is said that Honoré de Balzac stayed in one of the houses of the square: Guérande inspired his novel Béatrix, published in 1839.

What there is to see

The square charms with its cobbles, its old houses and the House of the Seneschal, a witness to the prestige of the officers of the past. It is a peaceful place to stroll, imbued with the medieval atmosphere and the literary memory of Balzac. An ideal stop to feel the soul of the city.

Practical information

Place du Vieux-Marché is in the heart of the medieval city of Guérande. It is a public space freely accessible at all hours and on the level. The old houses that border it can be contemplated from the square.

What writer stayed at Place du Vieux-Marché?

It is said that Honoré de Balzac stayed there; Guérande inspired his novel Béatrix, published in 1839.

What is the House of the Seneschal?

A seventeenth-century dwelling; the seneschal was an officer in the service of the king, in charge of local judicial affairs.