Place de la République

The Place de la République, in Orléans

The Place de la République is a square of the centre of Orléans, born from the great urban breakthrough of the nineteenth century. The Orléans audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this space opened during the tracing of the rue Jeanne d'Arc, witness of the modern transformation of the town.

The square born from the modern breakthrough

This square that opens on the right is the Place de la République. You can well see that it is not a classic square, formed naturally over time: it settled on the space left by the destruction of a block of houses, necessary for the breakthrough of the rue Jeanne d'Arc. In the nineteenth century, as in numerous French towns, Orléans knew great urban works inspired by the transformations of Paris, that opened wide rectilinear arteries through the medieval fabric. The rue Jeanne d'Arc was thus cut through to link the centre to the cathedral of Sainte-Croix, in a majestic perspective, and the Place de la République was born from this development. Lined with buildings with the homogeneous and careful architecture of this era, it reflects the urbanism of the nineteenth century, with its orderly façades and its regular arrangement. A space of passage and life in the heart of the town, animated by the shops, the cafés and the tram that crosses it, the square is a landmark of the centre of Orléans. It testifies to the evolution of the town, between old heritage and modernisation. An urban square and a witness of the modern breakthrough, the Place de la République is a fine stop of the discovery of Orléans.

What to see

Here you discover the square born in the nineteenth century from the destruction of a block of houses for the breakthrough of the rue Jeanne d'Arc, in a great movement of urbanism inspired by Paris; lined with buildings with homogeneous and careful architecture, crossed by the tram and animated by the shops, it reflects the modernisation of the town and its evolution between heritage and new urbanism. The Place de la République is a witness of the modern breakthrough of Orléans. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place de la République lies in the heart of Orléans, on the axis of the rue Jeanne d'Arc, reachable on foot and by tram. It is a freely accessible public square, lined with shops and cafés. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

How was the Place de la République born in Orléans?

It settled in the nineteenth century on the space left by the destruction of a block of houses, necessary for the breakthrough of the rue Jeanne d'Arc, in a great movement of urbanism inspired by Paris; it is therefore not a classic square formed over time, but it is lined with buildings with the homogeneous and careful architecture of this era.

Where is the Place de la République in Orléans?

In the heart of Orléans, on the axis of the rue Jeanne d'Arc, in France.