Place du Châtelet

The Place du Châtelet, in Orléans

The Place du Châtelet, created in the 1880s, was the great commercial heart of Orléans with its metal market halls. The Orléans audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this lively space between the centre and the Loire, witness of the merchant dynamism of the town, today a place of life and commerce.

The former commercial heart of the town

The Place du Châtelet was created in the 1880s to make room for the construction of four metal market halls sheltering the wholesale market. At the time, it is a true commercial heart, and very numerous merchants were counted there. These great halls of iron and glass, typical of the industrial architecture of the end of the nineteenth century, in the manner of the market halls that numerous towns then knew, sheltered the intense activity of the wholesale trade, where merchants and inhabitants stocked up on fresh products come from the region and the river. The square, ideally located between the town centre and the banks of the Loire, was thus the nerve centre of the Orléans trade. The former metal market halls have today disappeared or evolved, but the square has kept its merchant and lively vocation: lined with shops, cafés and terraces, it remains a place of life and passage much frequented, in the heart of the town. It testifies to the economic history and the urbanism of Orléans in the industrial era. A merchant square and a heart of life, the Place du Châtelet is a fine stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you enjoy the square created in the 1880s to host four metal market halls sheltering the wholesale market, a true commercial heart of the era; ideally located between the centre and the banks of the Loire, nerve centre of the Orléans trade, it has kept its lively vocation, lined with shops, cafés and terraces, and remains a place of life much frequented. The Place du Châtelet is a heart of life of Orléans. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place du Châtelet lies between the centre of Orléans and the banks of the Loire, reachable on foot and by tram. It is a freely accessible public square, lined with shops, cafés and terraces. It is lively all year. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why was the Place du Châtelet created in Orléans?

It was created in the 1880s to make room for the construction of four metal market halls sheltering the wholesale market; a true commercial heart of the era, ideally located between the centre and the banks of the Loire, it has kept its lively vocation and remains today a place of life much frequented, lined with shops, cafés and terraces.

Where is the Place du Châtelet in Orléans?

Between the centre of Orléans and the banks of the Loire, in France.