Place du marché aux herbes

The Marché-aux-Herbes square, in Compiègne

The Marché-aux-Herbes square is the oldest square of Compiègne, in the heart of the historic centre. The Compiègne audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this place laden with history, which would date from 1079, today lively with boutiques and shops.

The oldest square of the town

The Marché-aux-Herbes square today hosts a modern shopping centre and its fashion boutiques, but it nonetheless remains the oldest square of Compiègne. It would even date from 1079, which makes it an almost thousand-year-old witness of the history of the town. As its name indicates, it was for centuries a place of market, where herbs, vegetables and the products of the terroir were sold, in the heart of the commercial and daily life of the town. This merchant vocation, rooted in the long term, illustrates the economic role of Compiègne, a prosperous and well-located town on the axes of trade. Over the centuries, the square evolved, losing its function of traditional market but keeping its role as a place of life and passage. Today, modernity and history come together there. A witness of nearly a thousand years of urban and merchant life, the Marché-aux-Herbes square is an interesting stop of the discovery of Compiègne.

What to see

Here you discover the oldest square of Compiègne, which would date from 1079, an almost thousand-year-old witness of the town, formerly a place of market where herbs, vegetables and the products of the terroir were sold, today lively with a modern shopping centre and boutiques, where modernity and history come together. The Marché-aux-Herbes square is a place laden with history of Compiègne. It is a stop to be discovered, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Marché-aux-Herbes square lies in the heart of the historic centre of Compiègne, reachable on foot. It is a freely accessible public space; the boutiques and shops have their own hours. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Why is the Marché-aux-Herbes square of Compiègne remarkable?

Because it is the oldest square of the town, which would date from 1079, an almost thousand-year-old witness of its history; formerly a place of market where herbs and the products of the terroir were sold, it today hosts a shopping centre and boutiques.

Where is the Marché-aux-Herbes square of Compiègne?

In the heart of the historic centre of Compiègne, in the Oise, in France.