Ramparts Mansion

The Maison des Remparts, in Roanne

The Maison des Remparts is a pretty medieval house of Roanne, remarkable for its timber framing and its particular shape. The Roanne audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this old residence that formerly followed the line of the ramparts of the town, witness of fortified Roanne.

The residence that followed the ramparts

On the side of the square stands a pretty medieval house that stands out thanks to its remarkable timber framing. It is called the Maison des Remparts, a nickname due to its very particular shape, since it formerly followed the line of the old ramparts of Roanne. In the Middle Ages, the town was indeed protected by fortifications, walls that girded the town and defended it. The house, built along or on the site of these ramparts, has kept the trace in its curved or irregular shape, that follows the old defensive line, which gives it its name and its singular character. With its fine half-timbered façade, its apparent wooden framework and its appearance of another time, it is one of the rare witnesses of the medieval habitat of Roanne, largely disappeared. It evokes the fortified town of the past, its walls and its organisation, and constitutes a precious element of the old heritage of the town. Preserved, it brings charm and authenticity to the historic heart. A medieval residence and a witness of the ramparts, the Maison des Remparts is a fine stop of the discovery of Roanne.

What to see

You admire the pretty medieval house with remarkable timber framing that stands out on the square, nicknamed the Maison des Remparts because it formerly followed the line of the old ramparts of Roanne, of which it has kept the particular shape; one of the rare witnesses of the medieval habitat of the town, it evokes the fortified town of the past and brings charm and authenticity to the historic heart. The Maison des Remparts is an old jewel of Roanne. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Maison des Remparts lies on a square of the historic centre of Roanne, reachable on foot. You admire its façade from the square; its interior access, according to its use, follows its own conditions. You discover it during a walk in old Roanne.

Why is it called the Maison des Remparts in Roanne?

Because of its very particular shape, as it formerly followed the line of the old ramparts of Roanne, these walls that protected the town in the Middle Ages; a pretty medieval house with remarkable timber framing, it is one of the rare witnesses of the medieval habitat of the town and evokes fortified Roanne of the past.

Where is the Maison des Remparts in Roanne?

On a square of the historic centre of Roanne, in France.