Voici les différents panneaux du circuit patrimonial Mélusine :

Place de la Halle

The Place de la Halle

There was once a covered market hall in Vendeuvre, can you name some of the craftsmen and traders who worked there?

From 1760 to 1902

The first known covered hall in Vendeuvre was located Rue du Bourgetet. A fire destroyed the entire street, including the hall during the 16th century. It was not until 1760 that a new covered hall was built only to be demolished in 1902 as it no longer met demands and mainly required extremely costly maintenance work.
On Sunday 25 May 1902, the mayor, assisted by councillors and the Municipal Treasurer, proceeded with the adjudication of the materials for the demolition of the old covered hall. That same year, a new structure was erected combining a metal frame and brick walls in accordance with the techniques of the time
The work was conferred to contractors through a sealed bidding process with an overall price of 15,598 French francs.

Extract from the ‘Le Bulletin Vendeuvrois’ newspaper.
Issue dated 28 April 1895.
Fair of Saint-Georges, Vendeuvre.
‘We came with 95 cows, about twenty were sold for 300 to 450 francs. The market was rather quiet: only the farmers sold, the growers held up and did not sell.
There was a drop of 40 francs. We brought 6 horses which were not sold. There were 88 pigs which were sold between 38 to 50 francs a piece.’

From 1902 to the present day

This covered hall has hosted numerous events for the past 85 years, providing a venue for festivals, markets, plays, community events, and dances…
A number of traders and craftsmen worked in the lively hall on a daily basis. Amongst locals were CASIMIR, a cutler; COLLINET, a café and billiards parlour; DESCHARMES, a grower; JÉRÔME, a wheelwright; LEGROS, a carpenter, and GÉRARD, a wine merchant.
Nowadays, there are no longer any businesses left.
A letter of discontent dated 11 February 1966 signed by the mayor and addressed to the president of a sports association, as shown in the following extracts:
‘... The commune has graciously made the hall available to your association for the practice of sports activities during the cold season. You generally use this building once a week. The hall is also used as a party and assembly venue, and dances are often held there. However, today, in the presence of a municipal councillor and two municipal employees, I noticed the hall to be in a pitiful state. The walls are covered with a multitude of muddy ball marks, some up to 2 metres high. The low wall at the front of the stage more specifically is in an appalling state. The refreshment station has also been treated poorly. A number of folding chairs are partly broken. A big central light bulb is blown, this is actually the second one in a fortnight…’
In 1987, the city council decided to carry out work on the site.
Undertaking costly work on a neglected structure forced the elected representatives to consider its purpose. After much deliberation, the decision was made to demolish the building and establish a square in its place. The work was completed on 27 November 1989. The metallic parts of the hall are said to have been remounted in a Belgian municipality.