Roanne Audio Guided Walking Tour 1h15 and 20 Audio Comments

You are in front of a staircase that leads you to the gates of Roanne’s story. Unfortunately, you will not be able to go down there outside the European Heritage Days, the only time the tour is offered.

On your right you have a pretty medieval house that stands out on this square thanks to its remarkable wooden sections.

You arrive right here in downtown Roanne, where Shopping lovers will find their happiness! Here, the best-known brands are jostling, but history is also present in what is now called the Rue Charles de Gaulle.

Here you are in front of the chapel of Saint-Michel, or the chapel of Lycée Jean-Puy. Built by Etienne Martellange, it belonged to the college founded by Pierre Coton, Jesuit priest and confessor of kings Henry IV and Louis XIII.

Along with Rue Charles de Gaulle, Rue Maréchal Foch is one of Roanne’s main shopping streets. The inhabitants still call it the Rue du Commerce.

You now pass through the Place du Point of Sale, the heart of downtown Rouen. And as its name suggests, it hosts every Tuesday and Friday morning the stalls of many producers who come to offer all the good flavors of the city!

The Roanne City Inn is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It was built in place of an old convent that was there and was already used as a town hall.

On the Place de l’Inn, which hosts the Christmas Point of Sale and the Music Festival every year, you can discover a very special building next to the Town Hall: the Municipal Theatre.

Here you are in front of a jewel of Roan heritage, the Church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, also called the Church of Minimes, in reference to the former convent that was here from 1634.

You are certainly wondering what this little building is that stands here, like it came out of nowhere. It is actually a chapel, called Saint-Nicolas-du-Port, which was built in 1630 by sailors.

Here you are in a new space that has recently been built here. Called Les Bords de Loire, it is divided into 2 parts: the first, on your right, is called Roanne Plage.

You arrive there by a canal, in the marina, one of the most popular places in the city. It connects Roanne to Digoin, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to that of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, for nearly 60 km, and it is fed by the Loire.

As we head back to the historic centre of Roanne, let me tell you a little about one of the things you absolutely need to taste during your stay here: wine.

Here you are in front of the symbol of Roannaise gastronomy! At the Diderot Halls, you have the opportunity to taste the greatest specialties of the city and the region, in a building that opened its doors in 1983.

Did you know that in the 19th century Roanne was almost as important a workers’ city as Lyon? Because it too was famous for its textile industry, especially when the canut crisis broke out in Lyon.

This beautiful church is a real historical jewel of Roanne. It is believed that a place of worship was already there during the Roman times, but the first church officially built here dates from 1610: it is therefore the oldest in Roanne.

Place George Clémenceau unveils 2 monuments of Roanne: the building on the other side of the road is the courthouse.

This fresco takes us straight back to medieval times. Roanne in the Middle Ages is a town that kept its Roman name, Rodumna, and is marked by the construction of its castle, during the 11th century, of which only the keep remains today, which is on your left.

It must be imagined that a few centuries ago, there was here a large fortified castle, the construction of which began in the 11th century. Only the building that stands before you, which was none other than the castle keep, remains today.

What are these two houses doing in the middle of the square? With their magnificent wooden sections, the so-called Bourbonnais houses are a true testimony to the medieval past of the city of Roanne.