Immeuble
MonumentHidden Treasure
Immeuble, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083315
On the quays of Bordeaux, this majestic eighteenth-century architectural structure features semi-circular arches and Mansard roofs facing the Garonne, forming one of the most beautiful river fronts in Europe.
History
Facing the reflecting waters of the Garonne, the façades of the quays of Bordeaux form one of the most accomplished urban scenes of 18th-century France. This monumental ensemble, the fruit of political as well as architectural will, unfolds over several hundred metres in a rigorous and elegant layout that harmoniously extends the famous Place de la Bourse - formerly Place Royale - towards the river. It is here that the city of trade and royalty presents itself as a spectacle to those arriving by water. What makes this complex truly unique is the absolute coherence of its composition. Each building is part of a whole: a base of semicircular arches punctuated by carved keystones and partitions, two large storeys of classical proportions, then a Mansard-style roof with carved stone dormer windows. No element protrudes, no fantasy breaks the thread of this monumental perspective designed to be read as a single façade from the opposite bank of the river. The experience of visiting the building is first and foremost that of a walk. Walking along these quays at sunrise, when the golden light of Aquitaine plays against the white stone of the Gironde limestone, is a rare aesthetic pleasure. Here and there, under the arcades, visitors can still see period ironwork, window frames with finely profiled dripstones, and keystones decorated with mascarons or plant motifs of the highest quality. The setting in Bordeaux amplifies the experience: the width of the river, the silhouettes of the boats, the symmetry between the built-up bank and the open horizon create an urban breathing space that few French cities can claim. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 as part of the "Port of the Moon" project, this ensemble is much more than just a façade - it is the living memory of a city that has, over the course of a century, risen to the rank of Europe's most beautiful capitals.
Architecture
The facades of the quays of Bordeaux are based on a rigorously classical tripartite composition. The basement, comprising the ground floor and mezzanine, is punctuated by a series of semi-circular arches, the keystones of which are adorned with finely chiselled sculptures - mascarons, allegorical heads, plant motifs - that are one of the major visual attractions of the whole. The trumeaux separating the arcades are treated as refrets, giving the base a visual robustness in keeping with its function as the building's load-bearing base. Above this lively base, two large square storeys develop in a more serene style. Windows with moulded frames, highlighted by projecting eaves that protect the stone from damp while creating a rhythmic play of shadows, punctuate the façade horizontally. Wrought-iron balconies - some of which have unfortunately disappeared - originally punctuated these levels with a refined decorative design characteristic of Bordeaux's rocaille taste in the mid-eighteenth century. The ensemble is crowned by a Mansard roof, a typical feature of classical French architecture, pierced by stone dormers with alternating triangular and arched pediments, which add a touch of measured fantasy to the top of the composition. The dominant material is oolitic limestone from the Bordeaux region, the golden-white shell limestone that gives the city its characteristic light and which, against the mirror of the Garonne, takes on changing reflections depending on the time of day.
Related Figures
Claude Boucher — intendant de Guyenne, initiateur du projet de quai dès 1729Jacques Gabriel — architecte du roi, auteur des premiers projets et du quai de la Douane en 1731Ange-Jacques Gabriel — fils du précédent, architecte royal, concepteur de la perspective monumentale définitiveLouis Urbain Aubert de Tourny — intendant de Guyenne, maître d'ouvrage de la perspective monumentale de 1748Louis XV — roi de France sous le règne duquel fut achevé cet embellissement royal de Bordeaux
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble located?
Immeuble is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Immeuble built?
Immeuble dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Immeuble open to visitors?
Immeuble is currently closed to visitors.