Rue des Arceaux – Arceaux Street

They say that one must go off the beaten path to discover hidden treasures, and there’s some truth to that. Tucked away among city houses and barely noticeable on the map, Rue des Arceaux, on the right, is a real gem. It truly takes us back to the medieval days of Mont-de-Marsan. This little street was laid out in the second half of the 12th century as part of the city’s first expansion to the south of Midou. Then, in the second half of the following century, it was located inside the city walls. As you may have noticed, Rue des Arceaux has a rather unusual layout. It’s lined with six half-timbered covered passageways – an architectural element typically found in local houses built of brick or cob. Resting on wooden beams, these passageways connected the first floors of two houses facing each other. A detail of great importance, reminding us that they once served mainly as bridges between the shops on Gambetta Street to the east and the warehouses on Henri Thiébaud Street to the west. While this first part of Arceaux Street is wide enough to be crossed by cars and passers-by, the subsequent part is narrower and only accessible to pedestrians. All the more reason to explore this historic street in its entirety. As you do so, keep an eye out for the arrow slit on the façade at no. 15, just around the corner. It’s a former watch house, where drunkards and troublemakers were detained for the night. This charming, picturesque street is a photographer’s dream. A 13th-century backdrop for your 21st-century memories. So snap a photo and time travel, Mont-de-Marsan style.