Gayot Market Square

The Gayot market square greets you with open arms! It would be unthinkable not to stop for a drink in one of its many restaurants. But before becoming a popular and convivial place to live, the Gayot market square was once occupied by a canons’ house. At the beginning of the 17th century, an inn on the square caught fire and the whole district went up in flames, consuming the canons’ house and killing all its inhabitants. In the wake of the tragedy, the place came to be known as “Cour brûlée”, that is, the burnt courtyard: a name that would live on for many years to come. At the beginning of the 18th century, the city’s political center relocated to Broglie Square, and numerous private mansions sprouted up all over the place. Major urban development projects were then launched to revitalize the medieval city. That’s how this beautiful rectangular square came to be in 1769. It bears the name of its creator, François-Marie de Gayot; at the time, he was the Préteur royal, that is, the representative of the King of France, in this case Louis XV, appointed to govern the city of Strasbourg. Several houses were built around the square, along with a salt granary and a large inn. Take, for example, the house at number 18-19. The door is so low that it’s said that the building was once home to little people, hired in bygone days by the bishop’s court to be what was then known as ‘jesters’, aka professional jokers. You may also notice a strange bronze sculpture in front of the patios. It’s quite simply entitled ‘la pierre trouée’, that is, the Pierced Stone, representing an enigmatic meteorite that has fallen from the sky. I’ll leave you to explore the square before heading off to rue des frères to continue our visit.