Peynet Bandstand

This lovely bandstand on the Champ de Mars Square was built in 1890 by Eugène Poitoux, who also designed Valence’s monumental fountain. It was inspired by the old bandstand, which had decorated Valence for 30 years. It was a simple bandstand, until 1942. It gained great fame thanks to the illustrator Raymond Peynet, who, while passing through Valence on business, decided to illustrate the bandstand in one of his works. It was a violinist playing alone under the podium, while a young woman listened in admiration. A romantic scene that gave the lovely name of “Les Amoureux de Peynet” (Peynet Lovers) to this work, which toured the world and put the bandstand on the map as a symbol of the town. It was listed as a historical monument in 1982. Thanks to the work that transformed the Champ de Mars in 2001, the bandstand now stands in the center of the plaza: it’s impossible to miss!