Monpazier, Medieval bastide town in Dordogne, France.
Monpazier is a medieval bastide town in Dordogne built on a grid street layout with a central marketplace as its defining feature. This 70-meter square is enclosed by 23 stone houses with covered arcades that served historically as market halls and residences combined.
King Edward I of England founded Monpazier in 1284 as a fortified settlement to establish strategic military control during territorial conflicts with France. The bastide form was a specialized settlement method of the era, where relocated inhabitants received tax incentives to populate new towns.
The Thursday market held in the central square maintains centuries-old trading customs, where local vendors display regional cheese, produce, and handcrafted goods under the open arcades. Residents and visitors naturally gather beneath these covered galleries, creating a social hub that shapes daily community life.
The town is easily explored on foot, with all routes organized from the central plaza toward the Saint-Dominique church and two surviving medieval gates at the town edges. Visitors should allow time to walk the quieter side streets and observe the individual house structures up close.
House plots follow a strict geometric scheme with uniform rectangular parcels, revealing a mathematical planning concept rarely implemented at that time. This precision in town design remains visible today and sets Monpazier apart from organically developed medieval settlements.
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