Horseshoe Gallery, Tourist attraction in Vichy, France
The Galerie du Fer à Cheval is a covered shopping arcade in the thermal district of Vichy, France. It curves in a horseshoe around a bandstand, with rows of small shops on each side and a glass roof that lets daylight in.
The arcade opened in 1899, when new shops were built in a semicircle around the newly erected bandstand. Architects Charles Le Coeur and Lucien Woog designed the complex at a time when Vichy was at the height of its popularity as a spa town.
The Galerie du Fer à Cheval takes its name from its horseshoe shape, which wraps around the bandstand in the thermal park. Many shop owners have kept the original look of their storefronts, with old signs, classic windows, and woodwork that recall past decades.
The arcade sits in the heart of the thermal district, just a short walk from the springs and the central park, making it easy to reach on foot. A visit works at any time of day, though mornings tend to be quieter.
One of the boutiques inside the arcade was used as a film set for a movie about Coco Chanel, because its interior looked so authentic that few changes were needed. Horse-drawn carriages were brought in outside the building to complete the early 20th-century scene.
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