Place d'Armes, Pedestrian zone in the old town of Briançon, France
Place d'Armes is a pedestrian zone at the heart of Briançon's Ville Haute, in the French Alps. A stone well stands at its center, surrounded by old buildings, terrace cafes, and small shops lining the paved edges.
For centuries, the square served as a gathering point for soldiers, as Briançon was a key military post in the Alps. In 2012, it was officially reopened after renovation works that added new granite paving, restored the central well, and rebuilt the guardhouse canopy.
The square sits in the middle of Briançon's old town and is easy to reach on foot through the paved alleys of the Ville Haute. It works as a natural starting point for exploring the surrounding streets, whatever the season.
The walls of buildings near the square carry old sundials dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, once used to tell the time of day before modern clocks became common. They are still visible today and most visitors walk past them without noticing.
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