Street of the Loge, Pedestrian path in historic Écusson district, Montpellier, France
Rue de la Loge is a pedestrian path in the historic Écusson district of Montpellier, running from Place de la Comédie to Rue Foch. It forms a central axis through the medieval city center and now serves as a busy shopping lane.
In the Middle Ages the lane was known in Occitan as carrièira daurada, Golden Street, because goldsmiths and silversmiths had their workshops there. Its present name comes from the Grande Loge des marchands, built by Jacques Cœur around 1447 at the corner with the rue de l'Aiguillerie and since destroyed. In the 19th century the upper part was called rue du Cardinal and the lower part rue du Gouvernement; the city hall stood at its upper end from 1362 to 1816.
Locals and visitors use the lane daily as a shopping and strolling zone where cafés sit alongside fashion chains. The passage also leads to the entrance of the city history museum, housed in the crypt of a former church.
International retail chains, local shops, restaurants and technology stores line both sides of this main commercial thoroughfare. The pedestrian area is busiest during the day when visitors walk between the shops and stop at storefronts.
The lane houses the Halles Castellane market building, built in 1859 with a metal framework and elements in the Baltard style. This architecture belonged to early experiments with iron as a building material for public structures in southern France.
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