Chartrons: Bordeaux

The Chartrons quarter, set on the banks of the Garonne, used to be very busy and wealthy thanks to the wine trade. Here, merchants and businessmen rubbed shoulders with sailors and laborers. Its name comes from the Chartreux convent, built in the 17th Century, and it used to be the center both of the town and of Anglo-Saxon and protestant life. With the decline of river-trade, the quarter emptied, becoming a calm residential area with antique shops. A section of the quarter is today known as the "village des antiquaries" or antique-shop village. In this area visitors can take in the Chartrons Museum, and nearer the banks of the Garonne, the Croiseur Colbert. Not far from here is the magnificent Center of Contemporary Art (CAPC). © WCities