Les maisons scaldiennes - VALENCIENNES

The Maisons Scaldiennes of Valenciennes (XIII- XVI.)
The city of Valenciennes is home to a highly original group of half-timbered houses of a kind only found in the major towns of the Scheldt basin from where they get their name (Scaldienne being the adjective corresponding to the word "Escaut", the French word for the river Scheldt).
 Be sure to come along and discover this traditional architecture during your visit. This town alone accounts for the three of the last seven houses of this type to be found along the Scheldt from Cambrai to Antwerp! Built from 1279 onwards, these houses could accommodate flax looms and could be extended upwards by adding additional floors. On the facade, two levels of corbelled construction allowed the building to overhang the street, providing greater access to light and gaining extra space by encroaching on the street.

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