Running water in town...
Well, let's be clear... when I talk about running water in Longué-Jumelles, I'm not talking about the water that flows every day from the taps, but about the nice current of the Lathan, this little river that has the good idea to pass in the middle of the city!
A place of meeting and exchange
In the nineteenth century, it is well known that the wash house was a privileged place of meeting and exchange of local news for the women who came there to do the laundry of the household.
But when, in addition, it is a question of using the clean water of a small river, and in the middle of the city, the constructions of small laundries multiply along the bank.
Some of them are equipped with a very clever device, in the form of a mobile wooden floor, which can be raised or lowered, depending on the height of the water, using two winches located on the sides of the building.
A charming little path!
There are a surprising number of these little washhouses along the Promenade des Lavoirs, in the park of the Pré aux Grilles, for example. The path, maintained, allows an unusual and bucolic walk!
In addition to the washhouses built by families, you will also see a "banal" washhouse, i.e. a public one, which required the payment of a fee by the washerwomen to use it. The respectable size of this building makes it one of the largest washhouses in Anjou.
Town Hall
1, place de la Mairie
49160 Longué-Jumelles
Tel. 02 41 52 10 70
https://www.villedelonguejumelles.fr/la-promenade-des-lavoirs/
Saumur Val de Loire Tourist Office
Information and Heritage Area
Esplanade du Moulin
49160 Longué-Jumelles
Tel : 02 41 03 78 89
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
(free version)
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