Fontaine des Boucheries

The Fontaine des Boucheries is an old water feature standing in place Jules-Lobet in Reims, a city in the Marne department. It was built in 1770 beside the former butchers’ market to keep animal slaughter away from the street. When the Royal Square was laid out, the fountain moved to its first new site. In 1935 it was shifted again to line up with the cathedral’s north tower and the mayor’s wartime promenade. A bronze medallion of Mayor J.B. Langlet was added then and later re-erected on a separate plinth. The fountain is worth seeing because it carries the city’s long civic memory. It was classified a French historic monument in 1927, which saved it during the tram works of 2009. After careful restoration the jets were turned on once more in 2011. The medallion recalls the mayor who guided Reims through the First World War years. The monument links three eras: the age of market hygiene, the rebuilding after 1918, and the modern tram age. Visitors find a stone basin topped by a simple spout, set against the cathedral’s flank. The bronze plaque with the mayor’s portrait sits on the pavement nearby. The square is quiet, framed by low buildings and plane trees. From here the broad cours JB Langlet leads towards the city centre. The fountain’s modest scale makes it easy to overlook, yet its history is written in every detail.